Webb calls game: Late interception lifts Houston over UCF

Junior defensive back Kentrell Webb hauled in an interception out of the hands of back up quarterback Davi Belfort in the closing seconds of Houston’s 30-27 win over UCF in Orlando, Fla., collapsing into the end zone, before taking off with the ball extended, immediately grabbing his cellphone as he called game.

Despite being one of the key veterans in Houston’s secondary, the interception was the first of his career, helping to fulfill a mission he set for himself before the season began. 

“I have no career picks, so I’m trying to make up for a few years,” Webb said in July.

He delivered at a critical moment, providing enough of a jolt to secure the win despite Houston losing the turnover battle for the second straight week. Each game saw four Houston turnovers, including three this week from junior quarterback Conner Weigman, one of which was a pick-six.

“You know it’s difficult to win playing like that; it just is,” coach Willie Fritz said after Houston’s 45-35 loss last week to West Virginia. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I think we’ve been plus-one or better, and we’ve won 91% of our games. In the minus category, it’s about 30-something percent. Still can win, but it makes it harder on yourself.”

This week, even with the odds stacked against them, the Cougars fell into the smaller percentage group as they grasped to keep their Big 12 championship hopes alive.

With the game knotted up at 27 midway through the fourth quarter, Houston’s offense steadily marched down the field, running the ball time and time again, and eating away at the clock in the process, which soon dwindled to just 2:40 remaining in the game.

After Weigman’s pass to senior running back Dean Connors came short of the end zone, Houston settled for a 22-yard field goal to reclaim the lead with 2:31 left, its third of the game.

It was the Cougars’ first lead since the second quarter, when junior jack Latreveon McCutchin recorded the first of two pick-sixes in the quarter, blowing a kiss to two UCF fans in the process to give Houston a 14-10 lead. 

The man responsible for the second pick-six is also the one who hauled in all three of Weigman’s errant throws, in UCF senior defensive back Phillip Dunnam, who set the school’s single-game record for interceptions.

Weigman, despite the giveaways, managed 82 rushing yards on 22 carries, leading Houston on the ground alongside running backs sophomore DJ Butler, who tallied 69, and Connors who logged 68 just behind him for a total of 210 between the trio.

Prior to tonight, Butler’s career-high in rushing attempts was six. He finished the night with 14, more than doubling that amount.

The win also handed UCF its first “Space Game” defeat in program history, after previously being 8-0.

Houston will next enter its second bye week of the season, before returning to face TCU at TDECU Stadium on Nov. 22.