2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Big East co–champion Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 70–33 vs. Clemson
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 18
AP	No. 17
Record	10–3 (5–2 Big East)
Head coach	Dana Holgorsen
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Jeff Casteel
Base defense	3–3–5
Captains	Geno Smith Don Barclay Najee Goode Keith Tandy
Home stadium	Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium (Capacity: 60,000)
Seasons ←  2010 2012  →

2011 Big East Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 17 West Virginia $+		5	–	2					10	–	3
No. 25 Cincinnati +		5	–	2					10	–	3
Louisville +		5	–	2					7	–	6
Rutgers		4	–	3					9	–	4
Pittsburgh		4	–	3					6	–	7
Connecticut		3	–	4					5	–	7
South Florida		1	–	6					5	–	7
Syracuse		1	–	6					5	–	7
$ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions As of January 11, 2012 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big East Conference. The Mountaineers were led by Dana Holgorsen, who was in his first season as head coach. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season 10–3, 5–2 in Big East play to earn a share of the Big East Conference championship with Cincinnati and Louisville. The Mountaineers, in their final season in the Big East before moving to the Big 12 the following season, earned the league's automatic berth in the BCS due to being the highest ranked of the Big East champions in the final BCS rankings. They were invited to the Orange Bowl for the first time ever where they defeated Clemson 70–33. This was the third victory for West Virginia in three BCS games played in the BCS era (having won BCS bowls in 2006 and 2008), while the 70 points in the Orange Bowl set a record for most points scored in a bowl game (which was matched by Army in 2018).

Previous season

The 2010 West Virginia Mountaineers finished the season at 9–4 with a 5–2 record in Big East play. They shared the 2010 Big East Football Championship with Pittsburgh and Connecticut, with Connecticut earning the Big East BCS bid by way of tie-breaker. The Mountaineers were invited to the Champs Sports Bowl where they were defeated by North Carolina State 23–7.

Pre-season

Coaching changes

On December 16, 2010, West Virginia University announced the hiring of former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. Holgorsen replaces Jeff Mullen as offensive coordinator and will take over as the Mountaineers head coach in 2012. ^[1]

On January 5, 2011, the Mountaineers announced the hiring of three offensive coaches; Robert Gillespie (Running Backs), Bill Bedenbaugh (Offensive Line), and Shannon Dawson (Inside-Receivers). ^[2]

On March 10, 2011, it was announced that lone offensive staff holdover Lonnie Galloway (Outside-Receivers) has left West Virginia to take a coaching job at Wake Forest. ^[3]

On March 28, 2011, West Virginia University announced the hiring of Daron Roberts as an assistant coach. Roberts will be working with wide receivers and special teams. ^[4]

On June 10, 2011, West Virginia University announced that Bill Stewart had resigned as head coach and that Dana Holgorsen would assume the position effective immediately. ^[5] Holgorsen has stated he will serve as his own offensive coordinator but that he was unsure who would fill the extra spot on the coaching staff. ^[6]

On July 8, 2011, Head Coach Dana Holgorsen hired Alex Hammond as recruiting coordinator. ^[7]

The Mountaineers have retained the entire 2010 defensive coaching staff for the 2011 season.

Key losses

• Noel Devine – RB
• Jock Sanders – WR
• Eric jobe – OL
• Scooter berry – DT
• Chris neild – DT
• Pat lazear – LB
• J.T. Thomas – LB
• Anthony leonard – LB
• Brandon Hogan – CB
• Robert sands – S
• Benji Powers- DB

2011 recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2011 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Brian Athey QB	Eden Prairie, MN	Eden Prairie Sr.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.8	Jul 11, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 73
Jared Barber MLB	Mocksville, NC	Davie County	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.65	Jul 28, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 76
Ben Bradley DT	Norcross, GA	Norcross	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	5.2	Sep 8, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 75
Isaiah Bruce MLB	Riverview, Duval County, Florida	Providence Christian	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.6	Jan 11, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 77
Andrew Buie RB	Jacksonville, FL	Trinity Christian	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.45	Jan 23, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 78
Dante Campbell WR	Clermont, FL	East Ridge	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.5	Jul 27, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 78
Terrell Chestnut DB	Pottstown, PA	Pottsgrove	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	4.5	Jan 23, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 78
Cody Clay TE	Charleston, WV	George Washington	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	4.85	Jun 20, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 75
Joshua Francis OLB	Scranton, PA	Lackawanna CC	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.55	Dec 7, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: –
Dustin Garrison RB	Pearland, TX	Pearland	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	4.5	Jan 16, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 76
Russell Haughton-James OL	Plantation, FL	American Heritage	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	5.0	Jan 19, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 74
Brandon Jackson OL	Lakewood, OH	St. Edward	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	320 lb (150 kg)	5.3	Jan 16, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 68
Justin Johnson OL	Parkersburg, WV	Parkersburg	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	288 lb (131 kg)	5.3	Sep 4, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 77
Nick Kwiatkoski DB	Bethel Park, PA	Bethel Park	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.5	Jul 28, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 76
Marquis Lucas OL	Miami, FL	Miami Central	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	310 lb (140 kg)	–	Feb 2, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 75
Paul Millard QB	Flower Mound, TX	Flower Mound	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.75	Jan 10, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 74
Kenneth Myers WR	Jacksonville, FL	First Coast	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.55	Oct 9, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 77
Shaquille Petteway LB	Steubenville, OH	Steubenville	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.5	Oct 9, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 75
Vance Roberts DB	Washington, DC	Dunbar	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.56	Jul 1, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 78
Vernard Roberts RB	Washington, DC	Dunbar	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.6	Jul 1, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 75
Kyle Rose DE	Centerville, OH	Centerville	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	4.8	Jul 6, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 77
Shaq Rowell DT	Council Bluffs, IA	Iowa Western CC	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	308 lb (140 kg)	5.4	Dec 27, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: –
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 53   Rivals: 46
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "West Virginia 2011 Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 3, 2011. "2011 West Virginia Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 3, 2011. "2011 Player Commitments – West Virginia". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 3, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 3, 2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 3, 2011.

Spring Game

The 2011 Gold-Blue Spring Game took place on Friday, April 29, 2011, at 7 p.m. at Mountaineer Field. Over 22,000 fans attended to see the Gold team defeat the Blue team 83–17. The game was televised statewide on West Virginia Media stations.

Polls

The Mountaineers were picked to win the Big East Conference by the media at conference media day, picking up 21 out of 24 first place votes. ^[8]

Coaching staff

2011 Coaching Staff
	Head coach Head coach/offensive coordinator – Dana Holgorsen Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Jake Spavital Running backs – Robert Gillespie Inside receivers – Shannon Dawson Wide receivers/special teams – Daron Roberts Offensive line – Bill Bedenbaugh			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Jeff Casteel Defensive line – Bill Kirelawich Defensive backs – David Lockwood Safeties – Steve Dunlap Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Mike Joseph Assistant strength coach – Mark Smith Assistant strength coach – Kevin McCadam

Roster

2011 West Virginia Mountaineers
Quarterbacks 14 Paul Millard – freshman 12 Geno Smith – junior Running backs 20 Shawne Alston – junior 32 Ryan Clarke – RS junior 34 Daquan Hargrett – RS sophomore 21 Trey Johnson – sophomore 41 Ricky Kovatch – senior 38 Matt Lindamood – RS junior 40 Nate Majnaric – RS freshman 30 Pete Miller – RS junior 28 Eric Rollman – RS sophomore 14 Chris Snook – RS Sophomore' Wide receivers 1 Tavon Austin – junior 3 Stedman Bailey – RS sophomore 23 Dustin Brown – RS freshman 83 Jack Crossin – RS sophomore 84 Andrew Goldbaugh – RS junior 5 Ivan McCartney – sophomore 83 Willie Milhouse – RS senior 80 Ryan Nehlen – RS junior 91 Soraya Alsien-Ogbebar – RS senior 86 Reggie Rembert – RS junior 11 Vernard Roberts – freshman 33 Thomas Sims – RS freshman 2 Brad Starks – RS senior 89 Tyler Urban – senior 15 Coley White – RS junior 81 J.D. Woods – RS junior		Offensive Lineman 70 Blaise Arbogast – RS sophomore 64 Don Barclay – RS senior 60 John Bassler – RS junior 72 Cole Bowers – RS sophomore 57 Jeff Braun -RS Junior 70 Mike Calicchio – RS freshman 76 Pat Eger – RS sophomore 77 Josh Jenkins – senior 79 Nick Kindler – RS sophomore 74 Joe Madsen – RS junior 55 Tyler Rader – RS senior 65 Chad Snodgrass – RS senior 67 Quinton Spain – RS freshman Defensive line 95 Curtis Feight – RS sophomore 78 C.J. Huffman – RS senior 97 Julian Miller – RS senior 62 Donovan Pearson – RS junior 76 Ted Rietschlin – RS freshman 94 Josh Taylor – RS senior 99 Jorge Wright – RS junior Defensive end 98 Will Clarke – RS sophomore 87 Trevor Demko – RS freshman 11 Bruce Irvin – senior 91 J.B. Lageman – RS junior		Linebackers 53 Tyler Anderson – RS sophomore 33 Jared Barber – freshman 54 Hunter Bittner – RS junior 32 Steve Bohon – RS freshman 51 Josh Contraguerro – RS junior 30 Josh Francis – junior 49 Troy Gloster – RS freshman 52 Najee Goode – RS senior 42 Donovan Miles – RS junior 50 Taige Redman – RS sophomore 47 Doug Rigg – sophomore 13 Jewone Snow – RS freshman 43 Casey Vance – RS senior Defensive backs 20 Ishmael Banks – RS freshman 26 Travis Bell – sophomore 18 Brantwon Bowser – RS senior 39 Nick Cadwell – RS junior 25 Darwin Cook – RS sophomore 33 Michael Dorsey – sophomore 3 Qudral Forte – RS freshman 28 Terence Garvin – junior 17 Lucas Henn – RS freshman 23 Brodrick Jenkins – RS sophomore 14 Cecil Level – RS junior 6 Pat Miller – junior 22 Vance Roberts – freshman 35 Lawrence Smith – RS junior 24 Eain Smith – RS senior 8 Keith Tandy – RS senior 16 Wes Tonkery – RS freshman 15 Anthony Vecchio – RS freshman 4 Avery Williams – freshman		Special teams 40 Tyler Bitancurt – RS Junior (K) 69 Jerry Cooper – RS freshman (LS) 46 Trent Lusk – RS junior (LS) 41 Michael Molinari – RS freshman (K) 87 Cody Nutter – RS senior (LS) 44 Corey Smith – RS junior (P) Key – Currently Injured – Current redshirt I* – Ineligible

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	3:30 p.m.	Marshall *	No. 19	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (Friends of Coal Bowl)	ESPN	W 34–13	60,758 [9]
September 10	1:00 p.m.	Norfolk State *	No. 19	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	Big East Network	W 55–12	51,911 [10]
September 17	Noon	at Maryland *	No. 18	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD (rivalry)	ESPNU	W 37–31	53,627 [11]
September 24	8:00 p.m.	No. 2 LSU *	No. 16	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (Gold Rush) (College GameDay)	ABC	L 21–47	62,056 [12]
October 1	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green *	No. 22	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	ESPN+	W 55–10	46,603 [13]
October 8	Noon	Connecticut	No. 16	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	Big East Network	W 43–16	56,179 [14]
October 21	8:00 p.m.	at Syracuse	No. 15	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY (rivalry)	ESPN	L 23–49	45,265 [15]
October 29	3:30 p.m.	at Rutgers	No. 25	High Point Solutions Stadium Piscataway, NJ	ABC	W 41–31	47,303 [16]
November 5	Noon	Louisville	No. 24	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	Big East Network	L 35–38	57,287 [17]
November 12	Noon	at No. 23 Cincinnati		Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, OH	ABC/ESPN3	W 24–21	48,152 [18]
November 25	7:00 p.m.	Pittsburgh		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)	ESPN	W 21–20	60,932 [19]
December 1	8:00 p.m.	at South Florida	No. 23	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPN	W 30–27	41,743 [20]
January 4, 2012	8:30 p.m.	vs. No. 15 Clemson *	No. 23	Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl) (College GameDay)	ESPN	W 70–33	67,563 [21]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and BCS Standings after October 16 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Marshall

1 2 3 4 Total Thundering Herd 7 3 3 0 13 •#19 Mountaineers 3 17 7 7 34 Date: September 4, 2011 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 3:30 pm EDT Game attendance: 60,758 TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore & Rod Gilmore

Further information: Friends of Coal Bowl

See also: 2011 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 10–0

Recap: WVU picked up the win in a game that was delayed a total of 4 hours, 22 minutes and called with 14:36 left in the 4th quarter. ^[9] Following a 3rd quarter Tavon Austin kickoff return for a touchdown that gave the Mountaineers a 27–13 lead with five minutes to play in the third quarter, the game experienced a lightning delay that lasted 3 hours, 6 minutes. Once resuming play a Vernard Roberts one-yard touchdown run extended the WVU lead to 34–13 early in the fourth quarter, after which the game was once again delayed for lightning. It was ultimately agreed to by both teams to end the game. Geno Smith lead the game for WVU going 26–35 for 246 yards and two touchdowns. ^[22]

Norfolk State

1 2 3 4 Total Spartans 3 9 0 0 12 •#19 Mountaineers 0 10 28 17 55 Date: September 10, 2011 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 1:00 pm EDT Game attendance: 51,911 TV announcers (ESPN+): Rob King & John Thornton

See also: 2011 Norfolk State Spartans football team

Series Lead: First meeting.

Recap: The Mountaineers overcame a sluggish first half exploding for 45 second half points and ending the game with 533 yards of total offense. Geno Smith went 20–34 for 371 yards and 4 TDs passing. As a team WVU passed for 431 yards, the most since 1998.

Maryland

1 2 3 4 Total •#18 Mountaineers 14 13 7 3 37 Terrapins 3 7 13 8 31 Date: September 17, 2011 Location: Byrd Stadium College Park, MD Game start: Noon EDT Elapsed time: 3:28 Game attendance: 53,627 Game weather: Cloudy Referee: Dennis Hennigan TV announcers (ESPNU): Rob Stone & Danny Kanell

See also: Maryland–West Virginia football rivalry and 2011 Maryland Terrapins football team

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 25–21–2

Recap: The Mountaineers got off to a fast start, building a 27–10 halftime lead behind the arm of junior quarterback Geno Smith and rushing touchdowns from freshmen Vernard Roberts and Andrew Buie. The lead was built to 24, 34–10, in the third quarter on a Smith connection to high school teammate Stedman Bailey. Maryland scored 21 unanswered points to bring the game to within 3 points, 34–31, before the Mountaineers added another field goal to build their lead to 6, 37–31. The Terrapins drove down the field in an attempt to take the lead, but quarterback Danny O'Brien was intercepted by Eain Smith with 1:13 remaining in the game to seal it for the Mountaineers. ^[23]

LSU

1 2 3 4 Total •#2 Tigers 13 14 7 13 47 #16 Mountaineers 0 7 14 0 21 Date: September 24, 2011 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 8:00 pm EDT Game attendance: 62,056 TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger & Kirk Herbstreit

See also: 2011 LSU Tigers football team

West Virginia on offense in the first half.

Series Lead: LSU leads 2–0

ESPN's College GameDay broadcast from Morgantown for the first time. ^[24]

Recap: Despite outgaining the Tigers 533–366, West Virginia was unable to overcome poor tackling and special teams play. The Mountaineers also committed four turnovers. West Virginia's Geno Smith set school records for completions (38), attempts (65) and passing yards (463) against LSU's highly regarded defense.

Bowling Green

1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 10 0 0 0 10 •#22 Mountaineers 17 21 10 7 55 Date: October 1, 2011 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 3:30 pm EDT Game attendance: 46,603 TV announcers (ESPN+): Rob King & John Thornton

See also: 2011 Bowling Green Falcons football team

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 2–0

Recap: West Virginia put together its most complete game of the season as the running game that had struggled in past weeks exploded to the tune of 360. True freshman Dustin Garrison set a school record for most rushing yards by a freshman with 291, good enough for a tie for the second most total in school history. WVU's 643 yards of total offense were a Mountaineer Field record.

Connecticut

1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 3 6 0 7 16 •#16 Mountaineers 3 7 23 10 43 Date: October 8, 2011 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: Noon EDT Game attendance: 56,179 Television network: ESPN+

See also: 2011 Connecticut Huskies football team

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 6–1

Recap:

Syracuse

1 2 3 4 Total #11 Mountaineers 3 6 7 7 23 •Orange 7 14 14 14 49 Date: October 21, 2011 Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Game start: 8:00 pm EDT Game attendance: 45,265 [15] Television network: ESPN

See also: Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy and 2011 Syracuse Orange football team

Series Lead: Syracuse leads 31–27

Recap:

Rutgers

1 2 3 4 Total •#25 Mountaineers 14 7 7 13 41 Scarlet Knights 17 14 0 0 31 Date: October 29, 2011 Location: High Point Solutions Stadium Piscataway, NJ Game start: 3:30 pm EDT Game attendance: 47,303 Game weather: Snow Television network: ABC

See also: 2011 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 33–4–2

Recap: Geno Smith threw two second-half touchdowns to help West Virginia (6–2, 2–1 Big East) post its 17th straight win over Rutgers. WVU trailed 31–21 at the halftime, fighting both the Scarlet Knights offense, and harsh weather conditions. The Mountaineer defense allowed a season-high 31 points in the first half, but shutout Rutgers in the second. The Mountaineers won their first conference road game of the season, and became bowl-eligible in the process. Smith finished 20–33 for 218 yards, and two touchdowns, while Shawne Alston ran for a career-high 110 yards and two scores on 14 carries ^[25]

Louisville

1 2 3 4 Total •Cardinals 14 7 3 14 38 #24 Mountaineers 7 14 0 14 35 Date: November 5, 2011 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: Noon EDT Game attendance: 57,287 Television network: ESPN+

See also: 2011 Louisville Cardinals football team

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 10–2

Recap:

Cincinnati

1 2 3 4 Total •Mountaineers 7 10 0 7 24 #23 Bearcats 7 0 7 7 21 Date: November 12, 2011 Location: Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, OH Game start: Noon EST Game attendance: 48,152 Television network: ABC/ESPN3

See also: 2011 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 15–3–1

Recap:West Virginia blocked a game-tying field goal attempt as time expired to secure the win over the #23 ranked Bearcats, WVU's first road win over a team ranked in the AP Top 25 since their last win in Cincinnati during the 2007 season.

Pittsburgh

1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 14 3 3 0 20 •Mountaineers 0 7 7 7 21 Date: November 25, 2011 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 7:00 pm EST Game attendance: 60,932 Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary 1 9:05 PITT Zach Brown 1-yard run (Kevin Harper kick) PITT 7-0 1 2:14 PITT Isaac Bennett 6-yard run (Kevin Harper kick) PITT 14-0 2 7:31 WVU Steadman Bailey 63-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) PITT 14-7 2 2:53 PITT Kevin Harper 30-yard field goal PITT 17-7 3 11:29 PITT Kevin Harper 27-yard field goal PITT 20-7 3 8:59 WVU Shawne Alston 8-yard run (Tyler Bitancourt kick) PITT 20-14 4 6:10 WVU Shawne Alston 1-yard run (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 21-20

See also: Backyard Brawl and 2011 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Series Lead: Pitt leads 61–40–3

Recap:

South Florida

1 2 3 4 Total •#22 Mountaineers 0 13 7 10 30 Bulls 0 7 6 14 27 Date: December 1, 2011 Location: Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL Game start: 8:00 pm EST Game attendance: 41,743 Television network: ESPN

See also: 2011 South Florida Bulls football team

Series Lead: Series even at 3–3

Recap:

Orange Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total •#23 Mountaineers 14 35 14 7 70 #14 Tigers 17 3 6 7 33 Date: January 4 Location: Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, FL Game start: 8:30 pm EST Game attendance: 67,563 TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski and Lisa Salters

Scoring summary 1 9:33 CLEM Andre Ellington 68-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 7-0 1 6:54 WVU Shawne Alston 4-yard run (Tyler Bitancourt kick) Tied 7-7 1 4:38 CLEM Sammy Watkins 27-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 14-7 1 2:49 WVU Tavon Austin 8-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) Tied 14-14 1 0:45 CLEM Chandler Catanzaro 42-yard field goal CLEM 17-14 2 13:25 WVU Tavon Austin 27-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 21-17 2 10:28 WVU Darwin Cook 99-yard fumble return (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 28-17 2 4:49 CLEM Chandler Catanzaro 43-yard field goal WVU 28-20 2 2:29 WVU Geno Smith 7-yard run (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 35-20 2 1:13 WVU Tavon Austin 3-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 42-20 2 0:04 WVU Shawne Alston 1-yard run (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 49-20 3 12:35 WVU Stedman Bailey 6-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 56-20 3 9:18 WVU Tavon Austin 37-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 63-20 3 1:37 CLEM DeAndre Hopkins 28-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (pass failed) WVU 63-26 4 6:21 WVU Willie Milhouse 7-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 70-26 4 1:01 CLEM Roderick McDowell 4-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) WVU 70-33

Main article: 2012 Orange Bowl

See also: 2011 Clemson Tigers football team

Series Lead: Series tied 1–1

Recap: Geno Smith tied a record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes, including four to Tavon Austin, and No. 23 West Virginia set a bowl scoring record by beating No. 14 Clemson 70–33 on Wednesday in the Orange Bowl. Darwin Cook's 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown was one of the Mountaineers' five TDs in the second quarter, including three in the final 2:29 for a 49–20 lead. It was the highest-scoring half by a team in a bowl game. Austin's four TD receptions tied a record for any bowl game, and Smith broke Tom Brady's Orange Bowl record with 407 yards passing. West Virginia's point total broke the bowl record established six nights earlier when Baylor beat Washington 67–56 in the Alamo Bowl. ^{[26] [27]}

Rankings

See also: 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	24	19	18	16	22	16	13	11	25	24	RV	RV	RV	22	23	17
Coaches	RV	24	20	16	23	19	16	14	24	21	RV	23	23	20	22	18
Harris	Not released						16	14	23	22	RV	22	24	21	22	Not released
BCS	Not released							15	25	24	—	—	—	23	23	Not released

References

1. Dunlap, Colin (December 14, 2010). "Holgorsen to Become WVU Head Coach in 2012". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved September 10, 2011.
2. "WVU Hires 3 Offensive Assistants". USA Today . January 5, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
3. Bennett, Brian (March 10, 2011). "West Virginia Loses Receivers Coach". ESPN . Retrieved September 17, 2011.
4. "Roberts Joins Grid Staff". West Virginia University Department of Athletics. March 28, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
5. Cullen, Garrett (June 10, 2011). "A New Era". West Virginia MetroNews . Retrieved September 17, 2011.
6. Adelson, Andrea (June 10, 2011). "Comments from Luck, Holgorsen". ESPN . Retrieved September 17, 2011.
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