Houston Cougars Hang on To Beat Arizona Wildcats, Earn Bowl Eligibility
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The Houston Cougars are off to their strongest start in years this season, but they have a knack for making things more difficult than they should be.
Saturday's game against the Arizona Wildcats was yet another example of that, as the Cougars hung on to win 31-28 at TDECU Stadium after blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. The important part is that they won, though, and now at 6-1 on the season, they are bowl eligible for the first time since 2022.
It likely goes without saying at this point, but the Cougars owe this win largely to their biggest stars.
Conner Weigman, Amare Thomas Lead Houston Cougars Past Arizona Wildcats
Quarterback Conner Weigman and wide receiver Amare Thomas have been two of Houston's best players on offense throughout the season, and they absolutely delivered against Arizona.
Weigman, a transfer from Texas A&M, completed 15 of 23 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns but was arguably more impressive on the ground, rushing for 98 yards and another touchdown on 14 carries. He put his body on the line throughout the game, showing his competitive spirit and desire to win no matter the circumstances.
Thomas, a transfer from UAB, has been on an absolute heater as of late, and kept his hot streak going with four receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown, which came on a beautiful play by both him and Weigman.
OUTRAGEOUS TD PASS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AzKzrpfydj
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 18, 2025
Together, both players were the driving force for Houston's offense along with running back Dean Connor, who rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries.
This game was a shootout early on, as the Wildcats bbuilt a 14-7 lead less than nine minutes into the game. The defenses settled in for a bit, but then the Cougars' offense came alive with back-to-back touchdown drives. One of those drives was a 13-play, 96-yard march that took up over six and a half minutes of game time, while the second was a quick two-minute drill to take the lead just before halftime.
The Cougars then scored on the opening drive of the third quarter to extend the lead to 14 points, taking up over nine minutes in the process, but the Wildcats clawed their way back in with two lengthy touchdown drives.
However, they left too much time for the Cougars, with Ethan Sanchez kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired and redeeming himself for his earlier miss.
For Arizona, Noah Fifita completed 24 of 26 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, but was also sacked four times. Tre Spivey caught a 70-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the game.
With bowl eligibility secured, the Cougars now turn their attention to their road matchup against Arizona State on Oct. 25.
