Houston Cougars Sophomore Defensive Back Has Himself a Day Despite Loss
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The Houston Cougars will have to go back to the drawing board to try and end their season on a high note after the Cougars fell short on senior day and in their final home game of the season. As the Coogs take another tumble in an ugly 17-14 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs.
It was not a good game for the Coogs across the board, with quarterback Conner Weigman having a rough day as a passer, completing just 15 passes on 29 attempts for a pair of touchdowns and an interception, the defense struggled giving up 426 yards to the TCU offense and kicker Ethan Sanchez capped it off by missing two field goals one of which was a 38 yarder that would've tied the game with seconds left to go.
However, interwoven between the struggle-filled game for the Cougars was one standout performance from one unlikely source.
Will James Made His Presence Felt
In the game, the Cougars won the turnover battle with four takeaways compared to TCU's one. Of the four turnovers the Coogs accumulated, sophomore defensive back Will James was involved in three of them.
The second-year player finished the game with five tackles (four solo), two interceptions, and a forced fumble against the Horned Frogs. Head coach Willie Fritz praised James' performance against TCU and highlighted the rest of the defense after early struggles in the first half.
"I thought Will James had an outstanding game, had a nice punch on the ball, and had a nice interception," Fritz said. "I thought he played really well. I thought the whole defense answered, we probably didn't play our best game in the first half, and really played well in the second half."
James' second interception of the game was impressive, with the defensive back reading the play like a book and jumping the receiver's route on a second and long for the TCU offense as it drove into Houston territory.
JAMES AGAIN! 🤯
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 22, 2025
Will James picks off his second pass of the day for @UHCougarFB#Big12FB | 📺 @CFBONFOXpic.twitter.com/ONQHXBNvhf
The defensive back single-handedly kept the Cougars in the ball game while the offense was struggling throughout the game, wiping away three drives by the Horned Frogs' offense. The Houston offense was able to capitalize on its defense's four takeaways, with all of its 14 points in the ball game coming off TCU turnovers.
On the season, James is now up to 29 total tackles (23 solo), three interceptions, and two forced fumbles in his second season with the Coogs. James will look to carry his individual momentum while the Cougars look for some as a whole to end the season strong on the road, taking on the Baylor Bears in the regular season finale.
