Houston 24-19 Kansas State (November 2, 2024) Game Recap

HOUSTON – Zeon Chriss threw for 103 yards and a touchdown without an incompletion as Houston rallied in the fourth quarter to beat No. 17 Kansas State 24-19 on Saturday.

Trailing 19-10 early in the fourth quarter, Chriss threw a 1-yard touchdown to Maliq Carr with 11 minutes left. After forcing a punt, Chriss rushed for a 41-yard touchdown with 2:31 left.

Chriss, who finished 11 of 11, also rushed for 75 yards and caught a pass for eight yards.

“We’ve faced a lot of adversity this season,” Chriss said. “We tried to think positively and trust in the defense. The defense told us, 'We've got all of you,' and we got them.”

Linebacker Michael Batton intercepted Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson on the next drive.

After Houston (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) was forced to punt with 40 seconds left, the Wildcats drove to the Cougars' 39 with 4 seconds left, but Johnson's heave was thrown out of the end zone.

“We didn't play a perfect game, but we played well enough to win and that's what matters,” Houston coach Willie Fritz said.

The win was Houston's first over a ranked team since defeating No. 19 SMU 44-37 on October 30, 2021.

“You’re going to start believing,” Fritz said of Houston’s second straight one-possession win. “We have to keep going.”

The loss ended Kansas State's four-game winning streak.

Wildcats coach Chris Klieman said his team “didn't play with good enough fundamentals and techniques,” citing Kansas State's inability to run the ball as they finished with 89 yards rushing.

“We didn’t run the ball in the slightest,” Klieman said. “Our inability to accelerate the football makes it more difficult to throw it.”

Johnson finished 23 of 39 for 238 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and found Keagan Johnson for a 7-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left in the first half, giving the Wildcats (7-2, 4-2) a 16th -10 gave us a half-time lead. Johnson finished the game with a 76-yard reception.

“It just felt like we were flat offensively,” Avery Johnson said. “We couldn't get anything going. We stalled a lot in the second half. We didn’t play as well as we wanted as a team.”

DJ Giddens rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown as Kansas State defeated the Cougars 327-232.

“I don't want to take anything away from them, but I feel like the words that describe it are such that we're missing out on it,” Keagan Johnson said. “They are a good team. They played better today. That's what matters. We didn’t do it when we needed to.”

Due to a lightning strike, the start of the game was delayed by 55 minutes.

The takeaway food

Kansas State: The loss hurts the Wildcats' chances of reaching the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff.

Houston: The Cougars finished 3 for 3 in the red zone after struggling against Utah last week.

Impact on the survey

Kansas State could potentially drop out of the rankings after the loss.

Next

Kansas State hosts Arizona State on November 16th, while Houston plays Arizona on November 15th.

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