Amare Thomas, run defense lead Houston to 33-20 win over Oregon State

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Amare Thomas, run defense lead Houston to 33-20 win over Oregon State

HOUSTON, CA - SEPTEMBER 05: Houston Cougars receiver Amare Thomas (0) stiff arms Oregon State Beavers defensive back Drake Vickers (36) after a catch during the fourth quarter of a college football game between the Oregon State Beavers and Houston Cougars on Saturday, September 05, 2026 at TDECU Stadium in Houston, TX. (Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Steve Helwick

Sat, September 5, 2026 at 9:44 PM UTC ·

6 min read

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It was the first college football Saturday in Houston, TX this fall, and the energy in the air felt different.

Different, to the point where the Houston Cougars added swagger to their tunnel entrance, having the team run out behind a Houston-style "slab" sedan with extended wire rims known as "swangas".

The added fanfare comes when there are expectations, which Houston has for the first time since joining the Big 12. After stellar 2025 campaign that featured a 10-3 finish and Texas Bowl win, the Cougars strolled into the 2026 season ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll, ready to contend for their first Big 12 championship.

Houston needed to shake the rust off in Week 1, but the Cougars satisfied those expectations with a 33-20 season opener victory over Oregon State. However, after experiencing a one-score game for a portion of the fourth quarter, Fritz understands the team is nowhere near a finished product on Labor Day weekend.

"I don't think we played as well as we were capable of playing," Houston head coach Willie Fritz said. "But there were some things we did well. We ran the ball well and we ran when we needed to. And we had some big pass plays. That was a huge play by Amare late in the ballgame."

HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 05: Amare Thomas #0 of the Houston Cougars completes a pass against Sailasa Vadrawale III #8 of the Oregon State Beavers during the fourth quarter at TDECU Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images

One reason for Houston's preseason hype was the return of First Team All-Big 12 wide receiver Amare Thomas. After ranking second in the Big 12 in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last fall, Thomas proved his follow-up act might be even better. On the first drive of the season, he spun out of a tackle attempt and tiptoed down the sideline for a 31-yard touchdown. And when Houston faced a critical 3rd and 6 in the fourth quarter clinging onto a 6-point lead, everybody wearing red knew exactly where to send the ball.

Quarterback Conner Weigman lobbed a deep shot to Thomas, who perfectly timed his jump over the defensive back and secured a contested 37-yard reception. Two plays later, Weigman plunged into the end zone to recapture a double-digit advantage.

Weigman collected 305 passing yards and 30 rushing yards in the victory, while Thomas completed his masterclass with 133 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight receptions.

"He's bigger than you think," Fritz said of Thomas. "He's almost 210 pounds. He's got great strength and does a good job of using his off-arm as a weapon. I know Conner's got a lot of confidence in him."

Houston never trailed beyond the first quarter, but Oregon State remained in the contest thanks to a prolific passing performance by Braden Atkinson. The FCS transfer picked apart the Houston secondary in his Beaver debut, compiling 376 yards and a touchdown without an interception. True freshman receiver Jesse Legree was responsible for 136 of those yards, as the Cougars routinely struggled to limit the Pac-12 foe through the air.

"There were some simple pass concepts, route concepts that we didn't do a good job of covering and denying," Fritz said. "We lost leverage a few times… And I blame part of this on myself. We don't tackle very much during practice, and we didn't do it this camp. And it showed up quite a bit. But we did tackle today, so now we are used to it."

The Cougars' defense still showed signs of promise. Houston stonewalled the Oregon State run game to 26 yards on 25 attempts, and the Beavers never accrued more than nine yards on a single rushing play. The Cougars' four sacks also factored into Oregon State's miniscule rushing total. Houston overwhelmed the Beavers with frequent blitzes, and outside linebacker Latreveon McCutchin led the charge with one sack and five quarterback pressures.

"Last year, me personally, I felt like Oregon State was one of my worst games I've ever played, so this has been on my mind for a while now," McCutchin said. "I feel like my focus this week has been laser locked-in, and that was one of the things I worked on most in the offseason — my pass rush. Overall, this was my best pass rushing game for sure."

Assisting McCutchin was Tulane transfer nickel Javion White, who flew in for two sacks from the secondary. Although White made 25 appearances with the Green Wave, the first two sacks of his college career materialized Saturday. The defensive back attributed those plays to techniques he learned from members of the defensive front, including McCutchin and defensive end Ashton Porter.

"They took me under their wing. They were the ones who showed me how to do pass rushing moves," White said. "I was talking to them a lot about moves I could use when I was blitzing and that showed today."

HOUSTON, CA - SEPTEMBER 05: Houston Cougars linebacker Brandon Mack II (4) celebrates with defensive back Javion White (0) after a defensive play during the first quarter of a college football game between the Oregon State Beavers and Houston Cougars on Saturday, September 05, 2026 at TDECU Stadium in Houston, TX. (Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

While Oregon State struggled to run the ball, Houston found success on the ground without heavily involving Weigman. Running back Makhi Hughes was a two-time all-conference standout at Tulane but quickly buried in the depth chart upon transferring to Oregon in 2025. Now at his third school in three years, Hughes enjoyed a resurgent afternoon with a game-high 98 rushing yards and a third quarter touchdown.

"I've been seeing it since January, since I got here," White said of Hughes' potential at Houston. "I did my freshman year with him at Tulane, and he was killing us on defense in practice. So I knew coming here playing against him again, it was gonna be the same thing no doubt."

Additionally, Re'Shaun Sanford II made a triumphant return to the backfield. Sanford missed the entirety of 2025 after suffering his second ACL tear of his career, but he placed those setbacks in the rearview during a 75-yard outing on the ground. The running back's return was sweetened by a second quarter scamper, where he broke free for a 56-yard touchdown — his first score since Oct. 4, 2024.

"Every time you miss a year, you remind yourself how much you miss doing it," Sanford said. "I was prepared for that moment as well. Of course everybody goes into the game wanting to score. I just wanted to do my job, but my preparation from the past year allowed me to be ready for this moment."

After falling short of the upset bid, Oregon State receives a redemption opportunity against Big 12 competition next Saturday when Texas Tech visits Corvallis. Meanwhile, Houston eyes a second-straight 2-0 start under Fritz when hosting FCS program Southern travels in Week 2. Fritz understands there's plenty to clean up, but 1-0 is the proper start for a team with a ranking beside its name.

"I told our guys be happy," Fritz said. "We got a win. We're 1-0 right now, but there's a lot of correctable mistakes that we made."

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