‘Tastes like a bowl win’: Houston stamps turnaround with Texas Bowl win over LSU

The Cougars reached their arms up as Kinder’s barbecue was tossed into the crowd of players, some coming out of the hands of junior quarterback Conner Weigman, clad in a cowboy hat and a bedazzled jacket that read Texas Bowl MVP.

“The barbecue was good,” Weigman said. “I mean, my stomach kind of feels weird right after a game. It would have been way better a couple of minutes later when I ate that.”

Everybody got a taste of the victory. 

“Tastes like a bowl win,” redshirt freshman defensive back Alvin Williamson Jr. said, biting into the barbecue that served as Houston’s first taste of a bowl win since 2022.

There was plenty to pass around, as Houston players trailed through confetti that fell over them following a 38-35 victory over LSU in front of a crowd of 63,867 at NRG Stadium.

Weigman took center stage not once, but twice for the Cougars, who secured 10 wins for the first time since 2021.

He first served four touchdown passes to set the Houston record for passing touchdowns in a bowl game. 

Weigman then stood atop the postgame stage not just a Texas Bowl winner, but the MVP of the game.

The rousing applause he received from his teammates signaled more than just appreciation for the performance, but also the camaraderie and tight-knit culture that permeates the entire program. 

“When you know your brother next to you has got your back, you’re going to go out there and play a little bit harder,” Weigman said. “I feel like we got that across the board, offense, defense, special teams.”

Winning the game further cemented Houston’s turnaround from a program that went 4-8 in both 2023 and 2024 to one capable of competing with the nation’s top programs.

For returning seniors, the victory served as a reward for persevering through a tumultuous stretch that included a move to the Big 12 and a coaching change.

It also sent a message to incoming recruits, some of whom joined the on-field celebration, about Houston’s football standard. 

Five minutes in, LSU aimed to thwart Houston’s chances of any celebration at all.

The Tigers led 14-0 off special teams miscues from Houston on the opening kick and a five-play drive that took less than two minutes.

But the Cougars weren’t content with a participation trophy. It’s why no players from Houston opted out of the game.

“The thing that I’m proud of, with our culture, is that we didn’t have anybody opt out,” coach Willie Fritz said. “Everybody played in the ballgame… that’s something that we’ll brag about, that all of our guys played.” 

Two of Houston’s marquee seniors who could have opted out, running back Dean Connors and tight end Tanner Koziol, played pivotal roles in the win.

Connors’ 22-yard rushing touchdown put the Cougars up 38-28 with 2:25 remaining, and the finishing touches on a career year. 

Koziol sealed a late-first-half drive that began at Houston’s 10-yard line with a leaping touchdown grab in the back of the end zone, to give UH its first lead of the game at 21-14.

For him, there was never a question whether he’d play in the Texas Bowl or opt out to prepare himself for the NFL pre-draft process, where he’s expected to be one of the top tight ends available. 

He went three years without a bowl opportunity and wasn’t going to turn down his only chance at one.

“Every year, my freshman year, we lost a heartbreaker at the end of a season for a bowl game. People talk about bowl games all the time,” Koziol said. “And they talk about it a lot more when you win. That’s just the cherry on top. It really is.”

Fritz believed the program could be in these moments from the time he took over. He just needed a chance to find the right guys who protect their culture on and off the field.

“When I take over a program, I don’t know why my wife always gives me the business on this, but I want to take over a program that maybe didn’t have a whole lot of success,” Fritz said. “And then when I retire here in 20 years, I want it to be a heck of a lot better when I pass it off to the next person.” 

He believes that if the Cougars “do things the right way,” the Texas Bowl trophy will not be the last he hoists above his head and shares with his team.

Whether through recruiting, player development, or continuing to strengthen the fellowship that carried Houston to this point, Fritz sees the foundation for sustained success firmly in place.

“We got a chance to win a national championship, be in the national championship discussion,” Fritz said. “That’s what my goal is.”