Houston defeated West Virginia 41-39 in a thrilling game that ended with a 49-yard Hail Mary touchdown on the final play. Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith threw a pass that was tipped and caught by Stephon Johnson Jr. as time expired. This touchdown concluded a wild fourth quarter where the Mountaineers took the lead with just 12 seconds left, only to be outdone by Houston’s incredible finish.
Houston had an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter before West Virginia made a comeback. The Mountaineers narrowed the deficit to three with a touchdown run by quarterback Garrett Greene and subsequent 2-point conversion. West Virginia then forced a punt to regain possession. On fourth-and-10, Greene found Hudson Clement for a go-ahead touchdown.
However, the Cougars had one more miracle left in them as Smith’s hail mary was caught by Johnson for their second touchdown of the night. Smith had an impressive performance with 78% completion rate, 253 passing yards, and four touchdowns. This victory marked Houston’s first win in the Big 12 conference. It was also a sweet triumph for coach Dana Holgorsen, who previously coached the Mountaineers from 2011-18.
The thrilling finish at TDECU Stadium can be seen below.
For West Virginia, this loss ended their four-game winning streak. They had more total yards with 546 compared to Houston’s 393, and also had more time of possession. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the opportunistic Cougars. Greene had a productive game with 391 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, but it was in a losing effort.
Houston hopes to carry this momentum into their next game against No. 9 Texas, which will be hosted by Houston. West Virginia will look to bounce back at home against Oklahoma State.
