Conner Weigman threw for 305 yards and accounted for two touchdowns as No. 23 Houston held off visiting Oregon State 33-20 on Saturday in each team’s season opener.
Weigman hit 20 of 30 passes and tossed an interception as the Cougars rolled up 533 total yards. Amare Thomas caught a game-high eight passes for 133 yards and a score. Makhi Hughes added 98 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Braden Atkinson helped keep the Beavers in contention, completing 29 of 48 passes for 376 yards and a score. He spread his completions among nine receivers, with freshman Jesse Legree catching five passes for 136 yards and a touchdown.
The Weigman-Thomas connection opened the scoring at the 8:13 mark of the first quarter. They hooked up for a 31-yard touchdown to cap Houston’s first drive of the season.
Oregon State, playing its first game under new coach JaMarcus Shephard, answered less than two minutes later when Atkinson scored on a 3-yard run and took a 7-6 lead following the extra point.
The Cougars took the lead for good on their next possession with a 42-yard field goal from Jonathan Dimas. They made it 16-7 with 6:27 remaining in the first half when Re’Shaun Sanford II peeled off a 56-yard touchdown run, then took a 19-7 advantage into the break when Dimas converted a 32-yard field goal with 35 seconds left.
Houston appeared to be on the verge of blowing it open when Hughes plunged in from the 1 for a 26-7 cushion with 6:40 left in the third quarter. But the Beavers worked their way back into contention behind Atkinson.
Atkinson capped an 89-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Legree that made it 26-13 with 44 seconds left in the third. Then Atkinson directed a 75-yard march that ended with a 4-yard scoring jaunt by AJ Newberry to trim the margin to six points with 9:02 remaining.
However, Weigman sealed the outcome with a 1-yard touchdown run at the 5:01 mark.
