You couldn't ask for a better finish to a football game than what fans were treated to at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday.
The West Virginia Mountaineers and Cincinnati Bearcats were tied 42-42 late in the fourth quarter, when the Mountaineers forced a Cincinnati punt. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, the ball ended up on their own 1-yard line. But luckily, they had the offensive firepower needed for a successful two-minute drill.
The Mountaineers would end up taking the ball down the field into the redzone, with Michael Hawkins Jr. connecting with Prince Strachan on two massive pass plays to put the ball into safe field goal range. From there, the Mountaineers handed the game over to kicker Jack Cassidy, who nailed a walk-off game-winner to give West Virginia a 45-42 victory, their first in league play this season.
West Virginia walks it off to beat the Bearcats‼️
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) October 17, 2026
📺 TNT x @Big12Conference pic.twitter.com/kilGrVfiFj
West Virginia puts on exciting performance to end losing streak
The vibes were not great in Morgantown entering Saturday's game. West Virginia had lost three consecutive games, and were winless in Big 12 action. And while things were far from perfect on Saturday, the losing streak and lack of victories in league play are two problems that can now be put to rest for Rich Rodriguez's sqaud.
The offense was unsurprisingly the star of the show, putting on an absolutely thrilling performance against Cincinnati, despite their normally deadly run game being stifled a bit by the Bearcats.
Hawkins Jr. was the driving force, going 25-for-33 for 464 yards and three touchdowns through the air while also adding 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns with his legs and one of his best performances yet for West Virginia. Now, the Mountaineers will hope to carry that momentum on the road to TCU next week.
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