Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) throws a pass during a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Houston Cougars at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Houston Cougars QB's Bounce-Back Draws Praise From Coach

Originally posted on Houston Cougars on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 8:13 PM ET

After a 4-0 start, the Houston Cougars fell back to Earth in a brutal 35-11 loss to Texas Tech - the best team in the Big 12 - back on Oct. 4, but the score wasn't even the worst part of that game.

No, that would be the injury to starting quarterback Conner Weigman, who left the game in the second quarter due to a concussion. Weigman, who transferred to Houston from Texas A&M during the offseason, so seeing him leave the game for any reason is very concerning.

Thankfully, he was able to return for Saturday's game against lowly Oklahoma State, and not only did he come back, he had probably his best game of the season so far.

Willie Fritz Praises Conner Weigman's Poise and Leadership

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Weigman was on his A-game againsst Oklahoma State, completing 21 of 30 passes for 306 yards and scoring three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). He was the engine that made the offense run as well as it did, and even though it was against the worst team in the conference, it provided a blueprint for the Cougars going forward.

Unsurprisingly, Houston head coach Willie Fritz had no shortage of praise for his quarterback.

"Well he felt great. Anytime there's an issue or problem that's that first step in how you do things," Fritz told reporters Monday. "He probably could have practiced the whole week but we got him into protocol and we kind of went through it and he felt fantastic. He came out and played a fantastic game so really proud of him and how he handled the week and how the rest of the players handled the week as well."

Weigman didn't just impress with his play, though, but with his leadership. After a second-quarter punt, Weigman went over to his offensive line on the sideline to say "from now on, whenever we get the ball, we score." He made good on that promise, as the Cougars reeled off 29 unanswered points and didn't punt for the rest of the game.

"I think it's outstanding," Fritz said. "I think he might have said that sometime in the second quarter, first quarter, I'm not sure but the guys did pretty much score from that point forward. You want to have that out of your quarterback and you'd love to have your quarterback be a leader for you.

"That doesn't happen all the time, I've had some quarterbacks who were really kind of silent, guys that didn't say much but Conner's got great leadership qualities. It's great when your quarterback has that kind of confidence and conveys that to the rest of the offense so yeah I'm proud of him for seeing that that's what we needed to do and conveying that to the rest of the offense."

If this is the version of Weigman that the Cougars can expect for the rest of the season, then the Cougars are in very good hands.

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

More must-reads: