The Houston Cougars defeated the LSU Tigers 38-35 in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on Saturday night inside NRG Stadium.

The Cougars collected their first 10-win season since 2021, and they won their first bowl game since 2022.

With the win, Houston finished with a 10-3 record, and the Cougars have a lot to be excited about with their success in head coach Willie Fritz’s second season.

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Coach Fritz has preached a simple message all season: “The Coogs don’t beat the Coogs.”

However, the team beat themselves early in the game and the Cougars allowed LSU to jump out to a 14-0 lead with over 12 minutes left in the first quarter.

Disaster struck as the Tigers’ senior kickoff returner Barion Brown took the first return of the game 99 yards to the house to begin the scoring.

On the following LSU possession, sophomore quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. capped off a four-play 60-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Trey’dez Green.

With their backs against the wall, junior quarterback Conner Weigman stepped up and had a lights out first half.

Weigman led a seven-play 75-yard drive that resulted in an eight-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Amare Thomas.

Thomas evened up the score with another touchdown reception on the following drive on a 4-yard pass from Weigman.

After giving up two early touchdowns, the Cougars’ defense held strong, and they didn’t allow another point in the first half.

Houston’s offense kept rolling with a late touchdown by senior tight end Tanner Koziol to score 21 unanswered points and hold a 21-14 half-time lead.

Both teams continued the shoot-out in the second half, and the Cougars found themselves tied at 28 early in the fourth quarter.

With the game on the line, Weigman led a 13-play 72-yard drive and senior Kicker Ethan Sanchez drilled a 25-yard field goal to go ahead 31-28.

The Cougars’ defense forced LSU to punt, and they had the ball with a chance to seal the game.

Senior running back Dean Connors quieted the LSU crowd with a 20-yard touchdown rush to put Houston up 10 points late in the game.

The star transfer helped lead Houston to victory as he rushed 16 times for 126 yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers didn’t go down without a fight. Van Burren Jr. led his team down the field to cut the lead to three points with 1:15 left in the game.

It all came down to an onside kick, one that LSU nearly recovered, but the Cougars bounced on the ball to win the game.

Houston outlasted LSU to even the all-time series at 2-2. Fritz also picked up his fourth bowl win, and he has the Cougars rolling as his squad rolls into the offseason.

A search is underway Saturday in Texas after a 19-year-old woman who “normally goes for a morning walk” disappeared outside of her home on Christmas Eve, police said. 

Camila Mendoza Olmos was last seen leaving her residence in the 11000 block of Caspian Spring in San Antonio around 6:58 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. 

“Camila’s mother stated that Camila normally goes for a morning walk; however, she became concerned when Camila did not return within a reasonable period of time,” the Sheriff’s Office said. 

“Video footage from that time shows an unknown individual, believed to be Camila, searching inside her vehicle for an unidentified item. Moments later, the footage ends. It is believed that she left the residence on foot, as her vehicle remained at the location,” deputies added. “The only items known to be on her person are her car key and possibly her driver’s license.” 

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The woman’s mother, identified by KENS5 as Rosario Olmos, told the station that, “I called her cell phone, but the cell phone was there on the bed and it was turned off.” 

“I put it to charge and went out to look for her. I thought I would find her like other times, walking, and we would come home together,” she said. 

“I only ask God to please bring her back home,” Rosario Olmos added. “Bring her back to me.” 

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Camila’s family members and more than 100 other people have searched for her in the area, according to KSAT. 

“It’s been real hard,” her father, Alfonso Mendoza, told the station. 

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office described Camila Mendoza Olmos as being around 5-feet 4-inches tall, weighing around 110 pounds.

She was last seen wearing a baby blue and black hoodie, baby blue pajama bottoms and white shoes, authorities added. 

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for further comment. 

The Texas Longhorns’ offense took a huge hit before the team’s bowl game against the Michigan Wolverines next week.

Quintrevion Wisner, the team’s leading rusher, plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2, his agent, Grayson Sheena, told multiple outlets. 

He led the Longhorns with 1,064 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2024 and had 597 rushing yards in 2025 with three touchdowns.

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He earned third-team All-SEC honors last season for his performance as the Longhorns made it to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Longhorns struggled for the most part, starting the season No. 1 in the nation but falling to Ohio State right off the bat.

Wisner had only one game of more than 100 yards rushing, and it came at a key time. He ran for 155 yards in Texas’ regular-season finale against the Texas A&M Aggies. The Longhorns won the game, 27-17, and were hoping to have done enough to earn a College Football Playoff bid.

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Instead, Texas will play Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

The transfer will allow head coach Steve Sarkisian to see what he has in his young running backs. Christian Clark and James Simon remain on the roster. C.J. Baxter and Jerrick Gibson also announced their intention to transfer, according to ESPN.

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Texas, under Arch Manning’s leadership, finished the regular season 9-3. Manning is set to return to the Longhorns for the 2026 season.

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