Re'Shaun Sanford II's 51-Yard Run Lifts No. 17 Houston Past Cincinnati 31-24 After Bearcats Tie It Late

Cincinnati had just finished a 96-yard drive to tie the game with 6:21 left. Houston needed three plays and 71 seconds to answer. Re'Shaun Sanford II broke a 51-yard touchdown run, and No. 17 Houston beat Cincinnati 31-24 on Saturday at TDECU Stadium in Houston.

Houston (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on two Conner Weigman touchdown passes to Amare Thomas, and the Cougars never trailed. The only stretch after the opening score in which Houston did not lead lasted 71 seconds in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati (5-4, 2-4 Big 12) cut the lead to four points twice and finally pulled even on a 1-yard JC French IV run, but the Bearcats never led.

Weigman completed 17 of 24 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. Sanford finished with 126 rushing yards on 15 carries, and the Cougars averaged 6.9 yards per carry on homecoming weekend.

Houston's fast start

Houston took the opening kickoff and went 72 yards in 12 plays. DJ Butler returned the kick 28 yards, the Cougars converted a fourth-and-1 from their own 37 when Sanford gained 2 yards, and a 10-yard Weigman run set up first and goal at the 8. Weigman then found Thomas for an 8-yard touchdown at 9:04 of the first quarter.

Cincinnati went three-and-out, and Houston scored again in six plays. Two Cincinnati penalties, an offside and a delay of game, helped the Cougars along, and Thomas broke a tackle on a short throw and carried it 31 yards for a touchdown at 6:23. Houston led 14-0.

Cincinnati settles in

The Bearcats answered with a 13-play, 77-yard drive built on the run. Cole Tabb carried six times on the possession, Zylan Perry converted a fourth-and-2 at the Houston 38 with a 3-yard run, and French hit JV Gibson for 12 yards to reach the 20. Two plays later, French threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tabb at 14:16 of the second quarter.

Houston's next drive ended with a missed gamble. Facing fourth-and-1 at the Cincinnati 36, the Cougars ran left and lost 3 yards, with Kenny Worthy and Jonathan Rulo making the stop.

Cincinnati moved inside the Houston 10 but came away with only three points. A 16-yard French run and a personal foul on Houston's Kentrell Webb gave the Bearcats first and goal at the 4. French lost 5 yards on the next snap, and then a 9-yard French touchdown run was wiped out by a holding penalty. Stephen Rusnak kicked a 28-yard field goal at 5:55, and Houston's lead was 14-10.

Weigman scores before the half

Houston restored its two-score lead in seven plays. Makhi Hughes ran for 12 yards, and Weigman threw deep to Patrick Overmyer for a 43-yard gain to the Cincinnati 5. Weigman kept it twice from there, and the 2-yard touchdown run at 2:30 was upheld on review. Cincinnati punted on its last possession of the half, and Houston took a 21-10 lead into the locker room.

Grover cuts it to four

Cincinnati opened the second half with a 10-play, 80-yard drive. Tabb ran for 16 yards on the first snap and 2 more two plays later, the last carries of the day for the running back. Tabb left the game injured, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported, and Gi'Bran Payne took over in the backfield. French finished the drive with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Grover at 10:02 of the third quarter, and Cincinnati trailed 21-17.

Houston answered with a field goal. Weigman hit Trent Walker for 22 yards and Thomas for 18 on an 11-play drive, but on third-and-8 from the Cincinnati 15 Thomas was stopped at the 10. Jonathan Dimas made a 28-yard field goal at 5:13, and the Cougars led 24-17.

A 96-yard answer

Houston had a chance to put the game away late in the third quarter. Hughes ran for 18 and 11 yards on a drive that reached the Cincinnati 39, but an illegal snap penalty pushed the Cougars back and they punted. Liam Dougherty's 36-yard punt went out at the Cincinnati 8, and a holding penalty on the return moved the Bearcats back to their own 4.

Cincinnati then put together its best drive of the day. Payne ripped off runs of 17, 12 and 10 yards, French added a 12-yard run, and a replay review gave Gibson a first down at the Houston 26 after the catch was originally spotted short. On third-and-10 from the Houston 13, a pass interference call on Jalen Mayo moved the ball to the 4, and a targeting penalty on Jordan Allen on the next snap put it at the 2. French scored on a 1-yard run two plays later at 6:21 of the fourth quarter. The drive covered 16 plays and took 8:41, and the game was tied 24-24.

Sanford breaks it open

Houston did not need long. After a fair catch on the kickoff, Sanford ran for 15 yards and Weigman picked up 9. On the next play Sanford ran up the middle for a 51-yard touchdown at 5:10. Dimas made the extra point, and Houston led 31-24.

Cincinnati still had time. French completed passes of 16, 4 and 10 yards to Malachi Henry, and the Bearcats reached the Houston 36 with just over two minutes left. On first down, French threw toward Perry. The play was ruled an incomplete pass, but a replay review determined the ball had gone backward, making it a live fumble, and Christian Brathwaite recovered for Houston at the Houston 39. Hughes ran three times for 34 yards, and Weigman took two knees to finish it.

By the numbers

Cincinnati won the possession battle. The Bearcats had 30 first downs to Houston's 23, converted 9 of 14 third downs and held the ball for 33:38. Houston was 4 of 8 on third down. The Cougars made up for it with big plays, outgaining Cincinnati 468 to 379 and averaging 9.5 yards per pass attempt. Houston did not turn the ball over, and Cincinnati's only giveaway came on the late backward pass. Cincinnati was flagged nine times for 54 yards, and Houston was penalized eight times for 50.

Weigman ran six times for 30 yards. Thomas caught six passes for 78 yards and both touchdowns. Overmyer had four catches for 66 yards, and Walker caught four for 57. Hughes ran 12 times for 90 yards. Jaden Yates led the Houston defense with nine tackles, Ashton Porter had six, and Quindario Lee recorded the game's only sack.

French completed 19 of 30 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and ran 13 times for 24 yards and a score. Payne ran 11 times for 71 yards, and Tabb finished with 60 rushing yards on 12 carries plus three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. Henry caught six passes for 65 yards, and Gibson had five for 54. Jasper Beeler made eight tackles and MJ Cannon had seven for Cincinnati. Both kickers were perfect, with Rusnak and Dimas each making a 28-yard field goal.

What it means

Houston bounced back from a 21-13 loss at Utah on Oct. 24. Coach Willie Fritz's team is 4-2 in Big 12 play. The Cougars play at Colorado on Friday, Nov. 13, then visit West Virginia on Nov. 21 and close the regular season at home against Baylor on Nov. 28.

Cincinnati has now lost four of five since a 4-0 start. The lone win in that stretch was a 37-24 upset of No. 8 Texas Tech on Oct. 24, and it was followed by a 49-25 home loss to Utah last week. Coach Scott Satterfield's team needs one more win to become bowl eligible, and the Bearcats will also be watching for an update on Tabb. Cincinnati plays at Iowa State on Nov. 14, hosts Colorado on Nov. 21 and finishes at BYU on Nov. 28. Cincinnati had beaten Houston 34-0 in their 2024 meeting.

Sources: ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and play-by-play. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Cincinnati Athletics (file photo).