1989 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

Last updated

1989 West Virginia Mountaineers football
West Virginia Mountaineers logo.svg
Gator Bowl, L 7–27 vs. Clemson
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 21
Record8–3–1
Head coach
Offensive scheme Option
Home stadium Mountaineer Field
Seasons
←  1988
1990  →
1989 Major eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 15 Penn State $ 6 –0 –08 –3 –1
No. 17 Pittsburgh 4 –1 –18 –3 –1
No. 21 West Virginia 3 –1 –18 –3 –1
Syracuse 3 –3 –08 –4 –0
Temple 1 –4 –01 –10 –0
Rutgers 1 –5 –02 –7 –2
Boston College 1 –5 –02 –9 –0
Rankings from AP Poll
1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW 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.

Contents

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendance
September 2 Ball State *No. 17
W 35–1057,866 [1]
September 9at Maryland *No. 17
W 14–1045,000 [1]
September 16 South Carolina *No. 12
W 45–2166,015 [1]
September 23at Louisville *No. 9
W 30–2139,132 [1]
September 30No. 10 Pittsburgh *No. 9
T 31–3168,938 [1]
October 7 Virginia Tech *No. 9
L 10–1262,563 [1]
October 21 Cincinnati *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 11 Rutgers *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]

Roster

1989 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 88 Reggie Rembert Sr
WR 2Greg DykesSr
QB 9Major HarrisJr
WR 11Wes JacksonJr
WR 15 James Jett Fr
WR 16David MiersSr
QB 16Chris GraySo
QB 17James BreitbeilSo
FB 20Craig TaylorSr
FB 36Aaron EvansJr
RB 33Eugene NapoleonSr
OT 72Jack LinnSr
G 74Larry CookJr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DB 11Darrell WhitmoreSo
DT 61 Mike Fox Sr
DE 87 Renaldo Turnbull Sr
LB 49Chris HaeringSr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Statistical leaders

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

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

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DeVault, Mark. "WVU 1989 Schedule". WVU Stats (West Virginia University Athletics). Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ DeVault, Mark. "WVU 1989 Schedule". WVU Stats (West Virginia University Athletics). Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ 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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