No. 22 Houston heads to Manhattan on Oct. 10 with some important injury questions hanging over its Week 6 trip to face Kansas State, and the biggest ones are on defense.
Quarterback Conner Weigman will be under center against the Wildcats, even though he was battling an illness in the win over UCF. Head coach Willie Fritz said after that game, “He's sick as a dog,” Fritz said in the postgame press conference. “He fought through and played really well in the second half.”
Weigman still powered through the matchup, scoring three touchdowns on the ground. Over the last two weeks, he’s piled up five rushing touchdowns.
Houston’s more pressing issue is the loss of linebacker Jaden Yates, who suffered an injury last week and has already been ruled out for Saturday. That’s a hit for a defense that has been one of the nation’s best against the run, allowing just 65 rushing yards per game and ranking eighth nationally.
Yates has been a steady presence for the Cougars this season, posting 29 tackles, a sack and a pass deflection. His absence matters even more with Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson coming in as the Wildcats’ leading rusher with 291 yards.
If Houston wants to hold up in the middle, it will lean on Carmycah Glass. He’s the next man up in that run-stopping role, and he’s already shown he can handle volume.
Glass has 27 total tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in 2025. Before arriving at Houston, he made 75 total tackles for Louisiana in 2024.
The Cougars also took a hit in the backfield. Freshman running back John Hebert is likely done for the season after suffering a lower-leg injury on kickoff coverage late in the UCF win. Fritz sounded optimistic earlier in the week, saying on Oct. 5 that Hebert would be back.
“John will come back,” Fritz said. “I told him that he's going to use Re'Shaun (Sanford) as a good example for him.”
Hebert’s 2026 production came entirely against Southern, where he ran for 65 yards and a touchdown and also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Even with Hebert sidelined, Houston hasn’t lost much of its punch on the ground. Makhi Hughes and Sanford remain the two primary backs in the rotation.
Wide receiver Muizz Tounkara and linebacker Bryson Castile are also out for this game.
Houston has won seven of its last eight road games, a stretch that goes back to 2025. Keeping that run going will be a challenge with Yates unavailable.
In Other News...
Houston Is About To Face The Stretch That Defines Everything
Houston is staring at the kind of stretch that can redefine a season in a hurry. The Cougars have put themselves in the thick of the Big 12 race, and the next run of games will go a long way toward showing whether they can stay there. With conference positioning so tight, every week now feels less like a checkpoint and more like a referendum on where this team belongs.
The road ahead is unforgiving, with a trip to Kansas State, a home date with Oklahoma State and then another tough road test at Utah. Those three games will shape not just Houstons standing in the league, but also its broader case in the College Football Playoff conversation. For a program trying to turn momentum into something bigger, this is the part of the schedule that tells the truth. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Defense Finally Showed The Identity Big 12 Play Demands
Houstons defense finally looked the part against UCF, limiting the Knights offense and bringing a level of physicality that has been harder to sustain through Big 12 play. Defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong said there were still some early mistakes to clean up, but the overall performance gave Houston something it has been searching for: a cleaner, more forceful identity on that side of the ball.
Latreveon McCutchin was central to that effort, delivering an interception while also handling quarterback-spy duties in a game that featured several key defensive plays. The Cougars also generated multiple sacks for the first time since the Oregon State game, a sign they may be starting to translate activity into disruption at the line of scrimmage, and they will try to carry that into next weeks matchup with Kansas State. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Heads To Kansas State With One Big Test For Conner Weigman
The No. 22 Cougars head to Kansas State on Saturday carrying some momentum after bouncing back from their loss to Texas Tech with a pair of wins. It is another Big 12 measuring-stick game for Houston, and the focus stays squarely on Conner Weigman, who has given the offense a steadier feel as the Cougars try to keep climbing in the league race. Kansas State, meanwhile, comes in looking to recover from an unexpected loss in Cincinnati after being favored.
For Houston, the challenge is as much about settling into a rhythm as it is about the final score. Weigman has already shown enough this season to make the Cougars believe they can travel and score with anyone, and the betting profile around both teams suggests this could be another game with points to spare. Still, Saturday feels like the kind of spot where Houstons quarterback has to deliver against a sturdy Big 12 opponent if the Cougars are going to leave Manhattan with another statement win. [Read more 🡒]