Sanford's 51-Yard Run Breaks the Tie as No. 17 Houston Holds Off Cincinnati 31-24
Homecoming nearly slipped away. Cincinnati erased a 14-0 deficit and tied the game with 6:21 left - then Re'Shaun Sanford II broke a 51-yard touchdown 71 seconds later, and a reviewed backward pass sealed Houston's seventh win and a perfect 5-0 home record.
The No. 17 Houston Cougars survived their homecoming test on Saturday, beating Cincinnati 31-24 at TDECU Stadium on Re'Shaun Sanford II's 51-yard touchdown run with 5:10 remaining, the Associated Press reports. Sanford finished with a career-high 126 rushing yards, and Conner Weigman threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third as Houston improved to 7-2 overall, 4-2 in the Big 12, and 5-0 at home.
For a half it looked easy. Weigman hit Amare Thomas for two first-quarter touchdowns and a 14-0 lead, and Houston took a 21-10 advantage into halftime. Cincinnati (5-4, 2-4) kept coming back - JC French IV threw for 217 yards and two scores - and when French ran in from a yard out with 6:21 left in the fourth quarter, the game was tied 24-24 and TDECU had gone quiet. It stayed quiet for exactly 71 seconds: Sanford took the ball, found the left side, and outran the defense for the go-ahead score.
The finish still needed the defense, and a replay review. Cincinnati drove to the Houston 42, but a French throw was ruled a backward pass after review and Houston recovered with 2:11 remaining - linebacker Christian Brathwaite fell on the loose ball - and the Cougars ran out the clock. The game carried a frightening moment: Cincinnati receiver JV Gibson was carted off with 6:59 left in the fourth after taking a hit in the end zone from Jordan Allen, a scene both benches watched in silence.
The numbers support the scare and the result in equal measure: Houston outgained Cincinnati 468-379, with Makhi Hughes adding 90 yards on 12 carries behind Sanford, and beat the Bearcats for the first time since 2016. The Cougars, No. 17 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, stay in the Big 12 title hunt with three games left. They travel next to Colorado for a Friday night game; Cincinnati goes to Iowa State still one win short of bowl eligibility.
