Coogs Up, Coogs Down After Houston's Crushing Loss to Colorado
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The No. 14 Houston Cougars are sure to fall in the AP Top 25 and College Football Playoff rankings after an embarrassing loss to the Colorado Buffaloes.
Here's whose down and who is up after the Cougars loss on Friday night:
Cougars Up:
Patrick Overmyer
Tight end Patrick Overmyer, who was recently named a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, had another remarkable performance. He had nine receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown, consistently being the most reliable target for quarterback Conner Weigman.
Overmyer looks like he can definitely contend for the John Mackey Award after last night and was one of the few bright spots for the team.
Makhi Hughes
Makhi Hughes averaged more than seven yards per rush and totaled 106 yards on the ground, a week after posting 90 yards against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Houston honestly wasted an impressive performance from the running back, as he also managed to score a touchdown.
Hughes, the former superstar RB for the Tulane Green Wave, recorded his first 100-yard game since 2024 and proved a reliable option out of the backfield.
Javion White
On a night when the defense was atrocious and couldn't tackle to save its life, safety Javion White actually performed well. White was able to get a tackle for loss and an interception and was the best player on the defense.
Unfortunately, explosive plays and a massive lack of execution produced nearly 500 total yards of offense for the Buffaloes. White felt like the lone bright spot for a defense that couldn't take advantage of a struggling quarterback, Isaac Wilson.
Cougars Down:
The Whole Defense
The defense was just terrible. The Cougars missed tackles, allowed explosive plays, and let Colorado get away with cheap points. Colorado managed to convert 10/14 third-down opportunities as the Cougars' defense couldn't get off the field.
Houston didn't even get one sack as it struggled to generate negative plays and gave Isaac Wilson way too much time to pick apart the defense. The elite run defense of Houston struggled to stop Richard Young, who racked up 99 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
The Buffaloes ran for 250 yards on the Cougars, exposing tackling issues and making the defensive line look small. Joseph Williams and Deandre Moore Jr., two wide receivers who were no doubt dangerous, both were effective, and both got explosive plays, including a 53-yard touchdown from Williams.
The secondary took a major step backward after it started to get going midseason. Now, it looks like all CFP hopes are dead, frankly.
Conner Weigman
Now, in all three losses, Houston was blown out by multiple-score leads, and Weigman has lost a fumble. Against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Weigman fumbled deep in Red Raiders territory, killing Houston's momentum at the time.
Against Utah, he fumbled late and deep in Houston's territory, setting up an easy score for the Utes. Then, last night, Colorado got a strip sack deep in their own territory, once again killed momentum and contributing to 28 unanswered points from the Buffaloes.
Later in the second half, down 35-20, Weigman threw an interception to cornerback Boo Carter. Even though Weigman threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, those two turnovers hurt dearly. Most of the blame falls on the defense, but Weigman didn't perform as well as he has in the past.
Now, playoff hopes are just done. So are Big 12 conference hopes. With such talent and flashes of brilliance, this loss is unacceptable and will be hard to forget.
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Born in Utah, raised in Nebraska, and now living in the Northeast, Tyler Crum is a lifelong sports fan with a passion for college football, college basketball, Major League Baseball, and hockey. He attends the University of New Hampshire, where he is majoring in history. His work has appeared with Last Word on Sports, Utah on Ice, and Sports Illustrated. When he is not writing or watching sports, Tyler can usually be found reading a book on military history.
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