Football Storms Past Rice, Retains Bayou Bucket

HOUSTON – University of Houston senior running back Dean Connors rushed for 132 yards with a pair of touchdowns to lead the Cougars to a 35-9 win over Rice inside Rice Stadium during the Bayou Bucket Classic on Saturday night.

Connors, who transferred to Houston from Rice in the offseason, collected the Cougars' first 100-yard rushing game of the season on only 13 carries. The Kamuela, Hawai'i, native gave Houston the lead for good with a 54-yard touchdown run late in the first half and capped the scoring with a 42-yard touchdown run during the final four minutes of the game.

He recorded the sixth 100-yard rushing game and the second highest rushing total of his career with his performance. It was Connors' first triple-digit performance since posting 105 yards and two touchdowns with the Owls against Navy on Nov. 2, 2024.

Houston overcame a slow start offensively to rack up 378 yards of total offense, with 188 through the air and 190 on the ground. Junior quarterback Conner Weigman posted 188 passing yards and a touchdown on 15-of-22 attempts and scored the Cougars' second touchdown of the night midway through the third quarter on a 9-yard run.

Meanwhile, the Cougar defense held its second straight opponent under double-digit points to open the season and forced two turnovers while limiting the Owls to only 51 yards on 11-of-13 passing.

Senior defensive back Latrell McCutchin Sr., led Houston with 11 tackles, including six solo stops, while senior defensive lineman Carlos Allen posted nine tackles, including three solo.

With the win, Houston improved to 2-0 while Rice fell to 1-1. The Cougars moved to 2-0 for the first time since 2018.

The Cougars also won their second straight against Rice and for the ninth time in the last 10 meetings against the Owls. Only a double-overtime loss in Rice Stadium in 2023 prevents a longer streak.

After both teams played to a scoreless first quarter, Rice took the lead on Enock Gota's 42-yard field goal with 9:20 remaining in the first half.

Forcing a Rice punt late, the Cougars took over on their 26-yard line with just 75 seconds left in the opening half. Facing 2^nd-and-15 from the Houston 21, Weigman connected with senior tight end Tanner Koziol on a 21-yard stroke for a first down.

Three plays later, Connors burst through the line and outran all Rice defenders 54 yards to the end zone for a 7-3 Cougar lead.

After forcing Rice to punt on its opening possession of the second half, Weigman led the Cougars on a 15-play, 76-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes of the clock and was capped on his 9-yard touchdown plunge for a 14-3 Houston lead.

Houston's defense put its mark on the scoreboard on the Cougars' next play from scrimmage. Dropping back to pass, Rice quarterback Chase Jenkins' pass was deflected by junior defensive lineman Latreveon McCutchin into the arms of sophomore cornerback Will James, who sprinted down the Houston sideline 37 yards to give the Cougars a 21-3 lead with 14:53 left in the game.

Rice pulled to within 21-9 when Jenkins rushed into the end zone from two yards out with 9:02 left in the game, but the Cougar defense stiffened and halted the Owls' 2-point conversion.

The Cougars quickly struck again to expand their lead as Weigman hit senior wide receiver Stephon Johnson on a 74-yard touchdown pass with 8:20 remaining for a 28-9 advantage.

The score remained that way until Connors burst through the line for his second rushing score of the game with 3:40 left on the clock.

UP NEXT
Houston returns to the friendly confines of TDECU Stadium when it opens Big 12 Conference play against Colorado at 6:30 p.m., Friday.

From there, the Cougars will enjoy their first bye weekend of the season before meeting Oregon State at 9:30 p.m. (CDT), Friday, Sept. 26, in Corvallis, Ore., in their final non-conference regular-season action.

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Dean Connors

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Tanner Koziol

Latreveon McCutchin

Latrell McCutchin Sr.

Conner Weigman

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