Dean Connors scored the deciding touchdown on a 1-yard run in the final minutes and Connor Weigman amassed 322 yards and accounted for three TDs as Houston outslugged Baylor 31-24 on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 dustup in Waco, Texas.<\/p>\n
Baylor roared back from 15 points down to tie the game at 24 with 8:53 to play. But the Cougars (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) responded, fashioning a 15-play, 74-yard march that chewed up nearly seven minutes and ended with Connors\u2019 1-yard scoring plunge with 1:57 left.<\/p>\n
The Bears (5-7, 3-6) drove to the Cougars 13 before Houston\u2019s defense stiffened, forcing four straight incompletions to secure the victory.<\/p>\n
Weigman passed for 201 yards and a touchdown and ran for a career-best 121 yards and two scores for the Cougars. Houston had already wrapped up its first bowl since 2022 and secured its second nine-win campaign since 2016.<\/p>\n
Sawyer Robertson threw for 309 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Baylor. Kobe Prentice led the Bears, who failed to get bowl eligible for the second time in three years, with 96 receiving yards.<\/p>\n
The Cougars got on the board on their first possession of the game as Weigman hit Amare Thomas with a 27-yard TD pass midway through the first quarter. Thomas finished with a game-high 97 yards on nine catches.<\/p>\n
Houston added to the lead when Weigman got loose for a 28-yard scoring run early in the second quarter.<\/p>\n
Baylor\u2019s Kole Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Houston 37. Three incomplete passes later, Connor Hawkins booted a 54-yard field goal to get the Bears on the board. Hawkins added another field goal, this time from 34 yards out at the end of a 12-play, 46-yard march, to make it 14-6 with 6:22 to play before halftime.<\/p>\n
Houston\u2019s Ethan Sanchez nailed a 29-yard FG with 1:40 remaining in the second, but Hawkins answered with a 30-yarder with 15 seconds left to make it 17-9 at the half.<\/p>\n
Weigman\u2019s 1-yard dive at the 4:58 mark of the third quarter expanded Houston\u2019s lead to 24-9. <\/p>\n
But Baylor roared back, getting a 1-yard TD run from Joseph Dodds nearly three minutes into the fourth quarter which was followed by a 2-point conversion run by Robertson. <\/p>\n
After the Bears stopped Houston on fourth-and-2 at the Cougars 44, they took just five plays to tie the game via a 31-yard TD pass from Robertson to Josh Cameron.<\/p>\n
\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n
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