By Rock Westfall
The late President Richard Nixon once said it is better to be a soldier than a politician. That is because a soldier dies only once while a politician dies a thousand deaths. Add college football coaches to the list of those who can die a thousand deaths. And let’s not forget gamblers, either.
In Thursday night’s Instant Classic between the Houston Cougars and West Virginia Mountaineers, head coaches Neal Brown of West Virginia and Dana Holgorsen of Houston suffered excruciating football deaths. But Holgorsen took the dagger from his gut and stuck it into Brown’s.
STEPHON JOHNSON FOR THE WIN
HOUSTON COUGARS WIN ON A HAIL MARY
IT’S A MIRACLE pic.twitter.com/4G0Nha4BYm
— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) October 13, 2023
Houston defeated West Virginia 41-39 on a 49-yard Hail Mary TD pass from Donovan Smith to Stephon Johnson at the gun. That was 12 seconds after West Virginia QB Garrett Green hit Hudson Clement for a 50-yard TD catch and run on a desperation 4th-and-10 call. West Virginia took a 39-35 lead. A 5-1 record looked assured. And the Mountaineers seemed to have covered the 3-point spread.
WHEN THE GAME WAS ON THE LINE GARRETT GREENE FOUND HUDSON CLEMENT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN AND WVU LEADS 39-35! pic.twitter.com/VpLCEtmyYL
— James (@mountaineerjdub) October 13, 2023
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However, West Virginia was penalized for excessively celebrating the miracle TD. Imagine that! Football players were excited about snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat. It was a costly celebration for West Virginia and gamblers who laid the 3-points on the Mounties.
Because of the penalty, West Virginia was forced to kickoff from its 20-yard line. That predicament gave Houston excellent field position for a Hail Mary. After a quick out pattern by UH put them on the WVU 49-yard line, they hit the game-winning bomb. A mad celebration far more excessive than West Virginia’s followed. But the refs couldn’t ruin it because the game was over.
As a result of the win, Houston coach Dana Holgorsen went from potentially being fired to having a new coaching life. At the same time, West Virginia coach Neal Brown saw a promising career comeback story blown to pieces. Neal Brown’s rear is back on fire.
Meanwhile, gamblers holding a winning ticket on West Virginia saw it turn into ashes. In contrast, those who took Houston could cancel plans for a Bailout Special.
Most importantly, the Mountaineers’ loss and the Cougars’ win could have far-reaching implications beyond the 2023 campaign.
Dirty Dana Rocks a Lazurus at a School Who Used to Fire 8-4 Coaches
The unfortunate Major Applewhite went down in infamy during his brief tenure as head coach of the Houston Cougars. Following a 70-14 loss to Army in the 2018 Armed Forces Bowl, Applewhite was fired. The Houston Administration boasted that it “fired coaches for going 8-4.” Enter Dana Holgorsen.
While Applewhite was getting ground into hamburger by Army, Holgorsen was wrapping up his eighth season as head coach of West Virginia. He surpassed Houston’s 8-4 standard only twice in those eight years.
But Holgorsen has deep ties to Texas and the Big 12 Conference. He made his bones as an offensive coordinator and Air Raid wizard for Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Houston’s hiring theory was that in a more fertile recruiting area and with billionaire mega-donors such as Tilman Fertitta of Landry’s Seafood fame, Holgorsen would bomb opponents into submission with his offensive mastery.
Instead, Holgorsen has struggled at UH. He has records of 4-8, 3-5, 12-2, 8-5 and currently 3-3. That 30-23 career mark at Houston is good for a .566-win percentage. In comparison, the humiliated Major Applewhite departed H-Town with a win percentage of .577 (15-11).
Houston is indeed in its initial season as a member of the Big 12. Its roster is not up to par. And it may be several years before the Cougars are comparable to the rest of the Big 12 teams.
But it is also true that Holgorsen went 27-20 while leading Houston in the lesser American Athletic Conference. Furthermore, Holgorsen failed to capitalize on what was thought to be a 12-2 breakout season in 2021.
Houston’s donors spent big money refurbishing TDECU Stadium, which is sparsely filled for most games. There were major investments in facilities and recruiting. Finding players in the fertile recruiting ground of Texas should be a breeze. Yet Holgorsen is underwater.
Holgorsen is a media favorite. He has a reputation for being a coaching version of Jimmy Buffet. And he is reputedly popular with the Houston administration and donors. But eventually, Fertitta and his fellow mega-donors are going to want results. They must be growing weary of excuses and empty seats, Big 12 transition or not.
Hopefully, Holgorsen lived up to his reputation and partied hard after Thursday night’s win. Consider that next week brings a visit to TDECU Stadium from the Texas Longhorns. Houston then travels to Kansas State and Baylor, hosts Cincinnati and Oklahoma State, and ends the season at UCF.
Perhaps there are three wins on that slate for a minor bowl berth. But the nation’s 113th-ranked defense guarantees nothing. Still, for at least a week, Dirty Dana’s seat is as chill as Five O’clock with Jimmy Buffet.
Would Houston fire a coach for going 6-6 or worse?
A Brown-Out on a Coaching Comeback?
Last December, Neal Brown had what was thought to be a certain date with the firing squad. But Brown got a midnight reprieve from the governor. West Virginia changed athletic directors. Wren Baker didn’t want to whack the football coach as his first act in office. So, Brown got a mandate: Win or else.
The Mounties won and covered their next four games after a 38-15 loss at powerhouse Penn State in Week 1. As a result, Neal Brown went from the hot seat to being touted for an extension and raise. In a matter of 12 seconds, those hopes went up in smoke.
Following the Houston debacle, Brown tried to spin that the Mounties did not lose the game on one play (the game-ending Hail Mary). In theory, he is correct. But perception is reality. Fans, donors, and recruits will only remember the disastrous ending.
West Virginia is a geographic outpost in the Big 12. Its fans are passionate, and WVU has a surprisingly good NIL program. But the state is not a fertile recruiting ground. Since 2008, the Mounties have had two 10-win seasons, with the last one in 2016. West Virginia has not been nationally relevant since 2007, when coach Rich Rodriguez had them one win away from the national championship game.
Perhaps all is not lost for Brown. The remaining 2023 West Virginia schedule shows Oklahoma State, at UCF, BYU, at Oklahoma, Cincinnati, and at Baylor. Only Oklahoma is an almost certain loss. BYU could be tough. But the rest of the games are winnable.
Brown needs two more wins to gain a bowl at 6-6. The more above .500 he climbs, the better the odds that he can live to fight another year. But one wonders if West Virginia can recover from the Houston catastrophe.
