Why Houston WR's Incredible Bowl Performance Sums Up Season Perfectly
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The Houston Cougars rounded up their second season under head coach Willie Fritz in style Saturday evening, outlasting the LSU Tigers to win the 2025 Kinder's Texas Bowl, 38-35.
It wasn't until 1:12 left in the game where the game was truly decided, with the Cougars recovering LSU's onside kick attempt despite the ball going through the hands of not one, but two Tigers players.
In the action that preceded the kick, Conner Weigman set a new program bowl game record with four passing touchdowns, and tight end Tanner Koziol set a season high in receptions with nine, but there was one pass catcher that truly finished his first season in Houston with a bang.
Thomas Leads Houston To Close Win Over LSU Tigers in Texas Bowl
Thomas, who transferred to the Cougars after two seasons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, recorded seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns in the bowl game victory, his third game with multiple touchdown grabs in the 2025 campaign.
Including tonight's stats, Thomas' season total was brought to 66 catches for 972 yards and 12 touchdowns, the latter two both leading the team and serving as new career-highs for the junior Birmingham native.
There's no question that Thomas took the reins as the WR1 for Willie Fritz's offense from wide receiver Stephon Johnson throughout the season, his stats and gameplay speak for themselves.
It didn't take long for Thomas to make his mark in Houston, catching three passes for 44 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks during Houston's 27-0 shutout.
Thomas' big breakout would come against Oregon State, where he caught six passes for 104 yards in the 27-24 overtime win in Corvallis, which was followed two weeks later by a seven-catch, 157-yard performance during the Coogs' 39-17 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The 45-35 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers may have stung and also severely altered Houston's College Football Playoff chances, but it was a highlight for Thomas, who caught a season-high 10 passes for 99 yards and not one, not two, but three receiving touchdowns in the loss.
The hat trick over West Virginia began a streak of touchdowns for Thomas that continued all the way to Saturday night's bowl game, a five-game streak of scores that saw the Cougars build a 4-1 record.
Thomas and the team can now celebrate a 10-win season as they look towards the 2026 season, where they hope to retain Thomas and his exciting style of play as they open up the campaign on September 5 with a hosting of the Oregon State Beavers at TDECU Stadium in Houston.
