Last time Houston rolled into in Manhattan, KS in 2023, it returned home with a 41-0 loss.
Saturday was the ultimate measure of how much this program has grown in three years. Houston didn't simply roll into the Little Apple and escape with a win. The Cougars steamrolled Kansas State from start to finish, ransacking Bill Snyder Family Stadium en route to a 35-16 wire-to-wire victory.
It was Houston's second-largest margin of victory in a Big 12 matchup since joining the conference in 2023 and arguably the most complete game of the Willie Fritz era.
And it was one for the record books. Patrick Overmyer secured four touchdowns in the decisive victory, tying the all-time FBS record for most single-game touchdown receptions by a tight end. Overmyer set the tone on the opening drive with a 4th-and-goal touchdown reception — on somewhat of a redo, considering Kansas State called a timeout right before Houston's first unsuccessful 4th-and-goal attempt. From that point forward, the senior was unstoppable. He secured three additional scores inside the 10-yard line, tying for the most receiving touchdowns by a Cougar outside of Manny Hazard and Patrick Edwards, who totaled five in 1989 and 2011, respectively.
Overmyer also starred outside of the red zone. He finished with a game-high 83 receiving yards on eight receptions, even corralling a 44-yard reception in a career day. His distributor, Conner Weigman, fired for 242 yards and finished his fifth consecutive start without an interception, now owning a 15-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio on the year. Trent Walker snagged several impressive third down receptions and Koby Young hauled in a tone-setting deep ball as Houston showcased the true depth of its receiving corps.
The run game worked too and posted 233 yards behind productive performances from Re'Shaun Sanford and Makhi Hughes. It was another day in the office for Houston's offense, which entered Saturday ranked 19th nationally in yards per game.
But the difference in this performance was the defense. Houston's passing defense had its best showing of the season, limiting Kansas State veteran quarterback Avery Johnson to 182 yards on 30 attempts. The Wildcats struggled to generate significant yardage on the ground as well, watching their 480 yard per game offense rack up just 299 at home. Kansas State averaged over 45 points per game across its first three games in Manhattan but never found the end zone until the 6:11 mark of the third quarter. And immediately after cutting the deficit to 28-9 on that touchdown, Houston responded with a score of its own to deny a Kansas State comeback.
Houston manufactured a stellar defensive performance without its leading tackler Jaden Yates, who suffered an injury last Saturday against UCF. But the unit remained sound in tackling and coverage down the star outside linebacker. Some of the best performances belonged to the safeties. Kentrell Webb posted five tackles, while Jordan Allen secured a fourth quarter red zone interception — his second of the year.
The Cougars also became the first team to sack Kansas State this season. The Wildcats were the only FBS team that had not allowed one prior to Week 6, but Latreveon McCutchin and Quindario Lee teamed up for a sack in the second quarter, and then Myles Parker and Khalil Laufau combined for one in the fourth.
Kansas State (3-2, 0-2 Big 12) has seen the switch completely flip after a dominant non-conference showing. The Wildcats are now 0-2 in Big 12 play under first-year head coach Collin Klein, suffering their second-largest margin of defeat at home since 2021. Kansas State remains at home for the fifth time in a six-game stretch to host Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown, looking to rebound and extend its 17-game win streak in the rivalry.
Houston (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) now has five double-digit wins on the season. The Cougars collected six of their 10 victories in one-score fashion last year, but their triumphs have come in more dominant fashion this fall. Houston now returns home to face Oklahoma State in what will be the first ranked matchup at TDECU Stadium since the 2015 American Conference Championship Game.
