Houston stuns Utah on last-second field goal
It wasn't pretty, but the Houston Cougars found a way to win Saturday.
Locked in a defensive battle with Utah for four quarters, the Cougars came up with a huge turnover late in the game that led to a game-winning 43-yard field goal by Jack Martin on the final play of the game.
Final score: Houston 17, Utah 14.
The big defensive play came from junior defensive back A.J. Haulcy, who intercepted a pass from backup-backup Utah quarterback Brandon Rose at Houston's 46-yard line with 1:55 left in the game.
GAME CHANGER! Picked off by @Atwice_ pic.twitter.com/xH5vrwLmBk
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 27, 2024
With the game tied 14-14, Rose unnecessarily forced the pass into tight coverage and gave Houston a short field to try to get into field goal range. They did just that, and Martin drilled it.
Ice in his veins! ❄️@jack_martin0055 pic.twitter.com/xFm7cPbwSa
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 27, 2024
Houston struggled to move the ball throughout the game, and finished with just 61 yards passing. But the Cougars capitalized on short fields and quarterback Zeon Chriss made two big plays to propel them to victory.
The first short field came at the start of the second quarter when Chriss was stuffed on 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Utah took over and Houston's defense held firm, forcing a punt from the 2-yard line. Mekhi Mews returned the short punt to the Utah 23-yard line, and Houston scored three plays later on a 21-yard pass from Chriss to Stephon Johnson to tie the game at 7-7 with 12 minutes left in the first half.
Houston's second touchdown came with 8:35 left in the game on a 28-yard slant from Chriss to Joseph Manjack. It capped a 10-play drive and tied the game at 14-14.
Quick strike ⚡️ Quick score @zeonchriss » @JosephManjack pic.twitter.com/UzjqgF0hOX
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 27, 2024
Utah's starting quarterback, true freshman Isaac Wilson, appeared to injure his wrist in the first half. He left the game early in the third quarter and Rose took over. Wilson started the season as the backup quarterback to seventh-year senior Cam Rising, who is out for the season.
Wilson finished 13-of-22 for 171 yards and a touchdown, and Rose was 7-of-15 for 45 yards and an interception. Utah has lost four consecutive games.
Chriss finished 6-of-13 for 61 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Cougars rushed for 228 yards, led by 81 yards from J'Marion Burnette and 72 yards from Re'Shaun Sanford.
Houston (3-5, 2-3) hosts Kansas State next week. Utah (4-4, 1-4) has a bye week before hosting rival BYU on Nov. 2.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.