1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

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.

1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Fiesta Bowl, L 21–34 vs. Notre Dame
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5
APNo. 5
1988 record11–1
Head coachDon Nehlen (9th season)
Offensive schemeOption
Home stadiumMountaineer Field
(Capacity: 63,500)
1988 NCAA 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
Southwestern 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

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 31:00 p.m.Bowling GreenNo. 16
W 62–1453,515
September 101:00 p.m.Cal State FullertonNo. 12
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
W 45–1054,169
September 17NoonMarylandNo. 12
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
JP SportsW 55–2460,188
September 24Noonat No. 16 PittsburghNo. 11
JP SportsW 31–1055,978
October 11:00 p.m.at Virginia TechNo. 7
W 22–1050,231
October 82:00 p.m.at East CarolinaNo. 7
W 30–1033,786
October 221:00 p.m.Boston CollegeNo. 6
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
W 59–1963,145
October 292:30 p.m.Penn StateNo. 7
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
CBSW 51–3066,811
November 51:30 p.m.at CincinnatiNo. 4
W 51–1321,511
November 121:00 p.m.at RutgersNo. 4
W 35–2532,517
November 196:00 p.m.No. 14 SyracuseNo. 4
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV (Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy)
ESPNW 31–965,127
January 25:00 p.m.vs. No. 1 Notre DameNo. 3
NBCL 21–3474,911

Rankings
Further information: 1988 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = 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. The WVU coaches also abandoned their plans to run a lot of option football out of fear of further injuring Harris. Linemen John Stroia and Bob Kovach were injured for the Mountaineers in that game as well. NG Jim Gray would also suffer an early injury in the game. 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.

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.

1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR Reggie Rembert Jr
WR 1 Grantis Bell Sr
WR 2 Greg Dykes Jr
QB 9 Major Harris So
WR 11 Wes Jackson So
WR 15 Jamie LeMon Sr
WR 16 David Miers Jr
QB 16 Chris Gray Fr
QB 17 James Breitbeil Fr
FB 20 Craig Taylor Sr
FB 36 Aaron Evans So
RB 37 Jim Pastorkovich Jr
G 74 Larry Cook So
G 75 John Stroia Sr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DB 14 Jay Darr So
DB 22 Bo Orlando Sr
DT 61 Mike Fox Jr
DE 87 Renaldo Turnbull Jr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 8 Charlie Baumann Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Game summaries

vs. Bowling Green
See also: 1988 Bowling Green Falcons football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
First Meeting
Bowling Green Falcons at No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 0714
No. 16 Mountaineers 24 17 71462

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: September 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: 9 MPH
  • Game attendance: 53,515
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaBowling Green
First downs2521
Total yards541267
Rushing yards36761
Passing yards174206
Turnovers12
Time of possession29:4130:19

vs. Cal State Fullerton
See also: 1988 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
First Meeting
Cal State Fullerton Titans at No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Titans 0 0 01010
No. 12 Mountaineers 3 21 14745

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: September 10
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 7 MPH
  • Game attendance: 54,196
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaCal State Fullerton
First downs239
Total yards514175
Rushing yards226119
Passing yards18856
Turnovers22
Time of possession30:4529:15

vs. Maryland
See also: 1988 Maryland Terrapins football team and Maryland–West Virginia football rivalry
Overall record Last meeting Result
10–13–2 1987 UM, 25–20
Maryland Terrapins at No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Terrapins 14 7 3024
No. 12 Mountaineers 7 17 102155

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: September 17
  • Game time: Noon
  • Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Light rain and fog • Wind: 5 MPH
  • Game attendance: 60,188
  • TV announcers (JP Sports): Steve Martin (play-by-play), Bob Casciola (color commentator)
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaMaryland
First downs2814
Total yards540287
Rushing yards347188
Passing yards19399
Turnovers34
Time of possession31:3628:24

at Pittsburgh
See also: 1988 Pittsburgh Panthers football team and Backyard Brawl
Overall record Last meeting Result
19–52–2 1987 PITT, 6–3
No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers at No. 16 Pittsburgh Panthers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 11 Mountaineers 10 0 71431
No. 16 Panthers 0 7 3010

at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA

  • Date: September 24
  • Game time: Noon
  • Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: 10-15 MPH
  • Game attendance: 55,978
  • TV announcers (JP Sports): Steve Martin (play-by-play), Bob Casciola (color commentator)
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaPittsburgh
First downs1916
Total yards322257
Rushing yards26181
Passing yards61176
Turnovers13
Time of possession27:0332:57

at Virginia Tech
See also: 1988 Virginia Tech Hokies football team and Black Diamond Trophy
Overall record Last meeting Result
22–10–1 1987 WVU, 28–16
No. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers at Virginia Tech Hokies – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 7 Mountaineers 9 3 3722
Hokies 0 3 7010

at Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA

  • Date: October 1
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny, clear • Wind: 5 MPH
  • Game attendance: 50,231
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaVirginia Tech
First downs228
Total yards518194
Rushing yards313107
Passing yards20587
Turnovers16
Time of possession33:3326:27

at East Carolina
Overall record Last meeting Result
6–0 1987 WVU, 49–0
No. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers at East Carolina Pirates – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 7 Mountaineers 10 7 6730
Pirates 0 10 0010

at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC

  • Date: October 8
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Sunny and cool • Wind: 10 MPH
  • Game attendance: 33,786
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaEast Carolina
First downs2118
Total yards390310
Rushing yards264127
Passing yards126187
Turnovers32
Time of possession27:4932:11

vs. Boston College
See also: 1988 Boston College Eagles football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
10–6 1987 WVU, 37–16
Boston College Eagles at No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Eagles 9 3 7019
No. 6 Mountaineers 7 17 142159

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: October 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C) • Weather: Cloudy, rainy • Wind: 15 MPH
  • Game attendance: 63,145
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaBoston College
First downs2924
Total yards575363
Rushing yards254164
Passing yards321199
Turnovers32
Time of possession28:2331:37

vs. Penn State
See also: 1988 Penn State Nittany Lions football team and Penn State–West Virginia football rivalry
Overall record Last meeting Result
8–44–2 1987 PSU, 25–21
Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Nittany Lions 0 8 61630
No. 7 Mountaineers 14 27 01051

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: October 29
  • Game time: 2:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 49 °F (9 °C) • Weather: Sunny and pleasant • Wind: 10 MPH
  • Game attendance: 66,811
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brent Musburger (play-by-play), Pat Haden (color commentator) and John Dockery (sideline reporter)
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaPenn State
First downs2525
Total yards563393
Rushing yards322200
Passing yards241193
Turnovers03
Time of possession29:2630:34

at Cincinnati
See also: 1988 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
7–0–1 1987 WVU, 45–17
No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers at Cincinnati Bearcats – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 4 Mountaineers 14 10 24351
Bearcats 6 7 0013

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

  • Date: November 5
  • Game time: 1:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 49 °F (9 °C) • Weather: wet, threat of rain • Wind: 15 MPH
  • Game attendance: 21,511
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaCincinnati
First downs2320
Total yards498304
Rushing yards269205
Passing yards22999
Turnovers24
Time of possession28:0931:51

at Rutgers
See also: 1988 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
11–2–2 1987 WVU, 37–13
No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 4 Mountaineers 7 14 7735
Scarlet Knights 7 3 31225

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

  • Date: November 12
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 47 °F (8 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 6 MPH
  • Game attendance: 32,517
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaRutgers
First downs2216
Total yards423284
Rushing yards29387
Passing yards130197
Turnovers14
Time of possession29:2830:32

vs. Syracuse
See also: 1988 Syracuse Orangemen football team and Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy
Overall record Last meeting Result
14–21 1987 SU, 32–31
No. 14 Syracuse Orangemen at No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 14 Orangemen 0 3 069
No. 4 Mountaineers 7 7 71031

at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

  • Date: November 19
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 49 °F (9 °C) • Weather: Rainy • Wind: no wind
  • Game attendance: 65,127
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Denny Schreiner (play-by-play), Stan White (color commentator), John Snyder (sideline reporter)
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaSyracuse
First downs2419
Total yards426316
Rushing yards312189
Passing yards114127
Turnovers16
Time of possession32:0827:52

vs. Notre Dame (Sunkist Fiesta Bowl)
See also: 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and 1989 Fiesta Bowl
Overall record Last meeting Result
First Meeting
Sunkist Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 3 Mountaineers 0 6 7821
No. 1 Fighting Irish 9 14 3834

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ

  • Date: January 2
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Cloudy, light rain • Wind: 5 MPH
  • Game attendance: 74,911
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play-by-play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator), Reggie Rucker (sideline reporter)
  • Source:
Game information

Statistics

StatisticsWest VirginiaNotre Dame
First downs1919
Total yards282455
Rushing yards108242
Passing yards174213
Turnovers11
Time of possession23:1736:43

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
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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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