HOUSTON (AP) — Zeon Chriss threw for 103 yards and a touchdown without an incompletion as Houston rallied in fourth quarter to beat No. 17 Kansas State 24-19 on Saturday. Trailing 19-10 to start 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 to go. Chriss, who finished 11 of 11, also rushed for 75 yards and caught a pass for eight yards. “We’ve experienced a lot (of adversity) this season,” Chriss said.
“We were trying to be positive about it, and trust in the defense. The defense told us ‘We got y’all,’ 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 knocked 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 win over a ranked team since beating No.
19 SMU 44-37 on Oct. 30, 2021. “They’re going to start believing,” Fritz said about Houston’s second straight one-possession win.
“We got to keep going.” The loss snapped Kansas State’s four-game winning streak. Wildcats coach Chris Klieman said his team didn’t play “with good enough fundamentals and techniques" and pointed to Kansas .
