Five Immediate Takeaways from No. 22 Houston’s Blowout Road Win over Kansas State
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The No. 22 Houston Cougars took over in Manhattan, Kansas, and blew by Kansas State in a 35-16 blowout win on Saturday afternoon. Houston got out to a quick start on offense and never looked back. The Cougars improved to 4-1 on the season and 2-1 in the Big 12. Meanwhile, Kansas State dropped to 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big 12.
Houston racked up 475 yards of total offense and went seven-for-14 on third down. Senior quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns on a 63 percent completion rate.
This is Houston's first ever win in Manhattan and now lead the series 2-1.
Here are five takeaways.
Patrick Overmyer a Go-To Target
This was truly the breakout game for the redshirt junior tight end. Overmyer put together a monster game and ended up with eight catches for 83 yards and four touchdowns.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end had the best game of his career by far. He had 10 touchdowns total in his career up to this point and almost got half of it in one game. Overmyer ended up with five receptions for 29 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He’s been such a secure target for Weigman. The Kingwood, Texas native has become a big weapon in this passing offense.
Houston’s Pass Defense
The Cougars' defense has had some issues in the passing game, allowing big plays through the air and busted coverages. There was really none of that at all in this game. Houston completely locked down K-State’s passing game with just 182 yards, most of it in garbage time in the second half.
No Jaden Yates, No Problem
The senior transfer linebacker from Ole Miss was the leading tackler for Houston this season, and he was out for this game. Yates was a huge part of this defense, but the Cougars put together arguably their best defensive performance of the season without him on the field. Houston has senior Carmycah Glass, who’s now one of the starting linebackers, and he had a solid game.
Offensive Line and Blocking
Houston’s offense was humming throughout the game, and a big part of that was the offensive line’s dominance. The Cougars were able to do whatever they wanted on offense, and the line was a force. Houston ran the ball for 233 yards and over five yards per rush. Senior running back Makhi Hughes ran for 78 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries, while redshirt junior Re’Shaun Sanford II added 90 yards on 20 carries.
Weigman had plenty of time to operate and find open receivers.
Big Road Win
Houston was actually 2.5-point underdogs coming in but won by 19 points. The Cougars were also up 28-3 at the start of the second half as well. UH was in complete control throughout the game and took the crowd out of it early with the score.
The Cougars were down 17-0 to UCF and won 27-17. They showed they are one of the Big 12 contenders in this game.
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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.