3 Overreactions After Houston vs Texas Tech
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Houston Cougars football took on Texas Tech in their first Big 12 game of the season and put up a hard-fought performance in a difficult top-15 road matchup. While the Cougars came up just short in tough fashion, there were some positives to take going forward.
Houston had opportunities to pull off the upset and will need to look at themselves for ultimately taking the loss. Here are three overreactions from the huge game.
Houston Will Meet Texas Tech Again
The only way that Houston can meet Texas Tech again would be in the Big 12 championship at AT&T Stadium, and that has a chance of happening after how this game went. There was an expectation that Houston could compete for a spot in the Big 12 title game this year, but that was proven true based on Friday night.
The Red Raiders have an easier schedule the rest of the way and could go undefeated, but if the Cougars can grow for this game, they could also not lose a game the rest of the way. After all, that's the only realistic way for Houston to make it that far. This would be an intense championship game if it were to happen, and it could be on the cards.
FOX play-by-play announcer Tim Brando believes these two teams could meet again, and mentioned a few times that Friday could've been the prequel.
Houston's Running Game Looks Elite
The Cougars have almost had an 1000-yard rusher last season in Dean Conners, and added senior Makhi Hughes from Oregon as that reliable workhorse. Additionally, redshirt junior Re'Shaun Sanford II adds an explosive speed element.
Houston's running game looks quite strong after Week 3. It seemed like the Cougars could run against a tough Texas Tech defensive line almost the whole game whenever they tried. Hughes especially had a lot of success. It felt like Houston could've stuck with that more in the second half as well.
Hughes had 15 carries for 71 yards while Sanford had five carries for 30 yards. The Cougars need to use this running game to greater effect.
One of Weigman's Best Career Drives
When Houston was down 28-20 with 2:44 left in the game, a comeback just didn't seem likely. The Cougars' offense hadn't done a whole lot in the second half up till that point besides a field goal. Senior quarterback Conner Weigman showed his experience on the road and led a masterful drive 88 yards down the field with the game on the line.
Houston went 10 plays, and it took up just 1:55. Weigman converted a key third down on a throw to senior wideout Amare Thomas and found redshirt junior tight end Patrick Overmyer three times for big chunks. Weigman then threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Overmyer.
While Weigman came up just inches short on the two-point conversion, the effort was tremendous. He had 282 passing yards and three touchdowns on a 71 percent completion rate, while having 56 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.