Shanna Rose I WV Sports Chat
HOUSTON, Texas — Scotty Fox Jr. threw for 157 yards and one touchdown as West Virginia stunned No. 22 Houston, 45–35, on Saturday afternoon at TDECU Stadium.
Diore Hubbard powered the ground game with 108 yards and a touchdown, while Cyncir Bowers added 65 yards. Fox also rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns as the Mountaineers (3–6, 1–5 Big 12) dominated on the ground, outgaining the Cougars 246–82. Jeff Weimer finished with 67 receiving yards and Rodney Gallagher III added 53.
WVU snapped a five-game losing streak, and the Mountaineers’ defense forced four turnovers, converting them into 17 points. The secondary recorded two interceptions.
“Really proud of the guys,” WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “They played hard, just kept working at it. And I was like, where’s this been? But it’s been there. It’s just that we had to put it all together. Great win against a ranked team on the road.”
Conner Weigman completed 25 of 35 passes for 309 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions for Houston (7–2, 4–2). He also rushed for a score. Dean Conners ran for 71 yards, while Amare Thomas caught 10 passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns. Tanner Koziol added five receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown.
The Mountaineers scored on their opening possession and built a 21–7 lead before the Cougars came to life.
Tied at 21 at halftime, WVU opened the third quarter with momentum. The Mountaineers went back on top, 24–21, with a field goal, and then Jordan Scruggs extended the lead to 10 with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown with 6:33 left in the quarter.
“I was just elevating high and I saw the quarterback; he looked my way,” Scruggs said. “Once he looked my way, I saw the slot motion over to my side and I knew he was running an out. So I just jumped it as soon as I saw the quarterback take his hands off the ball. I couldn’t believe he threw that, but I just jumped it.”
Houston cut the deficit to three when Weigman connected with Thomas for a 9-yard touchdown.
But WVU answered as Fox broke loose for a 34-yard touchdown run. Hubbard then put the Mountaineers up 17 with an 11-yard scoring run with 7:15 remaining.
Senior safety Fred Perry led WVU’s defense with 13 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss and a sack.
The win was the Mountaineers’ first against a ranked opponent since a 38–31 victory over Iowa State on Oct. 30, 2021.
WVU returns home to face Colorado next Saturday.
Photo Credit: Dale Sparks-All Pro Photography- WVU Athletics
