STILLWATER, Okla. (Interstat) — Conner Weigman passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns, Amare Thomas hauled in seven catches for 157 yards and the Houston Cougars delivered a dominant performance on both sides of the ball to rout the Oklahoma State Cowboys 39-17 on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.

The Cougars, rebounding decisively from their first loss of the season a week prior, improved to 4-1. The Cowboys, meanwhile, saw their struggles deepen, falling to 1-4 in a game where their offense was stifled for long stretches and their defense was picked apart by Weigman’s precision.

Houston set the tone early, marching 78 yards on their opening drive, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from Weigman. After forcing a quick Oklahoma State punt, the Cougars added a 46-yard field goal from Ethan Sanchez to take a 10-0 lead.

Oklahoma State briefly showed life on their next possession. On a trick play, receiver Shamar Rigby took a lateral and launched a 63-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Rodney Fields Jr., cutting the deficit to 10-7.

That, however, was the high point for the Cowboys’ offense for nearly three quarters. Houston’s defense, led by linebacker Jalen Garner who finished with seven tackles and two sacks, consistently pressured Oklahoma State quarterbacks Sam Jackson V and Noah Walters, disrupting the timing of the passing game and stifling the run.

The Cougars began to pull away in the second quarter. Weigman engineered a 63-yard drive, finishing it with a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Dean Connors. Later in the quarter, Weigman connected with Harvey Broussard III on a 14-yard scoring strike to extend the Houston lead to 24-7. A 37-yard field goal from Logan Ward just before halftime provided Oklahoma State’s only other points of the first half, making it 24-10 at the break.

Any hope of a Cowboys comeback was extinguished in the third quarter as Houston’s offense continued its methodical assault and its defense registered a shutout in the period. Sanchez connected on field goals of 48 and 30 yards. The Cougars then put together a 13-play, 68-yard drive that consumed over six minutes of clock, culminating in a 2-yard touchdown run from Connors. A failed two-point conversion left the score at 36-10 heading into the final period.

Houston added a fourth Sanchez field goal, this time from 29 yards, early in the fourth quarter to make it 39-10. Oklahoma State found the end zone for the final time with 3:54 remaining when backup quarterback Noah Walters hit Gavin Freeman on a 33-yard touchdown pass.

The result was a stark reversal of pregame expectations. Oklahoma State had been installed as a 15.5-point favorite, and Interstat’s game simulator had projected a Cowboys victory, 33-30. Instead, Houston controlled the game from start to finish, outgaining Oklahoma State and dominating time of possession.

Weigman, a Cypress, Texas, native, was efficient throughout, completing 21 of 30 passes. His primary target was Thomas, whose 157 receiving yards consistently gashed the Oklahoma State secondary. Connors was a workhorse on the ground, grinding out key yards to keep the chains moving.

For Oklahoma State, the defensive effort was led by safety Mordecai McDaniel, who registered a game-high 13 tackles. Linebacker Trip White added eight tackles. The offense, however, never found a consistent rhythm. Jackson V completed just 7 of 16 passes for 84 yards before being replaced by Walters, who threw the late touchdown.

The Cougars look to continue their momentum next Saturday when they host Arizona. Oklahoma State will try to halt its skid at home against Cincinnati.