In a thriller last night, the Houston Cougars scored a dramatic come-from-behind victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers with a last-second Hail Mary pass that left fans in a frenzy.
The game provided plenty of fireworks … Four total touchdowns were scored in the fourth quarter and it looked like the Mountaineers were destined for the win after scoring two touchdowns in the final 3:45.
Quarterback Garrett Greene connected with Hudson Clement on a 50-yard touchdown with just 12 seconds remaining, giving West Virginia a 39-35 lead.
WITH 22 SECONDS TO GO, @WVUfootball GETS THE TOUCHDOWN TO TAKE THE LEAD! 🔥 😤 pic.twitter.com/PjtjSmnHSu
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 13, 2023
It was going to take a miracle for Houston to come back from that gut-punch.
But a miracle is exactly what happened as Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith connected on a 49-yard Hail Mary to Stephon Johnson as time expired, sealing an unbelievable 41-39 win.
HAIL MARY HOUSTON COUGARS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/blDmruBxYi
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 13, 2023
“Hats off to Donovan Smith. That was an incredible, incredible play,” Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen expressed in awe during a post-game interview.
“We had pressure, which is normal. They spied him, so he broke the paint and he’s running left. He’s got to flip his hips at midfield and throw that thing and get it there. [Joseph Manjack IV] high pointed it and ended up tipping it.”
Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen speaks about the game-winning Hail Mary catch by Stephon Johnson pic.twitter.com/EOZ9g8Rix9
— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) October 13, 2023
The win was especially sweet for Holgorsen who used to coach at West Virginia.
Reflecting on the game-winning play, Smith emphasized the team’s preparation, stating: “We practiced that, and we always have a guy who is ready for the tip. We just executed that.”
Johnson, who became the unexpected hero of the night, added: “It wasn’t really planned to be tipped to me. It just happened like that, and I made a play on that. I’m just thankful we were able to pull out the win.”
Is this the craziest finish of the college football season thus far?
Last week’s Miami-Georgia Tech finish was pretty damn wild as well.
Which is better???