Houston had plenty to take away from its 28-26 loss to Texas Tech, and not all of it was bad. The Cougars came up short, but a few players clearly strengthened their case while others left the field with questions hanging over them.
Conner Weigman was the biggest bright spot. Even with the two-point conversion attempt falling flat, the quarterback looked every bit like one of the better passers in the Big 12. He finished with 282 passing yards and three touchdowns, and he added another layer to his day by grinding out 56 yards on 13 carries.
Koby Young also made his mark. Through three games, he has now hauled in a catch of more than 40 yards in each one, and against Texas Tech he delivered a 46-yard touchdown that kept Houston within striking distance. He’s quickly shaping into the kind of receiver this offense needs - a dependable deep threat.
Amare Thomas continued doing what he’s done all season: produce. He caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, stayed on the board with a score in every game so far, and still leads Houston with 18 receptions.
His opener included 133 yards, while his game against Southern was limited to 27 yards because the Cougars pulled him early in a blowout. Against Texas Tech’s ranked secondary, he still found ways to get open and matter.
Patrick Overmyer is also carving out a bigger role. The tight end posted 72 yards and a touchdown on eight catches, and he’s starting to look like the steady target Houston had in Tanner Koziol. His touchdown came before Houston went for two in an effort to tie the game.
The defense had its moments, too. Jalen Mayo and Will James both bumped their stock with interceptions. James picked off Tommy Castellanos on Texas Tech’s first play, and Mayo followed with a one-handed grab off Will Hammond before halftime.
Not everyone left with momentum. Trent Walker finished with just five receiving yards on two catches, a steep drop from the production he posted against Oregon State and Southern.
He had 24 yards against Oregon State and 35 against Southern, and compared with last year, the decline is dramatic. At Oregon State, he had 302 yards in the first three games.
Right now, Young and Overmyer appear to be getting more of Weigman’s attention.
Houston gets another shot on Sept. 26 against Georgia Southern, and that should give some of the players who stumbled here a chance to reset.
In Other News...
Kelvin Sampson Just Added To Houstons Frontcourt Recruiting Machine
Houstons frontcourt pipeline under Kelvin Sampson keeps rolling, and the latest addition only strengthens the picture for the future. Four-star power forward Triston Hawthorne, a 6-foot-7 senior from Ellisville, Mississippi, has committed to the Cougars for the 2027 recruiting class, picking Houston over Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Harvard. His decision adds another high-end piece to a class that is already drawing attention nationally.
Hawthorne joins three other top-100 prospects in what currently stands as Houstons top-rated 2027 group, a sign that Sampson and his staff are continuing to stack talent well beyond the immediate season. For a program built on physicality, development and depth up front, landing another athletic interior option this early only reinforces how hard Houston has become to beat on the recruiting trail. [Read more 🡒]
Willie Fritz Knows What Cost Houston A Statement Win Over Texas Tech
Houston came out of its Big 12 opener with Texas Tech feeling like it had left a statement win on the table. The Cougars fell 28-26, a one-score result that carried the kind of frustration coaches tend to revisit quickly, especially when there were enough clean plays to win and enough loose ones to decide the game the other way. Willie Fritz pointed to the effort his team showed, but he also made clear there were specific areas that kept Houston from finishing the job.
Missed field goals, defensive communication problems and tackling issues all surfaced in Fritzs postgame assessment, and a late two-point conversion attempt involving Conner Weigman added another layer to an already tight finish. The play call and the officials ruling drew attention, but Houstons bigger concern is more basic: in a game this close, the small mistakes mattered most, and the Cougars know they have to tighten them up before the rest of the league starts stacking losses against them. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Basketball Just Gave Fans Plenty To Circle In 2026-27
Houston basketball fans finally have a season map to study, and both programs gave the calendar plenty of weight. The Cougars mens and womens teams have released their schedules for the upcoming season, setting up a slate that stretches from familiar Texas dates to matchups that should draw a little extra attention across the sport.
For the women, the list includes several first-time opponents along with notable tests against LSU and Baylor, while the mens side will see ranked competition with Michigan, Alabama and Arizona among the highlights. Add in the key tournaments, conference dates and a steady run of games against Texas schools, and there is already enough on the page to make 2026-27 feel like a season worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]