Houston came into the season as a dark-horse to get into the College Football Playoff and they didn’t disappoint as the Cougars picked up an impressive 33-23 victory over No. 3 Oklahoma.
Houston was No. 2 in the nation in takeaways last year and looks well on their way to another Top 10 finish after recovering two Sooner fumbles Saturday.
Houston’s special teams also got in on the act as the Cougars scored a touchdown thanks to a missed Oklahoma field goal.
Oklahoma kicker Austin Seibert’s 54-yard field goal attempt came up just short and that’s when Brandon Wilson made the play of the game.
Standing right in front of the goal post, Wilson caught the ball while barely keeping his feet in bounds. With his teammates setting up a wall, Wilson rumbled down the sideline – even hurdling one of his own teammates – for the 109 yard touchdown to put Houston up 26-17 in the third quarter.
Houston with a Kick Six. What a play! pic.twitter.com/4tPy4L9zM5
— Dr. Saturday (@YahooDrSaturday) September 3, 2016
The play was a flashback of Auburn’s incredible 34-28 win over Alabama in the 2013 Iron Bowl when the Tigers ran back a touchdown on a missed field goal.
The win was not only huge for playoff implications, but because of the Big 12 impact it will likely have. With the Big 12 set to decide in October on conference expansion, Houston is one of 11 teams that have made the cut in expansion talks. Along with Houston, BYU, Cincinnati and Connecticut appear to be the favorites.
Regardless of whether Houston (1-0) ends up in the Big 12 Conference, Houston sure made quite the statement in the opening week of the college football season.
made expands, coach Tom Herman’s Cougars made an opening statement that could have season-long ramifications on the College Football Playoff.
Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns in the win while Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield passed for 323 yards and two scores in the loss.
What We Learned
Houston: After last year’s 13-1 season with a Peach Bowl victory over Florida State, the Cougars showed the country they aren’t just a one-year wonder. Also, the Cougars picked up their second consecutive victory against top-10 ranked opponents for the first time in school history.
Oklahoma: Playoff hopes aren’t dashed by any means for the Sooners, but their is no room for error going forward. Oklahoma must quickly regroup as they take on No. 6 Ohio State followed by No. 13 TCU.
Upcoming Opponents
Houston: The Cougars will face FCS Lamar next Saturday at home followed by a Thursday night game at Cincinnati.
Oklahoma: The Sooners will get a break next week with a home game against Louisiana Monroe before hosting No. 5 Ohio State.
