American college football season
The 1989 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 97th overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his tenth year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eight wins, three losses and one tie (8–3–1 overall), and earned a Gator Bowl berth against No. 14 Clemson, where they were defeated 27–7.
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 2 | Ball State | No. 17 | | W 35–10 | 57,866 | [1] |
September 9 | at Maryland | No. 17 | | W 14–10 | 45,000 | [2] |
September 16 | South Carolina | No. 12 | - Mountaineer Field
- Morgantown, WV
| W 45–21 | 66,015 | [3] |
September 23 | at Louisville | No. 9 | | W 30–21 | 39,132 | [4] |
September 30 | No. 10 Pittsburgh | No. 9 | | T 31–31 | 68,938 | [5] |
October 7 | Virginia Tech | No. 9 | - Mountaineer Field
- Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
| L 10–12 | 62,563 | [6] |
October 21 | Cincinnati | No. 18 | - Mountaineer Field
- Morgantown, WV
| W 69–3 | 47,176 | [7] |
October 28 | at Boston College | No. 15 | | W 44–30 | 32,000 | [8] |
November 4 | at No. 16 Penn State | No. 13 | | L 9–19 | 85,911 | [9] |
November 11 | Rutgers | No. 19 | - Mountaineer Field
- Morgantown, WV
| W 21–20 | 61,336 | [10] |
November 23 | at Syracuse | No. 17 | | W 24–17 | 46,757 | [11] |
December 30 | vs. No. 14 Clemson* | No. 17 | | L 7–27 | 82,911 | [12] |
- *Non-conference game
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
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[13]
Season summary
Coming off of its first ever 11-win season and with junior Major Harris returning to lead a potent offense, West Virginia entered the 1989 season ranked 17th in the AP Poll and with high expectations. The Mountaineers started the season accordingly, racing to a 4–0 record and to #9 in the AP Poll. In Week 5 against #10 Pitt, however, West Virginia fell victim to another memorable collapse in the Backyard Brawl. Trailing 31–9 in the 4th quarter, Pitt scored 22 unanswered points and kicked a game-tying field goal as time expired to force a 31–31 tie.[14] The Mountaineers would suffer another heartbreaking result the following week with a 12–10 home loss to Virginia Tech, as well as a 19–9 loss to #16 Penn State in State College. Despite those disappointing defeats, WVU finished the regular season at 8–2–1, a #17 ranking in the AP Poll, and a trip to the Gator Bowl to face #14 Clemson. The Mountaineers faltered, however, losing 27–7 and finished the season at 8–3–1 with a #21 ranking in the final AP Poll.[15]
Roster
1989 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster |
Players | Coaches |
Offense Pos. | # | Name | Class | WR | 88 | Reggie Rembert | Sr | WR | 2 | Greg Dykes | Sr | QB | 9 | Major Harris | Jr | WR | 11 | Wes Jackson | Jr | WR | 15 | James Jett | Fr | WR | 16 | David Miers | Sr | QB | 16 | Chris Gray | So | QB | 17 | James Breitbeil | So | FB | 20 | Craig Taylor | Sr | FB | 36 | Aaron Evans | Jr | RB | 33 | Eugene Napoleon | Sr | OT | 72 | Jack Linn | Sr | G | 74 | Larry Cook | Jr | | Defense | Special teams | - Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
- Injured
- Redshirt
|
Statistical leaders
All stats are courtesy of WVUStats.com unless otherwise cited.[16]
- Major Harris - 142/245, 2,058 yards, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions
- Major Harris - 155 carries, 936 yards, 6.0 average per carry, six touchdowns
- Garrett Ford, Jr. - 148 carries, 733 yards, 5.0 average per carry, six touchdowns
- Reggie Rembert - 47 receptions, 850 yards, 11 touchdowns
- Preston Waters - 7 interceptions
References
- ^ "Credibility; Second half 'reality' beats BSU". The Muncie Star. September 3, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Offense stalls as Terp upset bid fails". The Sunday Star. September 10, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "W. Virginia runs USC awry 45–21". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. September 17, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Big plays put Mountaineers over the top of Cardinals". Messenger-Inquirer. September 24, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pitt rallies from 22 back to tie". Wisconsin State Journal. October 1, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Virginia Tech gets a giant kick out of Thomas' 4 FGs". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 8, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Harris, Mountaineers end slump, rip Bearcats 69–3". The Palm Beach Post. October 22, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "West Virginia gets a scare in 44–30 win". The Pittsburgh Press. October 29, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lions jump on Major mistakes". The Times Leader. November 5, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WVU's 21–20 win deflates Rutgers". The Pittsburgh Press. November 12, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "West Virginia slips past Syracuse". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 24, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Clemson harasses Harris in coasting to Gator Bowl victory". The Orlando Sentinel. December 31, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1989 West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ Antonik, John; Scuillo, Sam (December 1, 2007). "Tales from the Backyard Brawl". MSN Sportsnet (West Virginia University Athletics). Archived from the original on December 4, 2007. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ DeVault, Mark. "WVU 1989 Schedule". WVU Stats (West Virginia University Athletics). Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ DeVault, Mark. "WVU 1989 Statistics". WVU Stats (West Virginia University Athletics). Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
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