The Good, Bad and Ugly of Houston Cougars’ Heart-Breaking Loss to TCU

The No. 23 Houston Cougars took on TCU for a huge final home game of the season with major postseason implications. Both those now have gone out the window for Houston.

The Cougars lost a heartbreaker at the end 17-14 to the Horned Frogs and ended senior night with a loss. Junior quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 161 yards on 52% completion with two touchdowns and one interception. Weigman also added a season high 114 yards rushing on 15 attempts. The Cougars piled up 391 yards of total offense, but only mustered 14 points.

Here’s the good, bad, and ugly of this disappointing loss.

Good: Defense Made Plays

The Houston defense was one of the top units in the country last season and picked up where they left off in 2025 as well. They gave the offense basically every chance to win this game, but still fell short. The Cougars’ defense still deserves a ton of praise for their performance in the one.

Houston forced four TCU turnovers, as well as a late stop on fourth-and-one that gave the offense another opportunity to win the game. Sophomore cornerback Will James picked off TCU quarterback Josh Hoover two times and also forced a key fumble right before the half. He was the first player to do so in the Big 12 since 2023.

After the Horned Frogs took a 14-0 lead and had possession, James forced a crucial pick going against senior wide receiver Eric McAlister. Right before halftime, it looked like TCU was going to add onto its lead, set up at the Cougars’ 35-yard line.

James came through again with a forced fumble of Jordyn Bailey that prevented more points on the board. The 6-foot, 185-lb cornerback gave life to the Cougars in the second half thanks to a great read of Hoover at the Houston 29-yard line.

Houston’s first 14 points came off two interceptions from Hoover. They were about to cash in on all three, but were stopped on fourth-and-goal and the one-yard line.

On the first interception by James, the Cougars went down the field on an 11-play drive that took over five minutes. It was much needed to get back into the game and gave the defense some rest. Junior wide receiver Amare Thomas brought in a great 15-yard catch in the end zone for UH’s first points of the day on a strong throw from Weigman.

The turnover in the third quarter resulted in another great drive, this one of 71 yards in just over three minutes. Thomas took a short pass 23 yards and then Weigman scrambled for a gain of 28 before senior running back Dean Connors caught an eight-yard touchdown pass. Connors had a great game with five catches for 47 yards, besides the score and 75 yards rushing on 12 attempts.

Bad: Slow Beginnings

Houston has been plagued with slow starts throughout the season, and it was no different today. The Cougars were down 14-0 after two great drives from TCU. Both were under four minutes and the second one went 83 yards down the field. Hoover was perfect on the opening drive and McAlister brought in a 33-yard touchdown with ease, clearly beating his defender.

Besides that, junior wide receiver Jordan Dwyer somehow pulled in an incredible grab near the back of the end zone for the Horned Frogs’ second score.

Houston continued to be a slow starter offensively as well, with just one first down more than halfway through the first quarter. Houston punted all three times in the first frame. The Cougars only mustered 48 yards of total offense while TCU had 176. It was a very inconsistent evening for Houston, which was not able to take advantage of a weak secondary without senior safety Bud Clark.

Hoover ended the first quarter 12/14 for 148 yards and two touchdowns, while former Houston Cougars wide receiver Joseph Manjack IV clearly got his revenge with nine catches for 95 yards.

Ugly: Missed Field Goals

With just how good the defense played in this, the offense and special teams are the ones to blame for the loss. It was quite the shock for Houston as senior kicker Ethan Sanchez failed to deliver. After being so reliable throughout the season and garnering two Big 12 Special Team Player of the Week awards, hardly anyone could have expected what happened.

This was a disastrous senior night for Sanchez, who missed two crucial field goals in the fourth quarter. The first one was from 49, and it was understandable to see a miss. However, Sanchez was brought on for a game-tying 38-yard field goal with 50 seconds to go. It was completely shanked and not even close.

Houston had plenty of great chances to score more points, and that was exemplified on the second drive of the second quarter. Connors had a 54-yard season-long rush, and the Cougars were eventually set up with a fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line.

Houston passed, and the ball was intercepted in the end zone. After a 92-yard drive that took up four minutes, coming up with 0 was a backbreaker.

That was not the only surprise. TCU’s rush offense was the worst in the Big 12 entering this game, but Houston was continuously getting beaten up at the line of scrimmage, besides the final few defensive plays. The Cougars gave up 133 rushing yards without their two starting running backs, Kevorian Barnes and Trent Battle.

TCU also gave Houston new life with multiple penalties on key downs. A couple of defensive flags on fourth down bailed the Cougars out on their first touchdown drive.

An interesting point in the game was when the crowd booed as the Cougars decided to take a knee to end the first half, even though they had the ball with 48 seconds to go. Houston has chosen to be unconventionally conservative in the final seconds of the first half when they receive to begin the third quarter.

Houston will look to wrap up the season with a win on the road in Waco against Baylor next weekend.