Neal Brown Disappointed with Garrett Greene for Costly Unsportsmanlike Penalty

Houston’s crazy win over West Virginia on Thursday night gave them their first Big 12 win in school history. WVU QB Garrett Greene went from high to low after scoring the go-ahead touchdown with seconds left. Greene’s unsportsmanlike penalty helped the Cougars reach mid-field for a Hail Mary attempt.

After being down 11 in the fourth quarter, Greene led the Mountaineers down the field with just over a minute left on the clock. Greene found receiver Hudson Clement for a 50-yard touchdown on 4th & 10 to give West Virginia the lead. After the play, Greene took his helmet off in celebration, resulting in an unsportsmanlike penalty that would go towards the kickoff.

“The rule is clear, don’t take your helmet off,” said a dejected Brown after the game.

Despite 12 seconds on the clock, Houston’s Donovan Smith lobbed a Hail Mary into the end zone to give the Cougars a 41-39 win. Greene’s penalty ended up putting Houston on their own 43, which was much better positioning than expected.

HAIL MARY HOUSTON COUGARS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/blDmruBxYi

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 13, 2023

“Everyone’s going to talk about the Hail Mary play, and we did not play that well. I saw the ball in the air and said we lost,” Brown added.

Greene finished with 391 passing yards, 47 rushing yards, four total touchdowns and one interception. Greene’s penalty was his most-costly play against the Cougars and may now be all anyone remembers from the game.