It was an ending for the ages on Thursday night between the Houston Cougars and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
In a last-ditch effort to win the game, quarterback Donovan Smith launched a hope and prayer 49 yards looking for a miracle.
And that’s exactly what he got.
The Cougars pulled off the 41-39 win over WVU thanks to the Hail Mary throw that created a jump ball in the end zone.
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The ball looked as though it had been tipped by a West Virginia defender at first, but then it landed right into the arms of Stephon Johnson, who instantly went bonkers with excitement over what had just transpired.
A Cougars teammate came up behind him to lift him in celebration as the entire team came rushing over to bask in the win.
“Hats off to Donovan Smith. That was an incredible, incredible play,” Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen told reporters. “ 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.
“I could barely see it, but I just saw [Johnson] running and the crowd goes crazy. I was like ‘wow we executed it, how about that.’”
Houston Cougars fans rush the field after their stunning win over West Virginia Mountaineers at TDECU Stadium. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con Houston fans celebrate on the field after the team’s win over West Virginia.AP
“We practiced that, and we always have a guy who is ready for the tip,” Smith said after the win, per the Associated Press. “We just executed that.”
Johnson said it wasn’t planned to go down the way it happened, but he was pleased nonetheless.
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“It wasn’t really planned to be tipped to me,” Johnson said of the Hail Mair, per the AP. “It just happened like that, and I made a play on that. I’m just thankful we were able to pull out the win.”
It was certainly an exciting game between the two programs that came down to the wire.
Houston had led 35-24 in the final five minutes of the game before West Virginia scored two consecutive touchdowns, including one with 12 seconds left on the clock to take a four-point lead.
The win was a big one for the Cougars, who picked up their third win of the year and their first in Big 12 play.
The loss was the Mountaineers’ first loss of the year against a conference opponent.
Dandridge (Tn.) Jefferson County 2025 defensive lineman Nic Moore wanted to get a more up-close look at West Virginia and his official visit to campus accomplished exactly that.
Moore, 6-foot-2, 288-pounds, had been to Morgantown before but this trip was a lot more detailed and informative than those previous stops on many different fronts.
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West Virginia has advanced to the Regional Final for their first time since 2017 after defeating Grand Canyon 5-2 Saturday night. The win moves the Mountaineers to 2-0 in NCAA play and puts Randy Mazey’s squad one win away from a Super Regional appearance.
The first game of the final will be at 9:00 p.m. ET. Should the Mountaineers win, they will claim the regional title and move on to a Super Regional. With a loss, West Virginia will play again on Monday with the time TBD.
The opponent in the finals for West Virginia will not be decided until a couple of hours before their game. Luckily for the Mountaineers, one-seed and regional host, Arizona, is eliminated after an 0-2 outing. This means the Gold and Blue will face a team they have already prepared for and beaten; Dallas Baptist or Grand Canyon.
Randy Mazey did not release a starter for the game Sunday evening. Aidan Major has yet to get a start during the postseason thus far but Mazey did state Major being banged up and needing rest at the end of the regular season. Going into the Big 12 tournament, Major was listed as day-to-day.
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This will be the first Regional Final for the Mountaineers since 2017 when they made it through the losers bracket. This time, they are undefeated and will only need to win one game out of two to advance and extend Randy Mazey’s final season.
Should West Virginia play DBU, the first game won by the Mountaineers was a balanced offensive and defensive attack. Getting a dominant complete game from Derek Clark, West Virginia used a three-run home run from Logan Sauve and an rbi double from Reed Chumley to win the game 4-1.
If Grand Canyon wins to advance, it will be back to back games against the Antelopes for the Mountaineers. With another great pitching performance, this time 7.2 innings from Tyler Switalski, West Virginia survived a bases loaded jam in the ninth to win the game 5-2. Producing eight hits and three separate rbi singles, the offense was able to produce without the home run ball.
Future MLB first round draft pick JJ Wethholt has yet to record a hit in Tucson in the two games played. His offensive production has yet to be needed but will be more than welcomed by Randy Mazey in the finals.
First pitch is set for 9:00 p.m. ET with a trip to a Super Regional on the line. West Virginia needs to win one of the final two games to advance. They will take on the winner of Dallas Baptist and Grand Canyon that starts Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. A TV network has yet to be chosen for the Finals.
Lexington (Ky.) Sayre 2025 athlete Brock Coffman came to a West Virginia one-day camp looking to impress at one position but caught the attention of the coaching staff at another altogether.
Coffman, 6-foot-0, 172-pounds, initially worked out as a wide receiver during the event where he was able to go through drills and flash his abilities in one-on-one competition.
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