Conner Weigman guides Houston past Baylor

WACO, Texas – Conner Weigman was sitting in a small conference room waiting to address the media at McLane Stadium when Houston coach Willie Fritz asked him to cover his ears.

“He’s back there in the back,” Fritz said of his transfer quarterback. “He’s done a super job. He’s just a good young man.

“It’s like I said, we’ve found guys that fit what we’re looking for as far as character is concerned.”

Weigman showcased his versatility while leading Houston over Baylor on Saturday afternoon.

As far as Fritz is concerned, he showed even more with his leadership

“You can take your hands off your ears now, Conner,” Fritz said. “He’s certainly someone who epitomizes what we’re looking for as far as character is concerned. There’s nothing he hasn’t seen before.”

Dual threat

Weigman rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 28-yard scamper for a touchdown in the first quarter and a one-yard keeper in the third. 

“In college football, you have to, as a quarterback, to be successful, you have to be able to use your legs,” Weigman said. “I feel like I don’t know if I did that well enough in previous years. 

“So that was something that I harped on a lot. I don’t know if my coaches knew that I had it in me.”

Weigman also hurt Baylor through the air by completing 21 of 31 passes for 201 yards. He threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Amare Thomas. Weigman’s highlight was rushing for a 28-yard touchdown.

Kicker Ethan Sanchez made a 29-yard field goal to extend the Cougars’ lead to 17-6. Weigman’s one-yard touchdown run gave Houston a 24-9 lead in the third. Running back Dean Connors added a one-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. 

Sanchez’s extra point gave Houston a 31-24 lead.

Key defensive stops

The Cougars’ defense delivered crucial stops when needed. Defensive back Marc Stampley II killed one Baylor drive with an interception in the end zone. Linebacker Brandon Mack forced a fumble that the Cougars recovered at their own 31-yard line. Houston held Baylor to one touchdown in six red-zone trips.

Baylor’s last chance ended when quarterback Saywer Robertson’s fourth-down pass to wide receiver Jadon Porter fell incomplete.

“That was a huge stop we needed at the end,” defensive back Marc Stampley II said. “We just knew that it was going to come down to our fundamentals and our technique. Just what we’ve been training with at practice.

“We knew in the moments like this we’d be prepared for it, and it showed today.”

Road warriors

Complementary football was key for the University of Houston to rally past Baylor at McLane Stadium in a thriller victory. 

With the 31-27 victory in front of 34,720 fans, Houston finished undefeated on the road for the sixth time in program history and the first since 2021. The Cougars’ defense stopped Baylor on a crucial 4th-and-10 with less than a minute remaining.

They pressured quarterback Sawyer Robertson into an incomplete pass that sealed the 31-27 victory to end the Bears’ season.

The Cougars (9-3, 6-3 Big 12)  finished 6-0 on the road for the third time in school history. 

They were 3-3 at TDECU Stadium, though, losing their two home contests when they were ranked in the AP Top 25.

The Cougars are the only FBS team who are 6-0 in road games this season. The Coogs won back-to-back road games at Baylor for the first time since winning consecutive games in Waco in 1988 and 1990.

Ethan Sanchez moves up scoring list

Senior Kicker Ethan Sanchez, who hit a 29-yard field goal, moved into a tie for 17th on Houston’s single-season scoring list with 98 points with 20 field goals, 38 PATs.

Sanchez also tied for ninth on Houston’s single-season kick scoring list with 98 points. Sanchez scored his 20th field goal of the season, tying for second on the Cougars’ single-season made field goals list.

His 20 field goals are the most by a UH kicker since Dalton Witherspoon kicked 20 in 2019.