NCAAF

Utah Utes at Houston Cougars

· NCAA - Football
4-4, 2-2 Away
Final
14 - 17
3-5, 2-2 Home

Jack Martin’s 43-yard field goal as time expires sends Houston past Utah 17-14

Jack Martin drills winning 43-yard FG as time expires for Houston

A.J. Haulcy intercepted a Brandon Rose pass with 1:55 remaining to set up Houston at its own 46. The Cougars then ran it eight straight times to the Utah 25 to set up Martin’s field goal.

It was Houston’s first game-winning field goal since Nov. 7, 2009 at Tulsa.

“That’s a kicker’s dream,” Martin said. “Definitely one of my items I can knock off the bucket list.”

Zeon Chriss was 6 of 13 for 61 yards passing with two touchdowns and he rushed for 45 yards for Houston (3-5, 2/3 Big 12). Stephon Johnson caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second, and Joseph Manjack IV caught a 28-yard touchdown pass with nine minutes left in the fourth.

J’Marion Burnette had 81 yards rushing and Re’Shaun Sanford II added 72 yards on the ground for Houston, which rushed for 228 yards.

“We needed a break,” Houston coach Willie Fritz said. “I don’t know that we’ve gotten one this year.”

Fritz, who is in his first season coaching Houston, earned his 250th head coaching victory.

Isaac Wilson finished 13-of-22 passing for 171 yards with a touchdown before being replaced by Rose with 8 ½ minutes left in the third quarter. Rose completed 7 of 15 passes for 45 yards for the Utes (4-4, 1-4), which lost its fourth straight game.

“Trying to get a spark,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of the decision to switch out the quarterbacks. “Trying to create something. We had only scored one touchdown and just didn’t seem to be gaining any momentum offensively, so we figured it was time to give Brandon an opportunity.”

Whittingham said the team would make a decision on the starting quarterback position after watching tape.

Brant Kuithe caught five passes for 113 yards and a 71-yard touchdown reception on the Utes’ second play from scrimmage.

Micah Bernard rushed for 51 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown with five minutes left in the third quarter to put the Utes ahead 14-7.

“We can only go one way,” Bernard said. We’ve lost, what is this four straight now? Where do we go now? We keep going to try to get a win. … We’ve got to figure something out. We have to put a W in the win column. That’s the only way we can go.”

It was the first game for Utah interim offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian, who replaced Andy Ludwig this week. Utah outgained Houston 306-289 in total yards.

The takeaway Utah: The Utes’ defense was stout again, holding Houston to 3 of 15 on third downs. Utah entered allowing opponents to convert on 26% of their third-down attempts, which was fifth in the nation.

Up next Utah: Hosts BYU on Nov. 9.

Houston: Hosts No. 16 Kansas State on Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Utah Utes vs. Houston Cougars?
  • TV Channel: Utes at Cougars 2021 College Football, week 9, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

UTAH TD 1st Period 12:28 Brant Kuithe 71 Yd pass from Isaac Wilson (Cole Becker Kick)
HOU TD 2nd Period 11:54 Stephon Johnson 21 Yd pass from Zeon Chriss (Jack Martin Kick)
UTAH TD 3rd Period 5:01 Micah Bernard 14 Yd Run (Cole Becker Kick)
HOU TD 4th Period 8:29 Joseph Manjack IV 28 Yd pass from Zeon Chriss (Jack Martin Kick)
HOU FG 4th Period 0:00 Jack Martin 43 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/254.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUTAH https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/248.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originHOU
12 1st Downs 16
4-16 3rd down efficiency 3-15
1-1 4th down efficiency 1-3
306 Total Yards 289
216 Passing 61
20/37 Comp/Att 6/13
5.8 Yards per pass 4.7
90 Rushing 228
26 Rushing Attempts 50
3.5 Yards per rush 4.6
7-54 Penalties 3-30
2 Turnovers 1
1 Fumbles lost 0
1 Interceptions thrown 1
28:58 Possession 31:02

Game Information

TDECU Stadium

Location: Houston, TX
Attendance: 28,251 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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