1982 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

Schedule

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Roster

• Don Nehlen

Season recap

Jeff Hostetler was the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers, leading the team with 1916 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. Leading the team in rushing was Curlin Beck, with 357 net yards. Darrell Miller led the team in receiving with 34 receptions for 565 yards.

The first game featured the Mountaineers against No. 9 Oklahoma. Though the team was losing by two touchdowns, the Mountaineers came back to upset the Sooners in Norman, 41–27. That was followed up with a 19–18 home victory over rival Maryland. The third game against Richmond was a blowout, in which the Mountaineers won 43–10.

Their first loss of the season came to their rival Pittsburgh, in the Backyard Brawl. Despite the loss, this was a breakout game for All-American linebacker Darryl Talley. He intercepted a Dan Marino pass and blocked a punt for a safety in West Virginia's 16–13 loss to the No. 2-rated Panthers. The 1982 game was one of just five times that both teams were nationally ranked: Pitt was rated No. 2 and West Virginia was No. 14 after their upset wins over Oklahoma and Maryland.

The Mountaineers rebounded with a 20–13 win over Boston College, and future NFL quarterback Doug Flutie. WVU traveled to Blacksburg to take on rival Virginia Tech, in a game in which the Mountaineers won 16–6.

The next week, the Mountaineers hosted the number 1 team in the nation, the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State's dominance continued, and they won in a 24–0 shutout. WVU rebounded once again with a blowout of its own against East Carolina, 30–3. The Mountaineers then traveled to Philadelphia, to take on Temple, where they narrowly won, 20–17.

West Virginia closed out the season with wins over Rutgers and Syracuse. The team finished with a 9–2 record, ranking No. 10. West Virginia was invited to the 1982 Gator Bowl against Florida State in Jacksonville, which they lost 31-12. Their final rankings were No. 19 in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll.

Awards and honors

• Darryl Talley, All-America selection

References

References

1. (September 12, 1982). "Mountaineers throw it all at Sooners". The Sunday Oklahoman.
2. (September 19, 1982). "Mountaineers hold off Terps". The Roanoke Times & World-News.
3. (September 26, 1982). "WVU romps, 43–10; Pitt next". The Pittsburgh Press.
4. (October 3, 1982). "Second-ranked Pitt rallies to West Virginia 16–13". Winston-Salem Journal.
5. (October 10, 1982). "West Virginia dumps BC, 20–13". The Bradenton Herald.
6. (October 17, 1982). "Turnovers help W. Virginia slip past Virginia Tech 16–6". The Charlotte Observer.
7. (October 24, 1982). "Penn State's defense devastates W. Virginia". Democrat and Chronicle.
8. (October 31, 1982). "WVU's backup QB a pleasant surprise". The Pittsburgh Press.
9. (November 7, 1982). "West Virginia escapes with close win". The Selma Times-Journal.
10. (November 12, 1982). "Drewrey spurs W. Virginia to 44–17 lacing of Rutgers". The Courier-Post.
11. (November 21, 1982). "West Virginia gives SU the boot". The Sunday Press.
12. (December 31, 1982). "Seminoles rout Mountaineers in Gator Bowl". The Palm Beach Post.