West Virginia quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. (15) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against Houston during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

West Virginia went into Houston and finally snapped the five-game losing streak.

WVU’s offense carried over the momentum against TCU and secured Rich Rodriguez’s first ranked win since taking back over at West Virginia over No. 22 Houston, 45-35. WVU finally got in the win column in the Big 12 and stands at 1-5 and 3-6 overall. Houston is now 7-2 on the season and will likely be bounced from the AP Top 25.

“Good to have a happy locker room,” Rodriguez said. “Played hard. Kept working at it. I was like ‘Where’s this been?’ It’s been there. We just had to put it all together.”

The Mountaineers’ first Big 12 win was led by its true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr., who was making his third start. Fox wasn’t as accurate against Houston as he was against TCU, but he didn’t put the ball in harm’s way.

On fourth-and-4, Rich Rodriguez called his young quarterback’s number, and Fox took off through the middle for 34 yards and made WVU’s lead 10, 38-28, at the start of the fourth quarter.

“He read it right,” Rodriguez said. “They really lightened the box up and went out and doubled our wideouts. He made a great decision.”

Fox was 13-for-22 on the day for 157 yards and one touchdown through the air. He also had 65 yards on the ground and ran for two scores.

Fox didn’t have to throw the ball as much because, unlike against TCU, WVU finally got the ground game going again. It was a combination of Diore Hubbard, who started, and the more of a home-run hitting running back Cyncir Bowers on the ground. Fox also helped with his legs. After just rushing for 41 yards against the Horned Frogs, WVU rushed for 246 yards Saturday afternoon.

Hubbard led the team with 108 yards and had WVU’s final touchdown on an 11-yard rush to make it 45-28.

WVU had 403 yards of total offense, outgaining Houston by three.

Houston made a surge late in the game and made it a 10-point game with 6:25 to play. WVU was forced to punt quickly, but Houston muffed the punt, giving the Mountaineers the ball back on the Cougars’ 27. More importantly, it allowed WVU to run more clock with 4:40 left in the game.

Rodriguez also talked after the TCU game that he was frustrated that the defense didn’t create any turnovers, and the defense quickly responded.

Houston tied the game heading into the locker room and had the ball coming out of the half. Houston quarterback Conner Weigman launched a pass downfield where the WVU defensive back kicked it up enough for safety Derek Carter Jr. to snag it. WVU turned that into three points, 24-21.

Then, Weigman had Houston driving, and Jordan Scruggs completely jumped the route in the flat, taking it 80 yards for the touchdown, 31-21 WVU.

Weigman threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns, but he also had two interceptions and fumbled the ball, too. His three turnovers turned into 17 points for the Mountaineers.

“Our defense made some big turnovers,” Rodriguez said. “Created some points for us.”

Houston’s Amare Thomas caught three of Weigman’s touchdown passes. Thomas led Houston with 99 yards on 10 catches.

WVU set the tone early and came out swinging. The Mountaineers received the opening kickoff and drove 75 plays on 12 plays to score first. Fox Jr. kept it himself on a 6-yard rush to make it 7-0 with 10:31 to play in the first.

It was the first opening drive touchdown since WVU’s season-opener against Robert Morris. It was an incredible start for a struggling offense this season.

WVU’s defense forced Houston to punt, and Fox drove down the field with a pretty pass for 26 yards to Rodney Gallagher, putting the Mountaineers deep into Houston territory. WVU scored on a 21-yard Cyncir Bowers rush, and was quickly up 14-0 over No. 22 Houston.

Fox hit deep threat Cam Vaughn for a 24-yard strike to make it 21-7. The Mountaineers were rolling.

The Cougars finally woke up. After the Vaughn score, Weigman led two touchdown drives to make it square at 21-21 at halftime.

“They came out with more confidence today,” Rodriguez said. “There were a couple new things we did, but for the most part, they just executed better.”

Houston tried to hang around, but every time it made it a one-score game, WVU answered and extended the lead, just putting it out of reach.

The Mountaineers finally entered the win column in the Big 12 in upset fashion.

“Great win against a ranked team on the road,” Rodriguez said. “We are going to enjoy the heck out of it for 24 hours and move on. Really proud of the guys.”