Weigman runs for 2 TDs, Houston holds off No. 24 Arizona State 24-16

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Conner Weigman ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score, tight end Tanner Koziol had 100 yards receiving and Houston held on to beat No. 24 Arizona State 24-16 on Saturday night.

The Cougars (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) won their third straight game and now have a good chance to move into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2022. It was their first road win over a ranked team since 2017.

“I saw an absolute dog,” Koziol said about Weigman's performance. “He's doing it both ways — he's getting banged up, he's putting his shoulder down and getting yards after contact. He's one of the best in the country, there's no doubt.”

Houston built a 24-0 early in the fourth quarter thanks to a methodical offense and physical defense that put pressure on quarterback Sam Leavitt. Eddie Walls III had two sacks.

Arizona State (5-3, 3-2) had its 10-game home winning streak snapped.

“We've really built a great environment here,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Unfortunately, we couldn't get it done tonight. Didn't play good enough in the first half — really the first three quarters.”

Arizona State rallied to cut it to 24-16 with 5:12 after backup quarterback Jeff Sims — playing for the injured Leavitt — threw a 27-yard touchdown to Chamon Metayer. The Sun Devils got the ball back at their own 4 with a little more than two minutes remaining and a chance to tie, but couldn't muster a first down.

It was a sloppy performance by the Sun Devils, who lost a fumble, had a player ejected for targeting, missed two field goal attempts and were called for 12 penalties.

The Cougars took a 10-0 lead into halftime and made it 17-0 early in the third quarter when Weigman hit Koziol for a 7-yard touchdown on a perfectly placed ball in the back of the end zone.

Weigman — who played his first three college seasons at Texas A&M — finished with 201 yards passing and a career-high 111 yards rushing.

“It's all about playing hard — effort and energy,” Weigman said. “When we turn on the film, we want to be the hardest playing out there and I feel like we did that today.”

Leavitt left the game midway through the first quarter after hitting the ground hard following a 14-yard run. He was down for a few minutes before eventually getting up and jogging to the sideline medical tent and then the locker room.

The quarterback returned by the end of the first quarter, but by then the Sun Devils were already in a 10-0 hole. He finished with 270 yards passing. Malik McClain had 159 yards receiving.

Arizona State was playing without Big 12 leading receiver Jordyn Tyson because of a hamstring injury.

Houston: The Cougars have a great chance to get nationally ranked for the first time since in more than three years after their most impressive victory of the season. Veteran coach Willie Fritz has the program rolling in his second season on campus. That's no surprise considering he's won everywhere he's been, including Tulane, Georgia Southern, Sam Houston State and Central Missouri.

“It's all good,” Fritz said. “But our deal is the next game. We'll review this game on Monday, flush it down the toilet, and move on to our next opponent. That's how you got to do it if you want to be as good as you can be.”

Arizona State: It was a damaging loss for the Sun Devils, who lost ground in the Big 12 race. Leavitt didn't play great, but also didn't have much time to throw because Houston's defense was constantly in the backfield.

Houston: Hosts West Virginia on Saturday.

Arizona State: At Iowa State on Saturday.

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Houston head coach Willie Fritz celebrates a touchdown against Arizona State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt throws against Houston during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona State defensive back Montana Warren stops Houston running back DJ Butler (25) just short of the endzone during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Houston tight end Tanner Koziol (9) makes a catch in front of Arizona State defensive back Kyndrich Breedlove during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Houston defensive lineman Eddie Walls III celebrates a sack against Arizona State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Torrential rains and flooding have killed more than 100 people in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and authorities warned Friday that more severe weather was expected across several countries in southern Africa.

South Africa has reported at least 19 deaths in two of its northern provinces following heavy rains that began last month and led to severe flooding.

Tourists and staff members were evacuated this week by helicopter from flooded camps to other areas in the renowned Kruger National Park, which is closed to visitors while parts of it are inaccessible because of washed out roads and bridges, South Africa's national parks agency said.

In neighboring Mozambique, the Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction said 103 people had died in an unusually severe rainy season since late last year. Those deaths were from various causes including electrocution from lightning strikes, drowning in floods, infrastructure collapse caused by the severe weather and cholera, the institute said.

The worst flooding in Mozambique has been in the central and southern regions, where more than 200,000 people have been affected, thousands of homes have been damaged, while tens of thousands face evacuation, the World Food Program said.

Zimbabwe’s disaster management agency said that 70 people have died and more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed in heavy rains since the beginning of the year, while infrastructure including schools, roads and bridges collapsed.

Flooding has also hit the island nation of Madagascar off the coast of Africa as well as Malawi and Zambia. Authorities in Madagascar said 11 people died in floods since late November.

The United States' Famine Early Warning System said flooding was reported or expected in at least seven southern African nations, possibly due to the presence of the La Nina weather phenomenon that can bring heavy rains to parts of southeastern Africa.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited flood-stricken areas in the northern Limpopo province on Thursday and said that region had received around 400 millimeters (more than 15 inches) of rain in less than a week. He said that in one district he visited “there are 36 houses that have just been wiped away from the face of the Earth. Everything is gone ... the roofs, the walls, the fences, everything.”

The flooding occurred in the Limpopo and Mpumalanaga provinces in the north, and the South African Weather Service issued a red-level 10 alert for parts of the country for Friday, warning of more heavy rain and flooding that poses a threat to lives and could cause widespread infrastructure damage.

The huge Kruger wildlife park, which covers some 22,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) across the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, has been impacted by severe flooding and around 600 tourists and staff members have been evacuated from camps to high-lying areas in the park, Kruger National Park spokesperson Reynold Thakhuli said.

He couldn't immediately say how many people there were in the park, which has been closed to visitors after several rivers burst their banks and flooded camps, restaurants and other areas. The parks agency said precautions were being taken and no deaths or injuries had been reported at Kruger.

The South African army sent helicopters to rescue other people trapped on the roofs of their houses or in trees in northern parts of the country, it said. An army helicopter also rescued border post officers and police officers stranded at a flooded checkpoint on the South Africa-Zimbabwe border.

Southern Africa has experienced a series of extreme weather events in recent years, including devastating cyclones and a scorching drought that caused a food crisis in parts of a region that often suffers food shortages.

The World Food Program said more than 70,000 hectares (about 173,000 acres) of crops in Mozambique, including staples such as rice and corn, have been waterlogged in the current flooding, worsening food insecurity for thousands of small-scale farmers who rely on their harvests for food.

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. AP writers Charles Mangwiro in Maputo, Mozambique, and Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe, contributed to this report.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)

This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)

This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)