There were ten seconds left in the half, Greg Ward Jr. had just completed a first down pass down to the two yard line and Houston didn't have any timeouts. It seemed like an obvious spike situation to stop the clock and get a new play call.
The ESPN crew even said that they were going to spike the ball. SMU probably did too.
But instead, arguably the fastest ball carrier in the nation ran a speed option sweep to the left and got into the end zone untouched, extending the lead to 28-14 to go into the locker room at halftime.
After the game, even Cougars head coach Tom Herman admitted that it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do at the time.
"In hindsight, the smart thing to do would have been to clock it and try a couple of shots into the end zone," Herman told reporters after the game. "If you don’t get them in then you at least get a touchdown. But it worked out for us. We’re an aggressive outfit on offense.
"When those situations arise you don’t necessarily go with your gut because the smart thing would have been to clock the ball. But it felt like we were running Greg on the perimeter really well and it paid off.”
That's one of the things that makes Ward so special: his tremendous playmaking ability makes it easy on his coaches. Even if they don't call the perfect play or make the correct strategic decision, Ward can bail them out in dramatic fashion.
Ward finished the game against SMU with four rushing scores. The week before, in a convincing 38-24 victory over a talented Tulsa team, he hit pay dirt three times.
Watch Houston play a game, and what immediately jumps out is his gamechanging speed. On several occasions Thursday night, an SMU defender had an angle or it looked like Ward was bottled up, but he managed to either evade or just outrun the would-be tackler.
Through five games - all of which the Cougars have won - Ward has racked up over 1,300 passing yards and eight touchdowns to go along with 554 rushing yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns.
What makes that production even more phenomenal is that Ward does not have a quarterbacking background. Halfway through last season, he was still playing wide receiver for the Cougars. He took over the signal-caller duties toward the end of last year, impressed everybody with his legs and has remained the starter since Herman took over the reins.
And not only has he remained the starter, he has thrived in Herman's offense. Like he showed throughout his career as offensive coordinator at Ohio State, Herman's system puts quarterbacks in situations where they can succeed, and Ward has been no different.
What Ward lacks in experience, he more than makes up in speed, elusiveness and throwing accuracy.
His 72.3 completion percentage is the fourth-highest in college football, and he ranks ninth in passing yards per attempt and eighth in ESPN's passer efficiency.
He is the only player in the country to average at least 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards per game.
"A ton. Holy smokes," says Herman when asked how much Ward, who has thrown only one interception so far in 2015, has developed as a quarterback. "The kid is turning into a quarterback right before our eyes. Like I said last week, he’s just scratching the surface right now."
If he really is just scratching the surface, watch out college football. He has been a monster through the air and especially on the ground. Oh, and he has led Houston to a 5-0 start.
He is a faster version of former Northern Illinois quarterback and Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch. A more accurate passer and quicker runner than Tim Tebow, who won college football's most coveted award in 2007.
Think mentioning Ward and the Heisman trophy is out of the question at this juncture? Think again.
In Fox Sports' Howard Mandel's most recent Heisman top-five leaderboard, Ward makes the cut at number five, behind studs Leonard Fournette, Trevone Boykin, Myles Garrett and Nick Chubb.
If you've never heard of the 5-11, 180-pound junior from Tyler, shame on you. No, but seriously, look him up. Get to know him. He has a bright future in front of him.
Ultimately, Ward has made Herman's transition to being a head coach an incredibly smooth undertaking. Because sometimes, when you're coaching a special talent like Ward, the best call is the one where you simply tell your speedy quarterback to go make a play.
College football world, acquaint yourself with Greg Ward Jr. He is an absolute treat to watch. Don't be surprised if his Cougars find themselves in a New Years Bowl Game. If they can find a way to run the tables and win their conference, that's not out of the question.
And, at the rate that Ward is going, neither is the Heisman trophy.