Houston completes 25-point comeback, goes for 2 to beat Pitt in bowl
The Cougars’ 25-point comeback was the biggest of any FBS game this season.
With six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Houston trailed by 21 points. Three touchdowns, two successful onside kick attempts and one two-point conversion later, the Cougars completed the third 20-point comeback of the season to beat Pitt, 35-34, in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday afternoon.
It is the third 20-point comeback this season, following Baylor’s 61-58 regular season win over TCU and Michigan State’s 42-41 Cotton Bowl win vs. Baylor on Thursday.
After Pitt scored at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Houston trailed, 31-6, entering its first drive of the period. The Cougars drove 86 yards in nine plays, punctuating the drive with Kenneth Farrow’s second rushing touchdown of the game. The Panthers responded with a field goal to make it 34-13 with 6:14 left.
That’s when the comeback sped into overdrive. Houston moved 83 yards in 2:33, scoring on Greg Ward’s 8-yard touchdown toss to Deontay Greenberry. They then recovered the onside kick, moving 52 yards in 1:43 and scoring on Ward’s 29-yard pass to Demarcus Ayers. After another recovered onside kick, Houston took 59 seconds to move 57 yards, with Ward finding Greenberry for another touchdown. The Cougars naturally decided to go for two to take the lead, and Ward found Greenberry once more for the winning score.
Epic postgame interview by Houston's Deeontay Greenberry: "For some reason they left me open...which was stupid of them, so..."
— Daniel Bramlette (@DannyBrams) January 2, 2015 Pitt was unable to score on its final drive of the game, giving Houston the win.
Houston just completed the largest comeback off the season and the third largest bowl comeback ever pic.twitter.com/EW2r9jWhMe
— Underdog Dynasty (@underdogdynasty) January 2, 2015 Houston’s passing offense had struggled entering the fourth quarter, with most of the Cougars’ yardage being gained on the ground with Farrow. All four of Greenberry’s receptions came in the fourth quarter, and they couldn’t have arrived at bigger moments for the Cougars.
Both teams had interim coaches at the helm, with their new head coaches winning bowl games as coordinators with Big Ten teams Thursday. New Houston head coach Tom Herman helped lead Ohio State to a Sugar Bowl victory vs. Alabama, while new Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi helped guide Michigan State to a Cotton Bowl win vs. Baylor.
See More:
