Sep 26, 2025; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Houston Cougars wide receiver Amare Thomas (0) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Houston Cougars Barely Avoid Trap Game vs. Oregon State Beavers

Originally posted on Houston Cougars on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 1:50 PM ET

For the few people not familiar with the term, a trap game in sports is when a favored team loses to a weaker opponent due to either poor preparation or overlooking them due to a bigger game coming up next on the schedule.

So for the Houston Cougars, Friday night's game against the Oregon State Beavers was the textbook example of a trap game. The Cougars started the season 3-0 for the first time since time since 2016, and with next week's showdown with No. 12 Texas Tech looking like the program's biggest game in years, the 0-4 Beavers appeared insignificant by comparison.

Sure enough, the Cougars fell into the trap early on, but unlike many other teams in this situation, they were able to break out.

Houston Cougars Escape Oregon State Beavers in Thriller

Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

For a while, it looked like the Cougars were doomed to suffer their first loss of the season aagainst a previously winless team. They fell behind 14-0 early in the second quarter and trailed 24-10 midway through the fourth, with ESPN analytics giving them just a 0.7 percent chance to win with 6:49 left in regulation.

Then, the Cougars flipped a switch. The offense finally got going in middle of the fourth quarter, putting together touchdowns drives of 76 and 64 yards to tie the game with 3:40 to go. The special teams unit then came through by blocking the Beavers' would-be game-winning field goal to send it it to overtime. Finally, the defense stuffed the Beavers on a fourth-and-1 in overtime to set up Ethan Sanchez' game-winning field goal on the ensuing drive.

Despite the win, Cougars head coach Willie Fritz wants to see his team start better in the future.

"I don't know, we hadn't played for a while I'm not quite sure, I thought we had really good practices," Fritz told reporters after the game. "We started off extremely slow, and it's like we had one guy off when we're blocking, we're protecting, we're running around, maybe off slightly on the throw. ... It just took a while for us to get our rhythm."

What Fritz did like from this game, however, is the resolve his team showed. Going into a high-stakes game next week, that resiliency is simply invaluable.

"Well, I think we learned a little bit about our team," Fritz said. "Whatever we can and can't do as well as we need to. You know, we didn't look good there for a while on the sideline. But kids were all positive, coaches were all positive, we kept trying to find solutions to problem, and fortunately we had enough time on the clock where we could still win the game."

This article first appeared on Houston Cougars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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