Houston Hangs On To Defeat Baylor In Final Regular Season Game
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Houston football defeated the Baylor Bears 31-24 on Saturday afternoon at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.
The Cougars are now 9-3 on the season, and they will now shift their focus to the postseason.
Houston will find out the bowl they will play in on Selection Sunday, on Dec. 7, 2025.
Houston vs Baylor Recap
The Cougars’ defense dominated early in the game, as they held Baylor to just nine points in the first half.
This was the first game all season that the Bears failed to score a touchdown before halftime.
Houston also had senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson’s number early on, forcing an interception in the end zone and a strip sack in the first quarter.
Junior quarterback Conner Weigman shone as he ended with 201 passing yards and a passing touchdown, along with 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
On Houston’s first drive, Weigman found junior wide receiver Amare Thomas for a 27-yard touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead.
Thomas finished with nine receptions for 97 yards, and he picked up several key first downs to get Houston the victory.
Weigman extended the lead early in the second quarter with an impressive 28-yard touchdown run to go up 14-0.
The Cougars cruised to a 17-9 halftime lead and they started the second half with the ball.
Weigman recorded the only score in the third quarter for either team with a 1-yard touchdown rush, his second of the day, and the Cougars took a commanding 24-9 lead.
While Houston controlled the third quarter, the Bears flipped a switch in the fourth.
Robertson led back-to-back scoring drives and he dove over the endzone for a two-point to tie the game at 24 apiece.
With Houston's backs against the wall, Weigman didn't back down as he led a 15-play, 74-yard drive, which resulted in a 1-yard touchdown rush by senior running back Dean Connors.
With one final opportunity for Baylor to come back and reach bowl eligibility, it was once against up to the Cougars' defense to show why they are a top-five defense in the Big 12 Conference, and they did.
On fourth-and-ten, defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong sent a blitz, which forced an incompletion, and Weigman then picked up one final first down to seal the win for Houston.
The Cougars finished the regular season 9-3 overall, which is a huge leap from back-to-back 4-8 seasons.
With the win, Houston also finished a perfect 6-0 on the road this season, which is a big part of the team's overall success.
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).