HOUSTON (AP) — Conner Weigman threw for 239 yards and rushed for three second-half touchdowns, and No. 20 Houston rallied to beat Central Florida 27-17 on Saturday.
Weigman rushed for 50 yards, Re’Shaun Sanford II ran for 62 yards and Patrick Overmyer caught six passes for 76 yards for Houston (4-1, 1-1 Big 12).
Houston coach Willie Fritz said Weigman was “sick as a dog, but he played through it and played really well in the second half.”
“He’s very smart,” Fritz said of his quarterback. “He’s an intelligent football player. He gets the ball out of his hands. He knows where to go. He’s got a good, quick release, good velocity on the ball. He runs it better than probably people give him credit for.”
Trailing 17-0, Weigman had a 19-yard touchdown run with 3½ minutes left in the third.
On the next UCF drive, Latreveon McCutchin intercepted Keyone Jenkins and returned it 17 yards to the UCF 2. Two plays later, Weigman rushed it in from a yard out to cut the lead to three.
After the Knights went three-and-out, Weigman capped an 11-play, 62-yard drive with a 1-yard score with 10:15 remaining to give the Cougars a 21-17 lead. Jonathan Dimas made two field goals to push the margin to 10.
“We did not play very good in the first half, but we played really well in the second half,” Fritz said. “I went in there (at halftime) and started going through the mistakes that we made in the first half, and I said ‘There’s one bright spot, we have another 30 minutes to play.’”
Jenkins went 23 of 35 for 253 yards and a touchdown. He threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Josh Derry and ran for a 5-yard touchdown with six minutes remaining in the third quarter as the Knights (3-2, 1-1) built a 17-0 lead.
Jenkins exited for a drive following the interception and was limping in the fourth quarter. UCF coach Scott Frost said Jenkins was cramping.
“I thought he played good again,” Frost said. “The interception was just unfortunate. Great play by their guy. I wish we were a little more explosive offensively. We got to keep trying to be.”
Derry had seven receptions for 101 yards, and Duke Watson had 50 yards rushing for the Knights.
UCF: The Knights dropped to 0-2 on the road this season. … After going up 17-0, the Knights gained only 65 more yards and one first down over their final five drives.
Houston: The Cougars should at least maintain their position in the AP Top 25 poll. … Houston needed to rally after having issues finishing drives early on, getting stopped inside the UCF 10 on three straight drives in the second quarter. The Cougars were stopped at the UCF 3 on consecutive drives before Overmyer fumbled at the UCF 7 and into the end zone, recovered by the Knights.
UCF: At No. 19 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Houston: At Kansas State on Saturday.
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Houston defensive back Kentrell Webb (8) and linebacker Carmycah Glass (25) celebrate after a stop during the first half of an NCAA college football game against UCF in Houston, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — CJ Carr threw for four touchdowns and ran for another and third-ranked Notre Dame leaned on its ground game in regaining control after halftime to beat North Carolina 37-26 on Saturday.
The Fighting Irish (5-0) were on the verge of going up 28-7 before the Tar Heels (2-2) came up with a goal-line stand and turned it into a long touchdown drive right before halftime. Then UNC came out of the break with Jaden Jefferson sprinting through the rain for a 98-yard kickoff return that brought the Tar Heels to within 21-20.
That's when Carr and the Irish offense went to work with a series of methodical and physical drives, leaning on the run in wet conditions to carry the ball right into the heart of the defensive front and consistently move the chains. That ultimately helped Notre Dame restore its multiple-possession lead while finishing with a season-high 241 yards on the ground.
“When they know you're going to try to run the ball — and you're still able to run the ball — because of the weather conditions, that's a reflection of your team, and the toughness and the physicality,” coach Marcus Freeman said.
Notre Dame responded to Jefferson's big play with a 17-play, 75-yard drive lasting more than nine minutes by the time Carr got around the right side for a fourth-down TD keeper.
Then, after forcing a three-and-out, Notre Dame went to work again in pummeling fashion. Nolan James Jr. did most of the work on the ground, then caught Carr's short pass in the left flat and juked a would-be tackler off his feet to go in for a 6-yard TD and a 34-20 lead to open the fourth quarter.
Freshman Jonaz Walton posted a team-high 120 yards to lead Notre Dame's ground effort, while James added 65. The Irish's rushing output included 122 yards in the third quarter alone in stymieing UNC's momentum, a welcome sign for a new ground game that lost running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price as first-round NFL draft picks.
“Super impressive with the way the offensive line kind of just drove the ball down the field,” Carr said. “They couldn't really stop us. It felt like we were imposing our will on them whenever we wanted to.”
Carr threw for 234 yards, with Jordan Faison making eight catches for 132 yards and two scores.
Billy Edwards Jr. threw for three touchdowns for the Tar Heels but was picked off twice. North Carolina also struggled to get anything going on the ground (77 yards on 23 carries).
“We were certainly competitive, we missed some opportunities,” coach Bill Belichick said. “We just need to do a better job of coaching and playing, take advantage of those opportunities.”
Notre Dame: The defense had its hiccups in the Fighting Irish's 15th straight win. The Irish entered Saturday ranked No. 1 nationally by surrendering 199.3 yards per game and second in scoring (8.3), yet the Tar Heels came within seven points of matching the total the Irish had allowed through four games.
UNC: The Tar Heels started 2-0 before blowing a two-touchdown lead in a loss at Clemson on Sept. 19, then had an open week to prepare for this one. Finding ways to generate more downfield passing gains was a focus, and Edwards found more success. The primary targets were wideout Jordan Shipp (seven catches for 109 yards) and Jelani Thurman (five catches for 50 yards and two TDs) as the Tar Heels flirted with a marquee win in Belichick's second season.
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish host Stanford next Saturday.
UNC: The Tar Heels visit Pittsburgh next Saturday, the first of back-to-back road games against teams that are a combined 9-0.
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North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) throws a touchdown pass to tight end Shamar Easter (84) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman discusses a call with an official during the first half of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, right, runs back an interception against North Carolina running back Jaylen McGill, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, right, looks to pass against North Carolina behind the block of offensive lineman Sullivan Absher (75) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
