3 Houston Cougars Who Stood Out vs. Georgia Southern

The No. 25 Houston Cougars won 42-28 on the road against the Georgia Southern Eagles on Saturday.

While the defense still showed some concerns, especially in the secondary, the offense kept rolling. Here's who stood out in the Cougars' win:

Quarterback Conner Weigman

The term "football IQ" doesn't measure a person's IQ. It measures a football player's ability to process situations and make smart decisions with the ball. Sometimes it's not about talent at all; it's about who's smarter with the ball. The good news is that Houston has a guy who is both talented and smart.

Quarterback Conner Weigman showed this on Saturday with one of the most proficient starts of his career. Weigman completed 17 of 22 passes for 239 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Weigman and the offense didn't turn the ball over once, and he posted a season-best QBR of 98.1.

Houston QB Conner Weigman flips the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second half at Galaxy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In total, Weigman has thrown for 947 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just one interception so far, with the 11th-best QBR at 85.7. At this point in the season, these numbers are just great. As the season continues and with how the secondary has been pushed around, the need for Weigman to step up may arise. Thankfully for the Cougars, Weigman looks like the kind of QB that can do just that.

Running Back Re'Shaun Sanford

Running back Re'Shaun Sanford had shown flashes of potential heading into this matchup against the Eagles. However, on Saturday, Sanford finally broke out, rushing for 120 yards on just 17 carries.

The starting RB, Makhi Hughes, who ran for 2,779 yards over two seasons at Tulane before transferring to the Oregon Ducks in 2025 and disappointing in a crowded backfield, decided to revive his collegiate career in Houston.

Thus far, Hughes has done well with 282 rushing yards on 56 carries (5.0 AVG) and two touchdowns, but he may be losing the starting job to Sanford. Sanford has portrayed elite speed and the ability to turn smaller gains into explosive runs.

At the least, Sanford and Hughes give Houston one of the better 1-2 punches in the nation - especially with how great Sanford has looked. Sanford himself has totaled 252 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 37 carries (6.8 AVG).

As the season progresses, this offense is clearly tasked with scoring a lot of points because of defensive issues. The need for a good QB and strong RB depth is huge. Based on how the RB room looked against the Eagles, it's safe to say this offense looks very good through four weeks of the season.

Wide Receiver Trent Walker

Houston hoped to add an X-factor to the offense in Trent Walker, who transferred from the Oregon State Beavers to the Cougars prior to the season.

Walker totaled 1,790 receiving yards and four touchdowns at Oregon State over three seasons, with the vast majority of those yards coming in 2025 and 2024. The Cougars looked to help superstar wide receiver Amare Thomas with the addition of Walker and the development of other younger players.

In his first three games in Houston, Walker caught just six passes for 64 yards and no touchdowns, falling far short of expectations. But Walker finally showed his older self on Saturday, catching six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown.

These numbers might not jump off the page, but if Walker looks more like his former self at Oregon State, this receiving corps will be undeniably dangerous with several stars like Thomas and the so-far impressive tight end Patrick Overmyer.

Saturday's game ended less than ideally, as the Cougars struggled to put away the Eagles. But the offense hasn't slowed down just yet. With guys like Weigman, Sanford, and Walker impressing, the offense might be even better in the future.

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