1978 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

1978 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Conference	Independent
Record	2–9
Head coach	Frank Cignetti Sr. (3rd season)
Home stadium	Mountaineer Field
Seasons ←  1977 1979  →

1978 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
North Texas State		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
No. 7 Notre Dame		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Florida State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Temple		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
Pittsburgh		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Georgia Tech		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Hawaii		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Army		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Memphis State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulane		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Air Force		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Colgate		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Boston College		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1978 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 86th overall season and they competed as an NCAA Division I-A independent. The team was led by head coach Frank Cignetti Sr., in his third year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record 2–9.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	Richmond	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	W 14–12	36,558	[1]
September 16	at No. 3 Oklahoma	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	L 10–52	71,187	[2]
September 23	at NC State	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC	L 15–29	42,200	[3]
September 30	California	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 21–28	33,190	[4]
October 7	Syracuse	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	L 15–31	32,491	[5]
October 14	at Virginia Tech	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)	L 3–16	40,000	[6]
October 21	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	L 27–28	11,445	[7]
October 28	No. 2 Penn State	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	L 21–49	34,010	[8]
November 4	Virginia	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	W 20–17	29,291	[9]
November 11	at No. 20 Pittsburgh	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	L 7–52	53,074	[10]
November 18	at Colorado State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	L 14–50	12,782	[11]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

Roster

1978 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB Terry Bowden	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Frank Cignetti Coordinators/assistant coaches Nick Saban Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "West Virginia defeats Richmond". Austin American-Statesman. September 10, 1978. Retrieved October 28, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Sooners peak over Mountaineers". Tulsa World. September 17, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Brown paces Pack romp". Durham Sunday Herald. September 24, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Campbell keys Cal past W. Va". The Modesto Bee. October 1, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Hurley returns, Syracuse rips West Virginia 31–15". Sunday News. October 8, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "VPI downs W. Virginia". Rocky Mount Telegram. October 15, 1978. Retrieved December 15, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Temple edges West Virginia, 28–27". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 22, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Penn State rallies for 49–21 win". The Tampa Tribune. October 29, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Cavaliers too late 20–17". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 5, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Pitt attack finally erupts, crushes West Va., 52–7". The Pittsburgh Press. November 12, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "WVU clobbered again". The Roanoke Times. November 19, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "1978 West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 27, 2024.