Arizona Wildcats at Houston Cougars

Sanchez's field goal as time runs out lifts Houston over Arizona 31-28

Sanchez capped a 13-play, 52-yard drive with the field goal. Houston (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) became bowl-eligible for the first time since 2022 with the win and is off to its best start since 2021.

“That’s one of our goals. You want to play in a bowl game,” Houston coach Willie Fritz said wearing a “Bowl Bound” T-shirt postgame. “I’ve never been to a bad one. I’ve been to a bunch of them. They’re all good. So, we’re excited about that.”

Conner Weigman went 15-of-23 passing for 164 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown.

“We haven’t been bowl-eligible in a couple years, so to be able to go back to a bowl, that’s an awesome opportunity for this program,” Weigman said. “That was a four-quarter dogfight. They stayed in the game and fought.”

Weigman threw touchdown passes of 52 and 15 yards and rushed for a 10-yard score in the first half as Houston took a 21-14 halftime lead.

Dean Connors rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries for the Cougars, who outgained Arizona 396-381 yards, including 232-112 rushing.

“We’re running the ball better,” Fritz said. “We’re doing a much better job of running the football. We struggled with it. They’ve done a pretty good job of playing a good run defense here lately.”

Weigman threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Amare Thomas with six minutes left in the third quarter to put the Cougars up 14.

Arizona (4-3, 1-3) cut the lead to seven on a 3-yard touchdown run by Tre Spivey to start the fourth quarter, and tied it at 28 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Kedrick Reescano with 4:48 left.

Arizona coach Brent Brennan called it “a tough day.”

“This team is hurting right now,” Brennan said. “You lose on the last play of the game. You lose in double overtime (last week against BYU)."

Noah Fifita finished 24 of 26 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Fifita threw touchdown passes of 70 yards to Spivey and 13 yards to Luke Wysong in the first half.

The takeaway Arizona: The Wildcats had issues stopping Houston on the ground, but also getting the Cougars off the field. The Wildcats have lost three of their last four games.

“I think we have a made a ton of progress, but to not close that thing out when we had an opportunity to today makes every person in here sick," Brennan said. "And that starts with me. That’s my job.”

Houston: The Cougars had issues slowing Fifita, but they did get four sacks and six tackles for loss. Houston finished 10 of 16 on third and fourth downs combined.

Up next Arizona: At Colorado on Nov. 1.

Houston: At Arizona State next Saturday.