The Cougars endured brutal heat, a rain delay, and a late Oregon State rally to start the 2026 campaign with a win.
The Good: QB Conner Weigman threw for 305 yards and a touchdown - a 31-yard strike to Amare Thomas - and rushed for what turned out to be the game-sealing score. RB Re'Shaun Sanford, who was forced to sit out the last two seasons with ACL injuries, rushed for 75 yards on 11 carries, including a beautiful 56-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter. The Cougar ground game would accumulate 228 yards in total; the 533 yards in total offense was the most in a UH home opener since 621 yards against Tennessee Tech in 2015.
The UH run defense was superb, limiting the Beavers to 26 rushing yards for the entire game.
The Hilarious: Early in the game, some dipshit ran onto the field and was promptly tackled by a UHPD officer who exhibited perfect wrap-up form. Does that officer have any eligibility remaining?
The Bad: The Beavers scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to creep back within six points midway through the fourth quarter, creating some tense moments for the Cougar fans who managed to stick around through the heat and rain. The Cougars didn't do themselves any favors during the OSU rally, surrendering two long scoring drives, throwing an ill-advised INT in the red zone, and dropping what should have been a sure INT of their own. Oregon State QB Braden Atkinson gave Houston's pass defense fits, accounting for 376 yards and a touchdown through the air.
The Ugly: While some sloppiness is to be expected in the first game of the season, the Cougars had more than their share of miscues on Saturday. They committed ten penalties, turned the ball over twice (while failing to force any turnovers of their own), and missed way too many tackles. More pressure on the QB would have helped too: Atkinson had way too much time to find open receivers, despite being sacked four times.
The actual number of attendees in TDECU Stadium was well beneath the announced attendance of 28,732, and most of those who did attend left during the rain delay. While the attendance was disappointing, it's not like this a new issue for the program, and after sitting in the heat, then the rain, then the after-rain steaminess of yesterday's game, I certainly can't fault anybody for deciding to stay home and watch the game in air-conditioned comfort.
What It Means: While this performance might not have been the dominating one coaches, fans or some bettors (Houston was a 21-point favorite) would have liked, it was still a win and it exposed the things the Cougars need to work on over the next couple of weeks before that pivotal matchup against Texas Tech.
But before they go on the road to Lubbock, they have another home game this Saturday against Southern University. Fortunately, it is 6 pm kickoff so the heat should not be as much of a factor.
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