Houston • The Utes have a new offensive coordinator.
But not much has changed.
Less than a week after Andy Ludwig stepped down and was replaced by Mike Bajakian, the Utes found themselves on the wrong of another low-scoring affair.
Jack Martin’s 43-yard field goal as time expired gave the Houston Cougars a 17-14 win over the freefalling Utes.
Utah (4-4) has now lost four straight games in Big 12 Conference play.
Even with a new play caller, Utah’s offensive woes continued on Saturday night. They had 307 yards and just 14 first downs after going 4-of-16 on third downs.
Freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson, who finished 13 of 22 with 171 passing yards and one touchdown, was benched for Brandon Rose in the third quarter.
Rose threw an interception late in the fourth quarter and Houston took advantage, driving into position for Martin to kick the game-winning field goal.
Utah did get out to a fast start in the first quarter.
Wilson connected with senior tight end Brant Kuithe on a 71-yard touchdown pass, which gave the Utes a 7-0 lead with 12:28 remaining in the first period.
But things slowed down after that.
Utah’s defense helped keep the game within reach. The Utes had two goal-line stops on Saturday night. Sophomore linebacker Jonathan Hall forced a key interception in the third quarter.
The Cougars were held to 61 passing yards but rushed for 228 on the night.
Houston still found the end zone twice. The Cougars got a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zeon Chriss to start the second quarter.
Utah went into halftime tied with the Cougars 7-7 after senior kicker Cole Becker missed back-to-back field goals.
After Hall’s interception, Utah running back Micah Bernard scored a 14-yard touchdown in the third quarter, which gave the Utes a 14-7 lead with 5:57 left in the third period.
Houston tied the game with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Chriss midway through the fourth quarter.
Next, Utah will take on BYU (8-0, 5-0) on Saturday, Nov. 9, in Salt Lake City.
