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1989 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

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Ranking
APNo. 21
1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Miami (FL)   –   11 – 1 – 0
No. 2 Notre Dame   –   12 – 1 – 0
No. 3 Florida State   –   10 – 2 – 0
Northern Illinois   –   9 – 2 – 0
No. 15 Penn State   –   8 – 3 – 1
No. 17 Pittsburgh   –   8 – 3 – 1
No. 21 West Virginia   –   8 – 3 – 1
Syracuse   –   8 – 4 – 0
Southwestern Louisiana   –   7 – 4 – 0
Akron   –   6 – 4 – 1
South Carolina   –   6 – 4 – 1
Virginia Tech   –   6 – 4 – 1
Louisiana Tech   –   5 – 4 – 1
Army   –   6 – 5 – 0
Louisville   –   6 – 5 – 0
East Carolina   –   5 – 5 – 1
Tulsa   –   6 – 6 – 0
Southern Miss   –   5 – 6 – 0
Tulane   –   4 – 8 – 0
Navy   –   3 – 8 – 0
Rutgers   –   2 – 7 – 2
Boston College   –   2 – 9 – 0
Memphis State   –   2 – 9 – 0
Cincinnati   –   1 – 9 – 1
Temple   –   1 – 10 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

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

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendance
September 2Ball State*No. 17
W 35–1057,866[1]
September 9at Maryland*No. 17
W 14–1045,000[1]
September 16South Carolina*No. 12
W 45–2166,015[1]
September 23at Louisville*No. 9
W 30–2139,132[1]
September 30No. 10 Pitt*No. 9
T 31–3168,938[1]
October 7Virginia Tech*No. 9
L 10–1262,563[1]
October 21Cincinnati*No. 18
W 69–347,176[1]
October 28at Boston College*No. 15
W 44–3032,000[1]
November 4at No. 16 Penn State*No. 13
L 9–1985,911[1]
November 11Rutgers*No. 19
W 21–2061,336[1]
November 24at Syracuse*No. 17
W 24–1746,757[1]
December 30vs. No. 14 Clemson*No. 17
L 7–2782,911[1]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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.[2] 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.[3]

Statistical leaders

All stats are courtesy of WVUStats.com unless otherwise cited.[4]

  • Passing:
Major Harris - 142/245, 2,058 yards, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions
  • Rushing:
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
  • Receiving:
Reggie Rembert - 47 receptions, 850 yards, 11 touchdowns
  • Interceptions:
Preston Waters - 7 interceptions

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l DeVault, Mark. "WVU 1989 Schedule". WVU Stats (West Virginia University Athletics). Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved January 12, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Antonik, John; Scuillo, Sam (December 1, 2007). "Tales from the Backyard Brawl". MSN Sportsnet (West Virginia University Athletics). Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  3. ^ DeVault, Mark. "WVU 1989 Schedule". WVU Stats (West Virginia University Athletics). Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved January 13, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ DeVault, Mark. "WVU 1989 Statistics". WVU Stats (West Virginia University Athletics). Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved January 17, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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