College Football HQ

Controversy as refs cost Houston in close game vs. Texas

Houston appeared to have a first down in a close game against Texas, but lost after officials ruled the Cougars short. Were they right?
James Parks|
Controversy as refs cost Houston in close game vs. Texas
Controversy as refs cost Houston in close game vs. Texas

Houston football fans are furious with the officials from Saturday's game against Texas after the Cougars ended up on the wrong end of some very questionable ball placement late in regulation with the game on the line.

Down by a touchdown, the Cougars were within striking distance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Houston back Stacy Sneed appeared to have taken the ball to the Longhorns 9-yard line and past the line to gain. But the refs thought otherwise.

They set the ball a yard short of the sticks, and Houston quarterback Donovan Smith's subsequent pass was incomplete, handing possession back to Texas.

Back with the ball, Texas ran out the clock and won the 7-point game, moving to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play, staying within reach of the conference title chase.

Conversely, the Cougars dropped to 3-4 overall and just 1-3 in conference play, with that one victory coming off the team's dramatic, last-second win over West Virginia.

Initially, it looked like the fourth quarter wouldn't relevant to this game as the Longhorns opened up a quick 21-0 lead in the first half, but Houston stormed back and scored 21 unanswered points to tie the game in the third frame.

CJ Baxter ran for a touchdown that gave the Longhorns a lead after that.

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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