# 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

The 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 96th overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his ninth year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eleven wins and one loss (11–1 overall), with the lone loss coming against No. 1 Notre Dame in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | No. 16 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV | | W 62–14 | 53,515 |
| September 10 | 1:00 p.m. | Cal State Fullerton | No. 12 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV | | W 45–10 | 54,169 |
| September 17 | 12:00 p.m. | Maryland | No. 12 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (rivalry) | JP Sports | W 55–24 | 60,188 |
| September 24 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 16 Pittsburgh | No. 11 | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl) | JP Sports | W 31–10 | 55,978 |
| October 1 | 1:00 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | No. 7 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (rivalry) | | W 22–10 | 50,231 |
| October 8 | 2:00 p.m. | at East Carolina | No. 7 | Ficklen Memorial StadiumGreenville, NC | | W 30–10 | 33,786 |
| October 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Boston College | No. 6 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV | | W 59–19 | 63,145 |
| October 29 | 2:30 p.m. | Penn State | No. 7 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (rivalry) | CBS | W 51–30 | 66,811 |
| November 5 | 1:30 p.m. | at Cincinnati | No. 4 | Riverfront StadiumCincinnati, OH | | W 51–13 | 21,511 |
| November 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Rutgers | No. 4 | Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, NJ | | W 35–25 | 32,517 |
| November 19 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 14 Syracuse | No. 4 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (rivalry) | ESPN | W 31–9 | 65,127 |
| January 2 | 5:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Notre Dame | No. 3 | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl) | NBC | L 21–34 | 74,911 |
| HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | 16 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 4 (2) | 4 (1) | 4 | 4 (2) | 3 (2) | 3 (3) | 5 |
| Coaches | RV | RV | 13 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 (2) | 4 (2) | 4 (2) | 4 (2) | 3 (4) | 3 (3) | 5 |

## 1988 season

The 1987 season was the beginning of Major Harris as the starting quarterback for West Virginia. Only a redshirt-freshman, Harris led the Mountaineers to a Sun Bowl berth, after a 1–3 start.
The '88 season opened with coach Don Nehlen's alma mater, Bowling Green. The win marked the beginning of the run, winning 62–14. West Virginia beat their next opponent, Cal-Fullerton, 45–10. West Virginia's first challenge was against the Maryland Terrapins. West Virginia got behind the Terps 14–0, but pulled away at halftime, winning 55–24.
West Virginia's next game was at the Pittsburgh Panthers. The game was a defensive struggle, until running back A.B. Brown, a Pitt transfer, ran a draw for 64-yards and the score. Scoring 14-points in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers broke away. In the 1988 Backyard Brawl, West Virginia was installed as a one-point underdog by the odds makers. The Mountaineers rolled to a 31–10 victory over Pitt on the way to their first undefeated, untied regular season in school history. West Virginia then traveled to rival Virginia Tech, and won 22–10, even though they produced four fumbles in the game. The next two games, a win at East Carolina, and a 59-point win at Boston College, gave West Virginia a 7–0 record.
Next, the late October matchup vs Penn State at Mountaineer Field is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in Mountaineer football history. Before a nationwide CBS audience, the Mountaineers were up 34–8 before the half. On a draw play, runningback Undra Johnson ran 55 yards for the touchdown to end the half. The game also included a touchdown run by Major Harris, which is remembered in West Virginia lore as "The Run".
The next game was at the Cincinnati Bearcats, where the Mountaineers started slow in the first half. Receiver Reggie Rembert scored three times, and the Mountaineers won by scoring 24 points in the third quarter. The Mountaineers traveled to Giants Stadium to play Rutgers, who had beat Penn St., Boston College, and Michigan State. The Mountaineers played poor, but came out with the win.
The final regular season game of the season was at home, against the Syracuse Orangemen. The Orangemen were 8–2, while the Mountaineers were 10–0. The highlight of the game was a 49-yard interception by Willie Edwards that was taken for a touchdown. The Mountaineers won 31–9, and took a famous lap around the stadium to entertain the 65,000 fans in Morgantown.

### National championship

West Virginia traveled to the Fiesta Bowl to play the only other undefeated team in the NCAA, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Free-safety Darrell Whitmore was out for the Mountaineers, but Nehlen moved star Bo Orlando from strong safety to free to fill the hole. Nehlen recalled the move as "our first mistake...". "Another mistake I made is that I let the media overrun us."
West Virginia's offense was doomed from the third play of the game. Major Harris separated his shoulder on the third play when he was slammed to the ground by Irish Linebacker Michael Stonebreaker. He couldn't throw well for the rest of the game. The WVU coaches also abandoned their plans to run a lot of option football out of fear of further injuring Harris. Linemen John Stroia and Bob Kovach were injured for the Mountaineers in that game as well. NG Jim Gray would also suffer an early injury in the game. Notre Dame completely dominated the game. West Virginia only made one serious threat. Willie Edwards picked off a Tony Rice pass in the 3rd quarter. ND led by 13 points at the time. A Harris incompletion and two ND sacks took WVU out of field goal range, and the threat was over. ND opened up a 21-point lead before a late WVU touchdown made the score respectable. WVU lost 34–21, it was their first loss of the season for the national championship.

## Game summaries
### Vs. Bowling Green

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 16 Mountaineers | 24 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 62 |
at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
* Date: September 3
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: 9 MPH
* Game attendance: 53,515
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
13:45 WVU TD - Willie Edwards 0-yard fumble return (Baumann PAT)
10:00 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 41-yard field goal
6:09 WVU TD - Anthony "A.B" Brown 4-yard run (Baumann PAT)
1:32 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 9-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Second quarter
13:40 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 6-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
6:49 WVU TD - Major Harris 5-yard run (Baumann PAT)
2:35 BGSU TD - Mike McGee 1-yard run (Zeller PAT)
1:26 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 47-yard field goal
Third quarter
6:41 WVU TD - Eugene Napoleon 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Fourth quarter
13:03 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 6-yard run (Baumann PAT)
7:32 WVU TD - Barry Browning 2-yard run (Baumann PAT)
0:06 BGSU TD - Mike McGee 1-yard run (Zeller PAT)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 6/9, 90 yards, TD
BGSU – Jett Duffey: 11/33, 128 yards, INT
Top rushers
WVU – Major Harris: 7 carries, 73 yards, 1 TD
BGSU – Mike McGee: 16 carries, 56 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
WVU – Reggie Rembert: 4 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD
BGSU – Ken Rankin: 3 receptions, 46 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Bowling Green |
| First downs | 25 | 21 |
| Total yards | 541 | 267 |
| Rushing yards | 367 | 61 |
| Passing yards | 174 | 206 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:41 | 30:19 |

### Vs. Cal State Fullerton

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| No. 12 Mountaineers | 3 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 7 MPH
* Game attendance: 54,196
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
5:52 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 28-yard field goal
Second quarter
11:33 WVU TD - Anthony "A.B" Brown 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
8:44 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
3:38 WVU TD - Anthony "A.B" Brown 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Third quarter
3:18 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
1:49 WVU TD - Calvin Phillips 37-yard pass from Greg Jones (Baumann PAT)
Fourth quarter
9:58 CSUF FG - Stan Lambert 29-yard field goal
6:16 WVU TD - Tim Williams 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
0:51 CSUF TD - John Gibbs 12-yard pass from Carlos Siragusa (Lambert PAT)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 7/11, 166 yards, INT
CSUF – Dan Speltz: 5/12, 44 yards, TD
Top rushers
WVU – Anthony "A.B." Brown: 24 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD
CSUF – Mike Pringle: 19 carries, 100 yards
Top receivers
WVU – Calvin Phillips: 5 receptions, 190 yards, TD
CSUF – Rocky Palamara: 2 receptions, 28 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Cal State Fullerton |
| First downs | 23 | 9 |
| Total yards | 514 | 175 |
| Rushing yards | 226 | 119 |
| Passing yards | 188 | 56 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:45 | 29:15 |

### Vs. Maryland

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Terrapins | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 12 Mountaineers | 7 | 17 | 10 | 21 | 55 |
at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
* Date: September 17
* Game time: Noon
* Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Light rain and fog • Wind: 5 MPH
* Game attendance: 60,188
* TV announcers (JP Sports): Steve Martin (play-by-play), Bob Casciola (color commentator)
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
14:04 UM TD - Mike Beasley 11-yard run (Plocki PAT)
10:58 UM TD - Mike Beasley 74-yard run (Plocki PAT)
3:35 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 4-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Second quarter
13:46 WVU TD - Keith Winn 20-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
9:51 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 39-yard field goal
0:49 UM TD - Neil O'Donnell 7-yard run (Plocki PAT)
0:08 WVU TD - Major Harris 3-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Third quarter
12:38 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 41-yard field goal
7:57 UM FG - Dan Plocki 45-yard field goal
2:37 WVU TD - Anthony "A.B." Brown 5-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Fourth quarter
14:40 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
9:42 WVU TD - Bo Orlando 58-yard interception return (Baumann PAT)
1:19 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 5-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 6/11, 150 yards, TD, INT
UM – Neil O'Donnell: 4/13, 71 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
WVU – Anthony "A.B." Brown: 17 carries, 89 yards, TD
UM – Mike Beasley: 7 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
WVU – Jamie LeMon: 3 receptions, 65 yards
UM – Ricky Johnson: 3 receptions, 16 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Maryland |
| First downs | 28 | 14 |
| Total yards | 540 | 287 |
| Rushing yards | 347 | 188 |
| Passing yards | 193 | 99 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 31:36 | 28:24 |

### At Pittsburgh

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 11 Mountaineers | 10 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| No. 16 Panthers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
* Date: September 24
* Game time: Noon
* Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: 10-15 MPH
* Game attendance: 55,978
* TV announcers (JP Sports): Steve Martin (play-by-play), Bob Casciola (color commentator)
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
5:20 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 33-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
2:49 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 31-yard field goal
Second quarter
8:31 PITT TD - Henry Tuten 23-yard pass from Darnell Dickerson (Kaplan PAT)
Third quarter
10:23 WVU TD - Anthony "A.B." Brown 64-yard run (Baumann PAT)
5:04 PITT FG - Scott Kaplan 34-yard field goal
Fourth quarter
14:06 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 20-yard run (Baumann PAT)
2:41 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 5/12, 61 yards, TD, INT
PITT – Darnell Dickerson: 12/25, 150 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
WVU – Anthony "A.B." Brown: 17 carries, 110 yards, TD
PITT – Adam Walker: 17 carries, 39 yards
Top receivers
WVU – Reggie Rembert: 2 receptions, 45 yards, TD
PITT – Henry Tuten: 7 receptions, 103 yards, TD :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Pittsburgh |
| First downs | 19 | 16 |
| Total yards | 322 | 257 |
| Rushing yards | 261 | 81 |
| Passing yards | 61 | 176 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 27:03 | 32:57 |

### At Virginia Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Mountaineers | 9 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 22 |
| Hokies | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny, clear • Wind: 5 MPH SW
* Game attendance: 50,231
* Referee: C.C. Dailey
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
9:49 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 8-yard run (Baumann failed)
3:00 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 19-yard field goal
Second quarter
14:20 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 37-yard field goal
7:05 VT FG - Chris Kinzer 28-yard field goal
Third quarter
11:09 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 29-yard field goal
2:29 VT TD - Jock Jones 0-yard fumble return (Kinzer PAT)
Fourth quarter
10:11 WVU TD - Anthony "A.B." Brown 5-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 12/21, 205 yards, 2 INT
VT – Will Furrer: 5/21, 39 yards, INT
Top rushers
WVU – Anthony "A.B." Brown: 23 carries, 191 yards, TD
VT – Ralph Brown: 19 carries, 73 yards
Top receivers
WVU – Jamie LeMon: 4 receptions, 51 yards
VT – Lamar Smith: 2 receptions, 2 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Virginia Tech |
| First downs | 22 | 8 |
| Total yards | 518 | 194 |
| Rushing yards | 313 | 107 |
| Passing yards | 205 | 87 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:33 | 26:27 |

### At East Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Mountaineers | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
| Pirates | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Sunny and cool • Wind: 10 MPH
* Game attendance: 33,786
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
9:31 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 49-yard field goal
2:38 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 5-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Second quarter
13:26 WVU TD - Adrian Moss 18-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
7:00 ECU FG - Robb Imperato 22-yard field goal
0:14 ECU TD - Walter Wilson 33-yard pass from Travis Hunter (Imperato PAT)
Third quarter
1:46 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 26-yard run (Baumann failed)
Fourth quarter
13:25 WVU TD - Major Harris 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 8/12, 126 yards, TD
ECU – Charlie Libretto: 8/22, 88 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
WVU – Undra Johnson: 25 carries, 167 yards, 2 TD
ECU – Tim James: 15 carries, 50 yards
Top receivers
WVU – Adrian Moss: 5 receptions, 85 yards, TD
ECU – Walter Wilson: 4 receptions, 91 yards, TD :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | East Carolina |
| First downs | 21 | 18 |
| Total yards | 390 | 310 |
| Rushing yards | 264 | 127 |
| Passing yards | 126 | 187 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:49 | 32:11 |

### Vs. Boston College

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 9 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 19 |
| No. 6 Mountaineers | 7 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 59 |
at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C) • Weather: Cloudy, rainy • Wind: 15 MPH
* Game attendance: 63,145
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
11:18 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 16-yard run (Baumann PAT)
7:38 BC FG - Brian Lowe 36-yard field goal
3:51 BC TD - Ed Toner 37-yard run (pass failed)
Second quarter
9:51 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 6-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
6:39 BC FG - Brian Lowe 32-yard field goal
2:53 WVU TD - Grantis Bell 61-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
0:08 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 28-yard field goal
Third quarter
13:30 WVU TD - Major Harris 9-yard run (Baumann PAT)
6:57 BC TD - Mike Sanders 14-yard run (Lowe PAT)
4:09 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Fourth quarter
14:29 WVU TD - Major Harris 13-yard run (Baumann PAT)
7:24 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 33-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
3:07 WVU TD - Jamie LeMon 24-yard pass from Greg Jones (Baumann PAT)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 15/21, 297 yards, 3 TD, INT
BC – Michael Power: 12/29, 155 yards, INT
Top rushers
WVU – Undra Johnson: 23 carries, 111 yards, TD
BC – Mike Sanders: 23 carries, 142 yards, TD
Top receivers
WVU – Calvin Phillips: 4 receptions, 83 yards
BC – Tom Waddle: 6 receptions, 62 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Boston College |
| First downs | 29 | 24 |
| Total yards | 575 | 363 |
| Rushing yards | 254 | 164 |
| Passing yards | 321 | 199 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:23 | 31:37 |

### Vs. Penn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Nittany Lions | 0 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 30 |
| No. 7 Mountaineers | 14 | 27 | 0 | 10 | 51 |
at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 49 °F (9 °C) • Weather: Sunny and pleasant • Wind: 10 MPH
* Game attendance: 66,811
* TV announcers (CBS): Brent Musburger (play-by-play), Pat Haden (color commentator) and John Dockery (sideline reporter)
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
13:17 WVU TD - Major Harris 26-yard run (Baumann PAT)
6:42 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 40-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
Second quarter
12:06 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 24-yard field goal
9:20 WVU TD - Calvin Phillips 49-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
6:55 PSU TD - Sam Gash 3-yard run (Davis pass good)
2:45 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 2-yard run (Baumann PAT)
1:01 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 24-yard field goal
0:03 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 55-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Third quarter
4:55 PSU TD - Sam Gash 3-yard run (Sacca pass failed)
Fourth quarter
13:13 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 39-yard field goal
7:44 PSU TD - Lance Longeran 12-yard run (Smith pass good)
2:32 WVU TD - Terry Smith 40-yard pass from Lance Longeran (Brown run good)
1:31 WVU TD - Eugene Napoleon 69-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 12/20, 230 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Lance Longeran: 6/9, 129 yards, TD
Top rushers
WVU – Undra Johnson: 13 carries, 105 yards, TD
PSU – Gary Brown: 19 carries, 76 yards
Top receivers
WVU – Calvin Phillips: 4 receptions, 114 yards, TD
PSU – Terry Smith: 4 receptions, 84 yards, TD :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Penn State |
| First downs | 25 | 25 |
| Total yards | 563 | 393 |
| Rushing yards | 322 | 200 |
| Passing yards | 241 | 193 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 29:26 | 30:34 |

### At Cincinnati

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Mountaineers | 14 | 10 | 24 | 3 | 51 |
| Bearcats | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 49 °F (9 °C) • Weather: wet, threat of rain • Wind: 15 MPH
* Game attendance: 21,511
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
11:34 UC FG - Phil Insalaco 36-yard field goal
8:36 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 14-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
6:12 WVU TD - Grantis Bell 40-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
0:37 WVU FG - Phil Insalaco 25-yard field goal
Second quarter
11:23 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 42-yard field goal
7:33 UC TD - Leonard Cry 16-yard pass from Don Hoog (Insalaco PAT)
0:42 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 68-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
Third quarter
13:45 WVU TD - Anthony "A.B." Brown 41-yard run (Baumann PAT)
6:45 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 51-yard run (Baumann PAT)
4:45 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 35-yard field goal
2:46 WVU TD - Jamie LeMon 15-yard pass from Greg Jones (Baumann PAT)
Fourth quarter
3:05 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 27-yard field goal
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 6/13, 180 yards, 3 TD, INT
UC – Don Hoog: 11/25, 96 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
WVU – Anthony "A.B." Brown: 15 carries, 70 yards, TD
UC – Al McKinney: 26 carries, 116 yards
Top receivers
WVU – Calvin Phillips: 3 receptions, 77 yards
UC – Roosevelt Mukes: 3 receptions, 39 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Cincinnati |
| First downs | 23 | 20 |
| Total yards | 498 | 304 |
| Rushing yards | 269 | 205 |
| Passing yards | 229 | 99 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 28:09 | 31:51 |

### At Rutgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Mountaineers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 25 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 47 °F (8 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 6 MPH
* Game attendance: 32,517
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
13:56 WVU TD - Darrell Whitmore 34-yard interception return (Baumann PAT)
13:43 RU TD - Ron Allen 92-yard kickoff return (Sclafani PAT)
Second quarter
7:06 RU FG - Carmen Sclafani 35-yard field goal
6:10 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 48-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
1:31 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 2-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Third quarter
9:03 RU FG - Carmen Sclafani 40-yard field goal
4:40 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Fourth quarter
13:09 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 18-yard run (Baumann PAT)
7:33 RU TD - Michael Botti 2-yard run (Tarver run failed)
0:35 RU TD - Vince Hall 3-yard pass from Tom Tarver (Tarver pass failed)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 7/14, 130 yards, TD
RU – Tom Tarver: 9/12, 131 yards, TD
Top rushers
WVU – Anthony "A.B." Brown: 22 carries, 111 yards
RU – Michael Botti: 23 carries, 75 yards, TD
Top receivers
WVU – Calvin Phillips: 2 receptions, 29 yards
RU – Michael Botti: 3 receptions, 18 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Rutgers |
| First downs | 22 | 16 |
| Total yards | 423 | 284 |
| Rushing yards | 293 | 87 |
| Passing yards | 130 | 197 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 29:28 | 30:32 |

### Vs. Syracuse

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Orangemen | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| No. 4 Mountaineers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
* Date: November 19
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 49 °F (9 °C) • Weather: Rainy • Wind: no wind
* Game attendance: 65,127
* TV announcers (ESPN): Denny Schreiner (play-by-play), Stan White (color commentator), John Snyder (sideline reporter)
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
8:52 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 3-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Second quarter
7:56 SU FG - Kevin Greene 43-yard field goal
1:07 WVU TD - Craig Taylor 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
Third quarter
8:34 WVU TD - Willie Edwards 49-yard interception return (Baumann PAT)
Fourth quarter
10:10 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 28-yard field goal
5:49 WVU TD - Undra Johnson 1-yard run (Baumann PAT)
3:41 SU TD - Robert Moore 16-yard pass from Todd Philcox (Philcox pass failed)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 8/16, 114 yards
SU – Todd Philcox: 11/22, 121 yards, TD, 4 INT
Top rushers
WVU – Anthony "A.B." Brown: 19 carries, 103 yards
SU – Daryl Johnston: 10 carries, 79 yards
Top receivers
WVU – Keith Winn: 3 receptions, 44 yards
SU – Deval Glover: 4 receptions, 51 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Syracuse |
| First downs | 24 | 19 |
| Total yards | 426 | 316 |
| Rushing yards | 312 | 189 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 127 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 6 |
| Time of possession | 32:08 | 27:52 |

### Vs. Notre Dame (Sunkist Fiesta Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Mountaineers | 0 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 21 |
| No. 1 Fighting Irish | 9 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 34 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
* Date: January 2
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Cloudy, light rain • Wind: 5 MPH
* Game attendance: 74,911
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play-by-play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator), Reggie Rucker (sideline reporter)
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
10:25 ND FG - Billy Hackett 45-yard field goal
4:34 ND TD - Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Graham rush failed)
Second quarter
9:41 ND TD - Rodney Culver 5-yard run (Ho PAT)
6:18 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 29-yard field goal
1:48 ND TD - Raghib Ismail 29-yard pass from Tony Rice (Ho PAT)
0:00 WVU FG - Charlie Baumann 31-yard field goal
Third quarter
5:34 ND FG - Reggie Ho 32-yard field goal
3:36 WVU TD - Grantis Bell 17-yard pass from Major Harris (Baumann PAT)
Fourth quarter
13:05 ND TD - Frank Jacobs 3-yard run (Rice rush good)
1:14 WVU TD - Reggie Rembert 3-yard run (Rembert pass good)
Top passers
WVU – Major Harris: 13/26, 166 yards, TD, INT
ND – Tony Rice: 7/11, 213 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
WVU – Anthony "A.B." Brown: 11 carries, 49 yards
ND – Tony Rice: 13 carries, 75 yards
Top receivers
WVU – Grantis Bell: 4 receptions, 44 yards, TD
ND – Derek Brown: 2 receptions, 70 yards :
Statistics
| Statistics | West Virginia | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 19 | 19 |
| Total yards | 282 | 455 |
| Rushing yards | 108 | 242 |
| Passing yards | 174 | 213 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:17 | 36:43 |

## Roster

West Virginia's 1988 team was highlighted with an explosive offense, led by Major Harris. Harris, only a sophomore, threw an exceptional deep ball in addition to his remarkable scrambling ability. Running backs A.B. Brown, Undra Johnson, Eugene Napoleon, and Craig Taylor at fullback highlighted the run game. The runners were led by Rick Phillips and Brian Smider on the offensive line, along with Stroia and Kovach, while Kevin Koken led the line at center. Early in the season, Keith Winn was moved from receiver to tight end, providing help to the run game, but was more famous as a deep-pass threat. The receivers catching the balls from Harris were led by Reggie Rembert, who was accompanied by Calvin Phillips and Grantis Bell.
Coach Don Nehlen credited West Virginia's '88 team's defense as being the main factor to their success. The linebacking core included Renaldo Turnbull, Chris Haering, Steve Grant, Dale Jackson, Theron Ellis, and Robert Pickett. Mike Fox and Chris Parker headed the defensive line, along with Chris Haering. The secondary was one of the best in West Virginia history, led by Bo Orlando and Darrell Whitmore. Orlando had a good pro career with the Houston Oilers and Pittsburgh Steelers, while Darrell went pro in baseball. Willie Edwards played corner along with Alvoid Mays, who went pro as well, and Lawrence Drumgoole and David Lockwood played solid backup corner.
Don Nehlen was the head coach while being assisted by assistant head coach, wide receivers coach, and recruiting coordinator Doc Holliday.

## Honors

| Player | Honors |
| Major Harris | ECAC Player of the Year Finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy Race All-American all-ECAC |
| Renaldo Turnbull | all-Big East all-ECAC |