Houston struck first and never looked back, handing K-State a 35-16 loss in its Big 12 home opener at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Cougars leaned on a productive ground game, controlled possession and repeatedly found the end zone through quarterback Conner Weigman and tight end Patrick Overmyer to secure their fifth win of the season.
The loss marked K-State’s second straight defeat and its first loss in a Big 12 home opener since Oklahoma beat the Wildcats in 2021.
Houston piled up 475 total yards, including more than 200 rushing yards, and held possession for nearly 10 minutes longer than K-State. Weigman found Overmyer on all 4 of his touchdown passes, turning the connection into the defining story of the afternoon.
“Credit Houston, Coach [Willie] Fritz,” head coach Collin Klein said. “They kicked our butts on both sides of the football.”
Houston wasted little time establishing control. The Cougars marched 75 yards on 12 plays during their opening possession, finishing the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Weigman to Overmyer with 9:20 remaining in the first quarter.
K-State answered with a 29-yard field goal from Luis Rodriguez as the first quarter expired, trimming Houston’s lead to 7-3. The Wildcats, however, struggled to build on that response as the Cougars continued to dictate the pace.
Houston opened the second quarter with another 75-yard scoring drive. Weigman again connected with Overmyer, this time for a 2-yard touchdown, before running back Makhi Hughes broke through for a 13-yard touchdown run. The two scores pushed Houston’s advantage to 21-3 heading into halftime.
Meanwhile, K-State struggled to sustain drives and keep its offense on the field. Quarterback Avery Johnson completed 16 of 30 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns, but the Wildcats’ offensive struggles left little room to chip away at the deficit.
“Probably just how we performed offensively, not being able to stay on the field and really help our defense out in the first half,” Johnson said. “I think they controlled the ball for the majority of the first half, and we didn’t do our defense any favors, but credit to Houston and how they played today.”
The Wildcats needed a response coming out of halftime, especially with the opportunity of receiving the ball first. Instead, Houston extended its lead.
After K-State punted, the Cougars covered 76 yards on their next scoring drive. Weigman found Overmyer for an 8-yard touchdown, putting Houston ahead 28-3 and leaving K-State with a steep climb in the second half.
The Wildcats finally broke through on their next scoring drive. Johnson connected with tight end Garrett Oakley for a 13-yard touchdown with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter. K-State went for two but failed to convert, making the score 28-9.
Any hopes of building momentum took another hit on Houston’s ensuing possession. The Cougars moved 67 yards in 10 plays, ending the drive with yet another Weigman-to-Overmyer touchdown pass, this one from 2 yards out. The score gave Houston a 35-9 lead with 48 seconds left in the third quarter.
Overmyer’s 4 touchdown receptions proved too much for K-State to overcome. Weigman finished with 242 passing yards, and Houston consistently extended drives to keep the Wildcats’ offense waiting on the sideline.
Klein pointed to the Cougar’s ability to control possession and K-State’s struggles to get stops as key reasons for the lopsided result.
“They had 30 minutes of possession going into the fourth quarter,” Klein said. “And again, that’s our defense. We got to get off the field. We gave up over 200 yards rushing again; like that can’t happen.”
K-State found the end zone once more in the fourth quarter, with Johnson hitting wide receiver Jaron Tibbs for a 6-yard touchdown. Rodriguez added the extra point, bringing the Wildcats to 35-16, but the late score was not enough to spark a comeback.
Despite the loss, Johnson climbed higher in the K-State record book. His 562nd career completion moved him into second place in program history, as did his 8,376 career total offensive yards. Johnson now has 82 career touchdowns, 5 shy of Klein’s school record.
Oakley also delivered a milestone performance. He caught 3 passes for 49 yards and a touchdown, bringing his career touchdown receptions to 14 and extending his K-State record among tight ends.
The Wildcats now turn their attention to the Sunflower Showdown, with rival Kansas set to visit Manhattan next Saturday for an 11:00 a.m. kickoff. After two consecutive losses, K-State looks to regroup before facing the Jayhawks.
Johnson said the rivalry should bring added intensity to the week of preparation, but stressed that the Wildcats cannot rely on their opponent to supply their motivation.
“Yeah, I think them being the next opponent definitely helps because of the rivalry and the hatred that everybody here has for KU,” Johnson said. “I think that it’s such a good rivalry that it’s hard not to get fired up for, and I think that’ll just add fuel to the fire as we go through our prep this week. But regardless of who we go against every week, we have to be able to generate and bring our own fire each and every day.”
