3 Takeaways From Houston Cougars' Comeback Win at UCF
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Houston football faced another true test heading into Week 11 to wash away an uncharacteristic performance the week prior, and it did so in a comeback effort with a 30-27 win over UCF on Friday at Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Fla.
The win was much needed for the Cougars as they improved to 8-2 on the 2025 campaign, heading into their second bye week with their first win in Orlando since 2015 while handing the Knights their first loss in nine SpaceU-themed games in their program history, a series in which their average margin of victory was 30.7.
Junior quarterback Conner Weigman found himself leading among Cougar rushers after his mobility was largely a non-factor in Week 10, as he ran for 82 yards on 22 carries with the help of key blocks including from his fellow back in senior running back Dean Connors in Week 11.
To seal the game, junior free safety Kentrell Webb recorded his first career interception, a pick in the endzone of redshirt freshman quarterback Davi Belfort, who came in on the Knights' final possession.
Outside of these winning efforts, there was a lot to digest in terms of how the game flipped from one mood to another, with three key takeaways:
Mood changes galore in the first half
For the first 20:21 of game time into the second quarter, Houston had just 81 total yards with two turnovers on downs, one of which was an interception of Weigman by senior defensive back Phillip Dunham on fourth down. Offensively, they had looked lifeless having been given multiple opportunities in the first quarter as on the ground, the Cougars only averaged 2.6 yards per rush on just 10 carries.
In just under two minutes, this game appeared to have flipped upside down in Houston's favor with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on a 64-yard scoring connection from Weigman to junior wide receiver Amare Thomas, which was nearly instantly followed by a 45-yard pick six off redshirt junior quarterback Tayven Jackson by junior linebacker Latreveon McCutchin.
Things began to look bleak again however as Weigman was once again was picked off by Dunham, who took the rock 43 yards back for a pick six in the second-to-last drive for the Cougars in the first half, putting Houston down two scores again after it had failed to capitalize on multiple defensive stops prior to that two-minute sequence.
Oddly enough, the Cougars were still in this game as lifeless as some claimed they were offensively.
Feed the rock to Connors again
Although Weigman found himself leading the ground department again, Connors found himself with just 10 carries on the night and 23 combined in Weeks 10 and 11. However, there was a series tonight that showed his production output is trending back up, which helps in entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
Connors had entered the Cougars' second drive of the third quarter with 20 yards, but he commanded this series with a 25-yard run that took Houston inside the UCF 10, and a nine-yard touchdown reception to help tie the contest up at 24.
He finished his night as Houston's third leading rusher with 68 yards, and combined with sophomore DJ Butler for 137 yards on the ground.
What happened with turnovers?
Entering Week 10, Houston had committed the fewest turnovers in all of FBS with just four, having set a high tone of ball security for much of the season.
In just two game weeks, the Cougars tripled that amount to 12, in part from three interceptions of Weigman by Dunham, who became the first defensive player in program history for the Knights to record three interceptions in a game.
Though no fumbles are a bright spot, Weigman definitely needs the upcoming bye week to rest up and regather himself to help avoid looking rattled heading into Week 13 against TCU.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.