Radio Call of Houston’s Game-Winning Hail Mary Is a Work of Art

Houston radio announcers Kevin Eschenfelder and Ted Pardee had a great call of the Cougars’ game-winning Hail Mary against West Virginia.

Thursday night’s game between Houston and West Virginia was a wild one.

The two teams combined to score 42 points in the fourth quarter, including a touchdown by the Mountaineers that gave them a four-point lead with just 12 seconds to play. Things were looking grim for the Cougars, but thanks to a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on West Virginia, Houston was able to get into Hail Mary range, putting the game in the hands of quarterback Donovan Smith. 

On the final play of the game, Smith desperately heaved the ball toward the goal line, where it was batted around and eventually landed in the hands of Cougars wide receiver Stephon Johnson for the winning touchdown. 

Tim Brando’s call on FS1 was great, but the best call of a dramatic college football play usually comes from the home radio crew. Here’s what it sounded like on KPRC-AM 950 in Houston with Kevin Eschenfelder on play-by-play and Ted Pardee on color commentary. 

As called on Houston Cougars radio & heard on the @varsity app: pic.twitter.com/x22bAlCmbQ

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 13, 2023

“Back to pass, Donovan Smith. Smith, steps up in the pocket, unloads it, throws it all the way downfield into the end zone,” Eschenfelder said, sounding less than hopeful that the play would work out. But then his mood changed in an instant. “Tipped, and it is … caught! Caught! Caught by the Cougars! Caught for a touchdown!”

The best part of calls such as this one is how the color commentator immediately starts yelling when the play is made. It happens every time. Pardee’s job is usually to wait for an opening to add his insight, but broadcasting rules go out the window after a miraculous play like that.