On paper, Friday night’s game between the Houston Cougars and Oregon State Beavers looked like a pretty easy win for the former. The Cougars entered the game 3-0 and fresh off a bye week, while the Beavers entered 0-4 with their last two losses coming by 30+ points.
However, games aren’t played on paper. Case in point, Oregon State has Houston on the ropes with a 14-10 lead at halftime, and the Cougars are officially on upset alert.
The scoreboard might be ugly, but at the very least, they seem to be finding their groove as the game goes on.
Sep 26, 2025; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) warms up before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
The Cougars’ offense started the game about as poorly as possible, as their first three drives ended in a punt, an interception (their first turnover of the entire season) and another punt. They finished the first quarter with just eight total yards in an absolutely abysmal offensive showing.
That interception was especially costly as it set the Beavers up inside the 10-yard line, and Jake Reichele would run it in two plays later to open the scoring. On their next drive, the Beavers went on an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
After that, though, the Cougars finally started showing signs of life on offense. They put together a 21-play, 85-yard drive that took up nearly eight minutes of game time, but only came away with a field goal.
Fortunately for them, though, they carried the momentum into their next drive, as they quickly marched down the field and scored their first touchdown of the game just before halftime. Conner Weigman snuck it in from a yard out with just under 90 seconds to go in the half.
The Cougars made one more big play before the half, as they blocked a field goal to keep the lead at four points.
Weigman completed seven of 15 passes for 95 yards and a pick, but helped make up for it with the aforementioned rushing touchdown. Dean Connors has been held in check so far, rushing for just 33 yards on 10 carries.
For the Beavers, Maalik Murphy completed eight of 13 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown to running back Marquis Crosby. Anthony Hankerson has rushed for 29 yards on 10 carries.
The Cougars will get the ball to start the second half as they look to climb out of this hole they’ve dug for themselves.