Trailing 28-26 and needing a two-point conversion to tie, an era-defining win for No. 22 Houston football was still within reach.
Fifth-year quarterback Conner Weigman dropped back, surveyed the end zone, where each potential target was blanketed.
He scrambled to his left with several Texas Tech defenders closing in.
As he was dragged down, Weigman fought through, extending his right arm and the ball toward the goal line on the two-point try.
The effort came short. Mere inches short.
Instead, No. 13 Texas Tech dealt Houston its first loss of the season, and a reminder of what the margin of error is against the Big 12’s elites.
“There’s no moral victories,” coach Willie Fritz said. “We came here to win. And we didn’t win.”
Just moments prior, a 10-yard touchdown grab over the middle by senior tight end Patrick Overmyer punctuated a 10-play, 88-yard drive in which Weigman went a spotless 6-for-6 for 74 yards.
It was also Houston’s first touchdown of the half.
The late touchdown showed both what the Cougars are capable of, and how far they still have to go to consistently compete at the level of a Big 12 favorite.
“When you play a game like that against a good, quality opponent, you’ve got to play well,” coach Willie Fritz said. “We played okay. Not our best.”
Houston’s two previous drives were nearly identical in execution: four plays, no rushes and a punt.
Before the touchdown, Houston’s only points of the second half came on a 28-yard field goal, after a false start on 4th-and-2 wiped away any chance at more than three points.
Meanwhile, junior running back Cameron Dickey broke untouched for a 29-yard rushing touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, giving Texas Tech a 21-17 lead it’d never relinquish.
Houston struggled to tackle as the game wore on, allowing six plays of 20+ yards through the air and seven gains of 10 or more yards on the ground the entire game.
“First three quarters, I thought we played pretty good against the run. Last quarter we didn’t play as well against the run,” Fritz said. “We had trouble with pass plays, with DB’s having to tackle. We missed some very easy tackles that could’ve helped us out.”
Three successful Tech conversions on third-and-nine or longer extended drives, one of which resulted in a touchdown.
The second-half hardships for Houston were a stark contrast from a first half in which the Cougars went blow-for-blow with the Red Raiders.
Following an opening-drive, 31-yard field goal, Houston junior defensive back Will James intercepted backup fifth-year quarterback Thomas Castellanos.
It set up a drive capped off by an 11-yard touchdown grab by senior wide receiver Amare Thomas, putting Houston up 10-0.
The catch extended Thomas’ FBS-leading eight-game streak of one or more receiving touchdowns in a contest.
Tech settled in, behind a 35-yard touchdown catch by senior wide receiver Kenny Johnson, and later a 3-yard rushing score by Castellanos.
Houston had an answer before the break, a 46-yard touchdown by junior wide receiver Koby Young, who came down cradling the ball off his helmet.
Houston, now 2-1, will next head to Statesboro, Ga., to face Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 26.
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