While the focus will be on the final play of West Virginia’s 41-39 walk-off loss to Houston, it was a series of them that ultimately led to the result according to head coach Neal Brown.
The Mountaineers rallied from 35-24 down with just 7:28 remaining to seize an improbable 39-35 lead with just 12 seconds left to play. The attempted comeback was capped by a 50-yard catch and run by Hudson Clement on a fourth and 10 that appeared to have given West Virginia its fifth straight win.
It wasn’t meant to be. After a 15-yard celebration penalty on the touchdown toss, the Mountaineers had to kick from their own 20-yard line which set the Cougars up at their own 43.
A quick eight-yard toss later and Houston had one play from 49-yards away to go for the win. Quarterback Donovan Smith rolled out to his left and launched the ball where it was tipped into the arms of Stephon Johnson.
Ball game.
That play is certainly going to get the attention and if West Virginia executes there, they still escape with a win that for most of the game they played like they didn’t deserve. And it’s because of exactly that there was even that opportunity to begin with for Houston.
“We didn’t lose the game on the last play of the game. We had multiple chances to win the game, but we didn’t do it. I’m not pleased about how we played in two out of three phases,” Brown said.
The fifth-year head coach isn’t wrong. A typically stout West Virginia defense gave up as many points in the fourth quarter with 20 than the unit had allowed over the past three games. The unit struggled in coverage and getting Houston skill players to the ground, which had been a strength.
Meanwhile, special teams gave up a kick return touchdown and struggled in various areas throughout.
This is a team that has prided itself on playing smart, disciplined football and not beating themselves. This was anything but that as West Virginia was hit with 83 yards in penalties, including that costly celebration after the final touchdown, while quite literally giving the ball to the Cougars with a chance to go up 10 in the second half. On that play, Jaylen Anderson got open down the sideline and a perfectly placed ball bounced off his chest in the endzone into the arms of a Houston defender.
“The celebration penalty after the last touchdown was kind of a microcosm to me of the game,” he said.
Despite dominating the first half in most statistical categories, West Virginia actually trailed 14-10 as the offense on three consecutive series ran 15 plays for a total of 19 yards including a pair of three and outs.
“We had multiple chances to take control of the game in the second and third quarter and we did not,” Brown said of the result.
He isn’t wrong.
West Virginia lost this football game despite a statistical rap sheet that reads like a win. That included that late rally, scoring 39 points, rolling up 546 yards, going 14-20 on third and fourth downs, going a perfect 4-4 in the red zone, holding the ball almost 14-minutes longer and running almost 30 more plays.
“If you look at the stat sheet it doesn’t make sense but that’s why you play the game,” Brown said.
Yes, West Virginia struggled to run the ball at times which was a factor in the result, but the offensive line working with two backups on the left side didn’t allow a sack in pass protection.
It was a golden opportunity missed for this football team and by Brown’s reaction in postgame you could tell that he was keenly aware. Houston was a struggling football team and West Virginia had the chance to put them on the ropes multiple times in this game.
But even with those failures, still had a chance to win it. This team had created their own breaks during a four-game winning streak, it wasn’t always pretty – but they got it done. This was the antithesis.
West Virginia now sits at 4-2, 2-1 in the Big 12 with six very important conference games left on the slate. But calls for national rankings or disrespect are out the window. This team must now rebuild that confidence and resume over what games lie ahead.
Next up is a home contest with Oklahoma State, it’s a game where West Virginia has again an opportunity to take care of business and put this game behind them. This can be a season-defining outcome, or simply a tough-to-swallow outcome that could cost them down the line in the standings.
That will be up to Brown and the team.
West Virginia didn’t lose this game on one play, that’s true.
But it would have made a lot of people forget about most of the earlier mistakes for at least one night had they been able to make it.
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