Houston beat West Virginia after the Cougars converted on a 49-yard Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game in which quarterback Donovan Smith’s pass was tipped and caught by Stephon Johnson Jr. as time expired. The dramatic touchdown capped off a wild finish in which the Mountaineers took the lead on a 50-yard touchdown pass with just 12 seconds left in the game.
A back-and-forth game between the schools saw Houston lead by as much as 11 midway through the fourth quarter before West Virginia rallied back, with Garrett Greene finding wide receiver Hudson Clement open on 4th down and 10 for the go-ahead touchdown pass with the game on the line. Alas, the Cougars had one final miracle left in the tank as Smith found Johnson as time expired for Johnson’s second touchdown reception of the night.
The frantic finish at TDECU Stadium can be seen below.
The chaotic finish gave Houston, coached by former West Virginia Dana Holgorsen, their first Big 12 victory since joining the conference this offseason as the Cougars improved to 3-3 on the sesaon. West Virginia fell to 4-2 on the year as the Mountaineers suffered their first loss of Big 12 play after a 2-0 start in the conference.
