1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Fiesta Bowl, L 21–34 vs. Notre Dame
Conference Independent
Ranking
Coaches No. 5
AP No. 5
1988 record 11–1
Head coach Don Nehlen (9th season)
Offensive scheme Option
Home stadium Mountaineer Field
(Capacity: 63,500)
1988 Division I-A independents football records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 1 Notre Dame   –  –   12 –0 –0
No. 2 Miami (FL)   –  –   11 –1 –0
No. 3 Florida State   –  –   11 –1 –0
No. 5 West Virginia   –  –   11 –1 –0
Southern Miss   –  –   10 –2 –0
No. 13 Syracuse   –  –   10 –2 –0
Army   –  –   9 –3 –0
Louisville   –  –   8 –3 –0
South Carolina   –  –   8 –4 –0
Northern Illinois   –  –   7 –4 –0
Pittsburgh   –  –   6 –5 –0
Memphis State   –  –   6 –5 –0
Southwest Louisiana   –  –   6 –5 –0
Rutgers   –  –   5 –6 –0
Akron   –  –   5 –6 –0
Penn State   –  –   5 –6 –0
Tulane   –  –   5 –6 –0
Louisiana Tech   –  –   4 –7 –0
Temple   –  –   4 –7 –0
Tulsa   –  –   4 –7 –0
Boston College   –  –   3 –8 –0
Cincinnati   –  –   3 –8 –0
East Carolina   –  –   3 –8 –0
Navy   –  –   3 –8 –0
Virginia Tech   –  –   3 –8 –0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 96th overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his ninth year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eleven wins and one loss (11–1 overall), and a loss against No. 1 Notre Dame in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 3 1:00 PM Bowling Green No. 16 Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV W 62–14   53,515
September 10 1:00 PM Cal State Fullerton No. 12 Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV W 45–10   54,169
September 17 12:00 PM Maryland No. 12 Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Rivalry) JP Sports W 55–24   60,188
September 24 12:00 PM at No. 16 Pittsburgh No. 11 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl) JP Sports W 31–10   55,978
October 1 1:00 PM at Virginia Tech No. 7 Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, VA (Black Diamond Trophy) W 22–10   50,231
October 8 2:00 PM at East Carolina No. 7 Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC W 30–10   33,786
October 22 1:00 PM Boston College No. 6 Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV W 59–19   63,145
October 29 2:30 PM Penn State No. 7 Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Rivalry) CBS W 51–30   66,811
November 5 1:30 PM at Cincinnati No. 4 Riverfront Stadium • Cincinnati,OH W 51–13   21,511
November 12 1:00 PM at Rutgers No. 4 Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ W 35–25   32,517
November 19 6:00 PM No. 14 Syracuse No. 4 Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy) ESPN W 31–9   65,127
January 2 5:00 PM vs. No. 1 Notre Dame No. 3 Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl) NBC L 21–34   74,911
daggerHomecoming.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final 
AP 16 16 12 12 11 7 7 6 6 7 4 (2) 4 (1) 4 4 (2) 3 (2) 3 (3) 5 
Coaches RV RV 13 11 10 6 6 5 5 6 4 (2) 4 (2) 4 (2) 4 (2) 3 (4) 3 (3) 5

[2]

1988 season

The 1987 season was the beginning of Major Harris as the starting quarterback for West Virginia. Only a redshirt-freshman, Harris led the Mountaineers to a Sun Bowl berth, after a 1–3 start.

The '88 season opened with coach Don Nehlen's alma mater, Bowling Green. The win marked the beginning of the run, winning 62–14. West Virginia beat their next opponent, Cal-Fullerton, 45–10. West Virginia's first challenge was against the Maryland Terrapins. West Virginia got behind the Terps 14–0, but pulled away at halftime, winning 55–24.

West Virginia's next game was at the Pittsburgh Panthers. The game was a defensive struggle, until runningback A.B. Brown, a Pitt transfer, ran a draw for 64-yards and the score. Scoring 14-points in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers broke away. In the 1988 Backyard Brawl, West Virginia was installed as a one-point underdog by the odds makers. The Mountaineers rolled to a 31–10 victory over Pitt on the way to their first undefeated, untied regular season in school history.[3] West Virginia then traveled to rival Virginia Tech, and won 22–10, even though they produced four fumbles in the game. The next two games, a win at East Carolina, and a 59-point win at Boston College, gave West Virginia a 7–0 record.

Next, the late October matchup vs Penn State at Mountaineer Field is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in Mountaineer football history. Before a nationwide CBS audience, the Mountaineers were up 34–8 before the half. On a draw play, runningback Undra Johnson ran 55 yards for the touchdown to end the half. The game also included a touchdown run by Major Harris, which is remembered in West Virginia lore as "The Run".

The next game was at the Cincinnati Bearcats, where the Mountaineers started slow in the first half. Receiver Reggie Rembert scored three times, and the Mountaineers won by scoring 24 points in the third quarter. The Mountaineers traveled to Giants Stadium to play Rutgers, who had beat Penn St., Boston College, and Michigan State. The Mountaineers played poor, but came out with the win.

The final regular season game of the season was at home, against the Syracuse Orangemen. The Orangemen were 8–2, while the Mountaineers were 10–0. The highlight of the game was a 49-yard interception by Willie Edwards that was taken for a touchdown. The Mountaineers won 31–9, and took a famous lap around the stadium to entertain the 65,000 fans in Morgantown.

National championship

West Virginia traveled to the Fiesta Bowl to play the only other undefeated team in the NCAA, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Free-safety Darrell Whitmore was out for the Mountaineers, but Nehlen moved star Bo Orlando from strong safety to free to fill the hole. Nehlen recalled the move as "our first mistake...". "Another mistake I made is that I let the media overrun us."

West Virginia's offense was doomed from the third play of the game. Major Harris separated his shoulder on the third play when he was slammed to the ground by Irish Linebacker Michael Stonebreaker. He couldn't throw well for the rest of the game. Linemen John Stroia and Bob Kovach were injured for the Mountaineers in that game as well. Notre Dame completely dominated the game. West Virginia only made one serious threat. Willie Edwards (Now coaching at Morgantown High School * class of 1984) picked off a Tony Rice pass in the 3rd quarter. ND led by 13 points at the time. A Harris incompletion and two ND sacks took WVU out of field goal range, and the threat was over. ND opened up a 21-point lead before a late WVU touchdown made the score respectable. WVU lost 34–21, it was their first loss of the season for the national championship.

Game summaries

Bowling Green

Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting
Bowling Green vs. West Virginia – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
Bowling Green (0–1) 0 7 0714
#16 West Virginia (1–0) 24 17 71462

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: September 3, 1988
  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 53,515
  • TV: MSN
  • WVUStats
Game information

Cal State Fullerton

Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting
Cal State Fullerton vs. West Virginia – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
Cal State Fullerton (0–2) 0 0 01010
#12 West Virginia (2–0) 3 21 14745

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: September 10, 1988
  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 54,169
  • TV: MSN
  • WVUStats
Game information

Maryland

Overall record Last meeting Result
10–14–2 1987 UM, 25–20
Maryland vs. West Virginia – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
Maryland (1–1) 14 7 3024
#12 West Virginia (3–0) 7 17 102155

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

Game information

at Pittsburgh

Overall record Last meeting Result
19–52–2 1987 PITT, 6–3
West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
#11 West Virginia (4–0) 10 0 71431
#16 Pittsburgh (2–1) 0 7 3010

at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA

Game information

at Virginia Tech

Overall record Last meeting Result
22–11–1 1987 WVU, 28–16
West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
#7 West Virginia (5–0) 9 3 3722
Virginia Tech (1–4) 0 3 7010

at Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA

  • Date: October 1, 1988
  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 50,231
  • TV: MSN
  • WVUStats.com
Game information

at East Carolina

Overall record Last meeting Result
6–0 1987 WVU, 49–0
West Virginia vs. East Carolina – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
#7 West Virginia (6–0) 10 7 6730
East Carolina (1–5) 0 10 0010

at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC

  • Date: October 8, 1988
  • Game time: 2:00 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 33,786
  • TV: MSN
  • WVUStats.com
Game information

Boston College

Overall record Last meeting Result
10–6 1987 WVU, 37–16
Boston College vs. West Virginia – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
Boston College (2–5) 9 3 7019
#6 West Virginia (7–0) 7 17 142159

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: October 22, 1988
  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 63,145
  • TV: MSN
  • WVUStats
Game information

Penn State

Overall record Last meeting Result
8–44–2 1987 PSU, 25–21
Penn State vs. West Virginia – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
Penn State (4–4) 0 8 61630
#7 West Virginia (8–0) 14 27 01051

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

Game information

at Cincinnati

Overall record Last meeting Result
7–0–1 1987 WVU, 45–17
West Virginia vs. Cincinnati – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
#4 West Virginia (9–0) 14 10 24351
Cincinnati (2–7) 6 7 0013

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

  • Date: November 5, 1988
  • Game time: 1:30 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 21,511
  • TV: MSN
  • WVUStats.com
Game information

at Rutgers

Overall record Last meeting Result
11–2–2 1987 WVU, 37–13
West Virginia vs. Rutgers – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
#4 West Virginia (10–0) 7 14 7735
Rutgers (4–6) 7 3 31225

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

  • Date: November 12, 1988
  • Game time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 32,517
  • TV: MSN
  • WVUStats.com
Game information

Syracuse

Overall record Last meeting Result
14–22 1987 SU, 32–31
Syracuse vs. West Virginia – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
Syracuse (9–2) 0 3 069
#4 West Virginia (11–0) 7 7 71031

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

Game information

Notre Dame - Sunkist Fiesta Bowl

Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting
West Virginia vs. Notre Dame – Game Summary
1 2 34Total
#3 West Virginia (11–1) 0 6 7821
#1 Notre Dame (12–0) 9 14 3834

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ

Game information

Roster

West Virginia's '88 team was highlighted with an explosive offense, led by Major Harris. Harris, only a sophomore, threw an exceptional deep ball in addition to his remarkable scrambling ability. Running backs A.B. Brown, Undra Johnson, Eugene Napoleon, and Craig Taylor at fullback highlighted the run game. The runners were led by Rick Phillips and Brian Smider on the offensive line, along with Stroia and Kovach, while Kevin Koken led the line at center. Early in the season, Keith Winn was moved from receiver to tight end, providing help to the run game, but was more famous as a deep-pass threat. The receivers catching the balls from Harris were led by Reggie Rembert, who was accompanied by Calvin Phillips and Grantis Bell.

Coach Don Nehlen credited West Virginia's '88 team's defense as being the main factor to their success. The linebacking core included Renaldo Turnbull, Chris Haering, Steve Grant, Dale Jackson, Theron Ellis, and Robert Pickett. Mike Fox and Chris Parker headed the defensive line, along with Chris Haering. The secondary was one of the best in West Virginia history, led by Bo Orlando and Darrell Whitmore. Orlando had a good pro career with the Houston Oilers and Pittsburgh Steelers, while Darrell went pro in baseball. Willie Edwards played corner along with Alvoid Mays, who went pro as well, and Lawrence Drumgoole and David Lockwood played solid backup corner.

Don Nehlen was the head coach while being assisted by assistant head coach, wide receivers coach, and recruiting coordinator Doc Holliday.

Honors

Player Honors
Major Harris ECAC Player of the Year
Finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy Race
All-American
all-ECAC
Renaldo Turnbull all-Big East
all-ECAC

References

  1. ↑ "WVU 1988 Schedule". The West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  2. ↑ "West Virginia 1988 AP Football Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  3. ↑ no longer valid link
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