Houston Cougars Shut Out SFA in Season-Opening Win
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HOUSTON -- The Houston Cougars picked up their first win in 77 years over the SFA Lumberjacks with a 27-0 victory Thursday night at TDECU Stadium.
After dropping last season's home opener 27-7 to UNLV, Houston made a statement in week one by forcing a shutout against SFA, the first for the Cougars since Sep. 18, 2021 against Grambling State.
Game Recap and Impact Players
Senior tight end Tanner Koziol started his Houston debut with an 11-yard touchdown reception from junior quarterback Conner Weigman with 2:58 remaining in the first quarter.
The Ball State transfer showed out in his first game as a Cougar with seven receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.
He was shaken up on a play in the third quarter and was seen with an ice pack taped to his leg which ended his evening. His injury is something to keep an eye on going forward.
Sophomore running back J’Marion Burnette also had a breakout game rushing for 40 yards and scoring his first career touchdown on a 39-yard pass from Weigman in the second quarter.
Burnette had 444 rushing yards with Houston last year and continued his strong performance in the season opener. He will look to step in for running back Re’Shaun Sanford, who recently underwent season-ending knee surgery.
After several dropped picks for the Cougars in the first half, senior defensive back Marc Stampley II caught Houston’s first interception of the 2025 season.
The 5-foot-11 playmaker jumped SFA’s star senior receiver Kylon Harris’ route to pick off senior quarterback Sam Vidlak with 1:40 remaining before halftime.
Houston blanked SFA in the first half and went into the break with a 17-0 lead.
The Cougars started the second half with an 11-play 75-yard drive, which resulted in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Weigman to junior receiver Amare Thomas, giving the Cougars a 24-point lead.
Weigman has an impressive debut in the red and white, passing for 159 yards and three touchdowns. The transfer quarterback also utilized his legs with six carries for 48 yards.
Senior transfer running back Dean Connors also had a solid debut game with 15 carries for 50 yards and two receptions. Connors had several explosive runs with his longest going for a 15-yard gain.
Senior transfer kicker Ethan Sanchez was perfect on the night making both of his field goals from 40 and 43 yards and made all three of his extra point attempts.
Junior defensive back C.J. Douglas sealed the victory for the Cougars with an interception with 2:22 remaining, the Cougars second of the night.
Up Next
With the win, Houston starts the season 1-0 and ties the all-time series with SFA at two games apiece.
Next up, the Cougars will head three miles down the road to take on their Rival, the Rice Owls, in the annual Bayou Bucket Classic on Saturday, Sep. 6, at 6:00 p.m. at Rice Stadium.
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).