Key Takeaways From No. 23 Houston Cougars' Home Finale Loss to TCU
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The No. 23 Houston Cougars ended their 2025 home slate on a bitter note with a 17-14 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs at TDECU Stadium on Saturday, effectively ending their hopes of Big 12 title game contention.
What ultimately made for Houston's fourth straight senior day loss was senior kicker Ethan Sanchez's 38-yard game-tying field goal attempt, which struck wide left with 51 seconds to go after Houston had set it up on a promising eight-play, 74-yard drive that was largely defined by junior quarterback Conner Weigman's 38-yard run.
Weigman finished his night 15 of 29 passing with 161 yards and two touchdown passes. Despite "losing" the passer matchup, he also ran for 114 yards on 15 carries, once again leading Houston rushers.
Though the defense held mostly stout after the early two scores by the Horned Frogs, most efforts never paid off offensively as they were mostly stagnant or missed opportunities.
To break it down, here are some key takeaways from Houston's senior day defeat, both on bright and dim notes.
Defense with a rich response to early Frogs 14-spot
Through the first three drives of the game for TCU, Houston's defense allowed 176 total yards on 21 plays, while leaving junior quarterback Josh Hoover looking like he already got the bad taste out of his mouth from Week 12 as he posted an early 148 yards on 12 of 14 passing.
However, the second quarter began telling a different story for Hoover and the Horned Frogs, as sophomore cornerback Will James intercepted Hoover at Houston's 38-yard line. This created the 11-play, 62-yard touchdown drive that finally put the Cougars on the board.
This would be the start of the Cougars holding the Horned Frogs to 250 total yards for the rest of the way and eventually tallying three interceptions of Hoover, but this wasn't enough to answer the difference-making 29-yard field goal by redshirt sophomore kicker Nate McCashland in the third quarter.
Nonetheless, the defense deserved way more than what was put out there after it had largely undergone multiple woes in previous weeks.
Why content on kicking?
Houston seemed conservative for the most part leading up to the game-tying field goal attempt, which begged the question as to why the Cougars were rather more content on kicking on a 4th & 4 mark at the 20-yard line with a manageable 51 seconds remaining. From most analytical perspectives in a late-game scenario like this, it's a do-or-die situation with the kicking option carrying more risk with a miss.
Don’t play conservative!! If you have a chance to go for the throat. Take it!! Sigh
— Andy Yanez (@AYanez_5) November 23, 2025
Nonetheless, this was the second of Sanchez's two costly missed field goals on the day that largely dashed the Cougars' from keeping the game alive.
However, Sanchez should not feel marred by tonight's woes, as there were multiple other missed opportunities across the board. He'll have one more crack at it as Houston will end the regular season on the road against Southwest Conference rival Baylor on Nov. 29, looking to help the Cougars finish with a 9-3 campaign before their bowl trip.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.