Conner Weigman Shines in Victory Over Colorado
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Houston football defeated the Colorado Buffaloes 36-20 in their first matchup in 54 years, and remains undefeated on the season.
Junior quarterback Conner Weigman and senior running back Dean Connors continue to dominate, and they are a big reason why the Cougars are 3-0.
Houston Stuns Colorado in Friday’s Victory
Houston football did exactly what they wanted to in the game against Colorado: start fast.
The Cougars scored on their first three drives and stormed out to a 13-0 lead over the Buffaloes.
Junior quarterback Conner Weigman showed why he was a top recruit out of high school and continued Houston’s offensive firepower that the team found late in the game against Rice.
Weigman passed for 222 yards and also rushed for 83 yards including two rushing touchdowns.
Weigman broke the game wide open with two touchdown runs late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter to give Houston a 33-14 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Connors once again showed out in the running game, rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown, and is amongst the best running backs in the Big 12.
Through senior wide receiver Stephon Johnson’s first two games, he had only one reception. Tonight, he exploded for five receptions for 117 yards, which led all receivers tonight.
Houston’s defense once again proved why they are amongst the best in the conference.
Houston’s senior defensive back, Blake Thomas, intercepted Ryan Staub’s first pass of the fourth quarter, which was Houston’s third interception of the season.
After scoring two touchdowns in the first half, Colorado ran five offensive plays in the third quarter for zero yards, which killed their momentum entirely.
The Buffaloes scored a touchdown late in the game on a 37-yard pass from Staub to sophomore wide receiver Joseph Williams to cut the lead to 33-20.
Houston responded with a 49-yard field goal by senior kicker Ethan Sanchez to go up 36-20.
Sanchez was one of Houston’s best players tonight, going 5-for-6 on field goal attempts, including two from 54 yards, and made all of his extra point attempts.
The Buffaloes tried to mount a late comeback against the Cougars, but senior defensive back Wrook Brown called the game with Houston’s second interception of the night.
The Cougars out-rushed the Buffaloes by 113 yards and had 131 more total yards than Colorado.
Houston also controlled the time of possession. They had the ball for over 13 minutes more than Colorado.
Overall, Houston was dominant in their 2025 Big 12 opener, and is a team to watch going forward.
Next Up
With the win, Houston improves to 3-0 to start the season, the first time to achieve this feat since the 2016 season.
The Cougars also tied the all-time series with Colorado at 1-1, and sit at the top of the Big 12 standing with a 1-0 conference record.
Next up, the Cougars get to rest up and enter their bye week. The following week, Houston heads to Oregon State to take on the Beavers on Friday, Sep. 26, at 9:30 p.m.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).