West Virginia Mountaineers football The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University ( WVU ) in the NCAA FBS division of college football . Dana Holgorsen is Mountaineers ' current head coach , the 33rd in the program ' s history , since his promotion in June 2011 in the wake of Bill Stewart ' s resignation . The Mountaineers play their home games at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown , West Virginia . While West Virginia currently participates in the Big East Conference , the University announced on October 28 , 2011 that the Mountaineers will join the Big 12 Conference as of July 1 , 2012 . This would represent an early exit from the Big East Conference , however , and litigation of the issue is ongoing . History . With a 700 – 457 – 45 record , West Virginia is the winningest Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) program to have never won a National Championship . Beginning in the 1937 - 1938 season , West Virginia was classified as a College Division school , and from 1939 – 72 as a University Division football school . From 1973 – 77 , West Virginia was classified as Division I , from 1978 – 2006 as Division I - A , and from 2006 – present as a Football Bowl Subdivision program . The Mountaineers have registered 79 winning seasons in their history , with 35 of those seasons resulting in eight victories or more and 17 seasons with nine victories or more . Of those successful campaigns , West Virginia has produced one undefeated season in its history , going 10 - 0 - 1 in 1922 . The Mountaineers have also produced five 11 - win seasons , going 11 - 1 in 1988 , 1993 and 2005 , as well as 11 - 2 in 2006 and 2007 . West Virginia ' s worst season came in 1960 when the Mountaineers produced a 0 - 8 - 2 record . Early years ( 1891 - 1920 ) . The West Virginia University football program traces its origin back to a humble beginning on November 28 , 1891 when its first team fell to Washington & Jefferson 72 - 0 on a converted cow pasture . Despite its humble beginning , West Virginia enjoyed a 25 - 23 - 3 overall record prior to 1900 , which proved to be a fruitful century of Mountaineer football . The early 1900s brought about early successes for the program , namely during the 1903 and 1905 seasons when the Mountaineers posted records of 7 - 1 and 8 - 1 respectively . The 1908 - 20 period saw the four - year head coaching tenures of C . A . Lueder ( 1908 – 11 ) and Mont McIntire ( 1916 – 17 , 1919 – 20 ) , representing the longest coaching tenures during this early period of Mountaineer football . Lueder ' s Mountaineers produced a 17 - 13 - 3 record , while McIntire ' s teams produced the most success of any Mountaineer team prior to 1921 , compiling a 24 - 11 - 4 record including a 8 - 2 finish in 1919 . That same Mountaineer team also produced West Virginia ' s first ever Consensus All - American and potential College Football Hall of Fame inductee , Ira Errett Rodgers . Rodgers scored 19 touchdowns and kicked 33 extra points for WVU in 1919 season , leading the nation with 147 total points . Rodgers also threw 11 touchdown passes that season , an unheard of feat at the time and a Mountaineer record until 1949 . First glimpses of success ( 1921 - 49 ) . The 1920s were indeed " roaring " for the Mountaineers , coinciding with the successful coaching tenures of Clarence Spears ( 1921 – 24 ) and Ira Errett Rodgers ( 1925 – 30 , 1943 – 45 ) . Under the tutelage of Spears , West Virginia compiled a 30 - 6 - 3 record with its best performance coming in the 1922 season . The 1922 edition of the Mountaineers remains the only team in West Virginia history to produce an undefeated season , finishing with a 10 - 0 - 1 mark . Spears ' s Mountaineers surrendered only 34 total points in 1922 , posting six consecutive shutouts to finish the regular season . The 1922 season also produced notable victories against rival Pitt and against Gonzaga in the East - West Bowl , the program ' s first bowl game appearance . In homage to this season , West Virginia University undertook construction of what would become the first incarnation of Mountaineer Field . The Mountaineers continued their success under Spears in posting subsequent one - loss seasons in 1923 ( 7 - 1 - 1 ) and in 1924 ( 8 - 1 ) , with Spears departing the program for Wisconsin thereafter . Following Spears was Mountaineer legend Ira Errett Rodgers , who took over the coaching reigns in 1925 . Rodgers ' s Mountaineers continued the success of previous years in posting a 8 - 1 record that season . After two seasons of lackluster performances , the program returned to its winning ways with a 8 - 2 finish in 1928 . The Mountaineers would not experience the same success until 1937 , however , when first year coach Marshall Glenn led West Virginia to a 8 - 1 - 1 record , including an upset of Texas Tech in the 1938 Sun Bowl . Running back Harry Clarke paved the way for the Mountaineers that season , rushing for a then school record 921 yards and 10 touchdowns . Much like the period between 1928 – 1937 , West Virginia would experience a lag in success , posting no more than six wins in a season until 1948 . Under the direction of head coach Dudley DeGroot in 1948 , the Mountaineers finished 9 - 3 and added another Sun Bowl victory to its resume , this time over Texas Western ( UTEP ) . Despite that successful first season , DeGroot would resign after a disappointing 4 - 6 - 1 finish in 1949 . Developing consistency ( 1950 - 69 ) . When Art " Pappy " Lewis became West Virginia ' s head coach in 1950 , he remarked that it was the job that he had always wanted . Known by his peers as an exceptional recruiter and by his players as a " father figure , " Lewis established a family - like atmosphere within the Mountaineer football program . Lewis ' s Mountaineer teams held true to form , experiencing its most consistent success during the 1950s as it ever had previously . After forgettable campaigns in 1950 and ' 51 , the 1952 season brought West Virginia its first winning season since 1948 . The Mountaineers finished with a 7 - 2 record , highlighted by a 16 - 0 upset victory of # 18 Pitt in Pittsburgh . It was this winning season that would set the tone for the halcyon days of Art Lewis ' s program . Beginning with the 1953 season , the Mountaineers would reel off three consecutive 8 - win seasons and five Southern Conference ( SoCon ) championships in six seasons . When West Virginia defeated Pitt 17 - 7 to open the 1953 season , the program was off an running . Led by three All - Americans - running back Tommy Allman , guard Gene Lamone , and center Bob Orders - the Mountaineers finished with a 8 - 2 record , its first SoCon championship , a # 10 ranking in the AP Poll , and a berth in the 1953 Sugar Bowl with Georgia Tech . The 1954 edition of the Mountaineers also finished the regular season with a 8 - 1 mark , losing its only game to Pitt by a 13 - 10 score . Despite winning its second consecutive SoCon title , and earning a # 12 ranking in the AP Poll , the Mountaineers did not earn a bowl bid . In 1955 , the Mountaineers engineered yet another 8 - win season and SoCon championship , but upset losses to Pitt and Syracuse doomed West Virginia ' s shot at a bowl bid . Despite its disappointing finish , 1955 Mountaineer team produced two All - American offensive linemen and future College Football Hall of Fame inductees in Bruce Bosley and Sam Huff , as well as a 800 - yard rusher in running back Bob Moss . Bosley earned Consensus All - American status that season , becoming the first Mountaineer to do so since Ira Errett Rodgers in 1919 . Despite finishing with a modest 6 - 4 record in 1956 , West Virginia won its fourth consecutive SoCon title with a 5 - 0 record in conference play . The 1957 season was yet another winning endeavor for Lewis and WVU , finishing with a 7 - 2 - 1 record and a 3 - 0 mark in Southern Conference play . Although the Mountaineers once again compiled an undefeated SoCon record , Mountaineers were not awarded the conference championship , as VMI earned the title with a 9 - 0 - 1 overall record and 6 - 0 record in SoCon play . As irony would have it , the 1958 season brought the Mountaineers its first losing season in eight years , but their 4 - 0 record in SoCon play earned the program its 5th conference title in six seasons . Unfortunately for Art Lewis and his Mountaineers , 1958 would be the final season that West Virginia would win a conference championship under his tenure . The Mountaineers finished with a disappointing 3 - 7 record in 1959 , Lewis ' s final season in Morgantown as he resigned thereafter . Despite the program ' s drop off in success in his final two seasons as coach , Lewis produced 58 victories overall during his tenure at West Virginia , making him the winningest coach in Mountaineer history at the time ( now 3rd overall ) . After Lewis ' s departure , the program hit an all - time low in 1960 under first - year head coach Gene Corum , posting its worst season to date : 0 - 8 - 2 . Thankfully , the Mountaineers rebounded and by 1962 were back to their winning ways , posting a 8 - 2 record and 4 - 0 conference record . Despite its undefeated conference record , once again the SoCon crown eluded the Mountaineers in favor of the VMI Keydets and their 6 - 0 record in conference play . West Virginia would not have to wait long for its next SoCon title , however , as the program won the title in the 1964 and ' 65 seasons consecutively . The 1964 season saw the Mountaineers finish 7 - 4 and participate in the Liberty Bowl against Utah , West Virginia ' s first bowl game in 11 years as well as the first major college football bowl game ever played indoors and to be broadcast nationwide in the United States . Following the 1965 season , Jim Carlen took over for Corum as head coach , guiding the Mountaineers to their 8th and final SoCon championship in 1967 . West Virginia would depart the Southern Conference thereafter , participating as an independent until 1991 . Carlen ' s Mountaineers would produce subsequent winning seasons in 1968 and ' 69 , posting records of 7 - 3 and 10 - 1 respectively . The 1969 edition of the Mountaineers was the most successful West Virginia team since the 1922 season . Not only did the Mountaineers win 10 games , but they earned their first bowl game victory since 1948 with a Peach Bowl victory over # 19 South Carolina , as well as a # 18 final ranking in the Coaches ' Poll . The ' 69 Mountaineers were led by a dynamic rushing tandem of running back Bob Gresham ( 1 , 155 yards and 9 touchdowns ) and fullback Jim Braxton ( 843 yards , 12 touchdowns ) . Braxton ' s performance remains a WVU single season record for rushing yards amongst fullbacks , while Gresham became the second Mountaineer to ever rush for more than 1 , 000 yards ( Garrett Ford , Sr . was the first with 1 , 068 yards in 1966 ) . At the conclusion of the 1969 season , Carlen departed West Virginia for Texas Tech . The Mountaineers responded by hiring Bobby Bowden , ushering in the 1970s and a new era of WVU football . The Bowden era and the Cignetti aftermath ( 1970 - 79 ) . The Bobby Bowden era of West Virginia Mountaineer football couldn ' t have begun more swimmingly in 1970 , or so it seemed . The Mountaineers were 4 - 1 to start the season and led arch rival Pitt 35 - 8 at halftime in Week 6 . What transpired was one of the most infamous collapses in Backyard Brawl and West Virginia football history . The Mountaineers surrendered 28 unanswered points , losing to the Panthers 36 - 35 and leading Bowden to remark that he had " embarrassed the whole state of West Virginia " in the process . Despite the disappointment of the Pitt defeat , West Virginia would go on to finish 8 - 3 in 1970 . The 1970 season also saw Jim Braxton and linebacker Dale Farley earn All - American honors . The Mountaineers continued their winning ways under Bowden in 1971 and ' 72 , posting records of 7 - 4 and 8 - 4 respectively . The 1972 West Virginia team earned its first trip back to a bowl game in three years , participating once again in the Peach Bowl against North Carolina State . The season also witnessed the offensive prowess of running back Kerry Marbury and wide receiver Danny Buggs . Marbury ran for 16 touchdowns in 1972 , a record that remained unbroken until 2002 . Buggs , meanwhile , was an offensive dynamo . Buggs recorded 35 receptions for 791 yards and eight touchdowns , ran for four touchdowns , and returned two punts for touchdowns to amass 14 total touchdowns . The 1973 and ' 74 seasons , however , were not kind to the Mountaineers , as they finished with lackluster records of 6 - 5 and 4 - 7 . Despite the disappointment of those seasons , Danny Buggs earned All - American status for his contributions in both campaigns . His 69 - yard punt return for a touchdown with 36 seconds remaining to beat Maryland in the 1973 season opener remains one of the greatest moments in Mountaineer history . The 1975 season , however , was very kind to West Virginia and Bobby Bowden . The Mountaineers compiled a 9 - 3 record , a 13 - 10 Peach Bowl victory over North Carolina State , and a final ranking of # 17 in the Coaches ' Poll and # 20 in the AP Poll . Additionally , the Mountaineers upset the # 20 Pitt Panthers 17 - 14 on a game - winning field goal in the dying seconds in yet another memorable chapter of the Backyard Brawl . Bowden would later describe the victory as one of the most exciting ones of his coaching career . Following the 1975 season , Bowden left WVU to become the head coach at Florida State , where he would become the second winningest coach in NCAA Division I - A / FBS history . In just six seasons with the Mountaineers Bowden produced a 42 - 26 record , good for 5th all - time in the program . Bowden ' s departure not only signaled the end of his tenure at West Virginia , but to the end of WVU ' s winning ways in the 1970s . Under the direction of Frank Cignetti , the Mountaineers endured four seasons of losing football . The 1976 season saw West Virginia finish with a 5 - 6 record , losing four of its final six games . The disappointment of 1976 was realized again the following season , as the Mountaineers posted another 5 - 6 finish in 1977 . After a promising 4 - 1 start to the season , including an upset road victory over # 11 Maryland , WVU lost five of its final six games . The program ' s futility would reach a new low in 1978 , where the Mountaineers finished 2 - 9 and were outscored 364 - 167 on the season . It was later revealed that Cignetti had suffered through the season from a rare form of cancer , nearly losing his life on the operating table during a procedure to remove his spleen in the winter of 1978 . Fortunately for Cignetti and WVU , he recovered in time for the 1979 season , his final with the program . The Mountaineers produced another 5 - 6 finish , losing its first three games and later dropping three out of their final four games to close the book on Cignetti ' s coaching career at West Virginia . Despite the program ' s apparent shortcomings during Cignetti ' s tenure , there were plenty of positives that came from his legacy at WVU . Cignetti managed to land prized recruit and future Consensus All - American linebacker Darryl Talley , as well as standout quarterback and current Athletic Director Oliver Luck and running back Robert Alexander . Cignetti ’ s coaching staffs also consisted of some of the best coaches in college football , including Nick Saban , Joe Pendry and Rick Trickett ( who , along with Rich Rodriguez , was later credited as an innovator in utilizing the zone blocking scheme in conjunction with the run - based spread offense at WVU ) . However , with a 17 - 27 record during his four years with the program , and in having to follow in the footsteps of the great Bobby Bowden , Cignetti ' s tenure with the Mountaineers will likely retain its distinction as one of the most forgettable ones in the program ' s history . The Nehlen feelin ' ( 1980 - 2000 ) . In the wake of Frank Cignetti ' s firing , the West Virginia Athletic Department determined that a full rebuild was in order for the program . On December 10 , 1979 , West Virginia introduced Don Nehlen as its new head coach , the 30th coach in the program ' s history . Coinciding with Nehlen ' s hire was the construction of the second incarnation of Mountaineer Field , the program ' s current home stadium . Nehlen brought sweeping change to the Mountaineer football program , going so far as to implement a new logo and color scheme that remains in use to this day . Most importantly , Nehlen brought a winning attitude to Morgantown and demanded that his players and coaching staff follow suit . The result would forever change the culture of Mountaineer football , bringing about unprecedented consistency and success during his two - decade tenure at West Virginia . After a 6 - 6 campaign in 1980 , Nehlen ' s 1981 Mountaineers produced the first of 15 winning seasons under his direction . It also marked the first of three consecutive 9 - win seasons and four consecutive bowl game appearances for the Mountaineers . Led by senior quarterback Oliver Luck ' s 2 , 448 yards passing and 16 touchdowns , the 1981 team posted a 9 - 3 record and earned a trip back to the Peach Bowl , where they defeated the Florida Gators 26 - 6 . The Mountaineers also finished ranked in the polls for the first time since 1975 , coming in at # 17 in the AP and # 18 in the Coaches ' . The 1982 Mountaineers experienced similar success . Sparked by their come - from - behind upset victory over # 9 Oklahoma to open the season , the Mountaineers rolled to a 9 - 2 record , remaining ranked in the AP poll throughout the season en route to a Gator Bowl berth with Bobby Bowden and Florida State . Despite its Gator Bowl loss , West Virginia once again finished the season 9 - 3 and ranked 19th in both final polls . Nehlen ' s ' 82 Mountaineers also produced its first Consensus All - American since 1955 in linebacker Darryl Talley , who recorded 140 tackles and seven sacks in his senior year . The 1983 season saw the Mountaineers produce its third consecutive 9 - win season . Led by quarterback Jeff Hostetler ' s 2 , 345 yards passing and 16 touchdowns , West Virginia rolled to a 6 - 0 record out of the gate and finished the season at 9 - 3 after defeating Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Classic . It was also the third consecutive season for WVU to finish ranked , coming in at # 16 in both the AP and Coaches ' polls . Kicker Paul Woodside also received All - American honors , as he converted 21 of 25 field goal attempts and all 37 of his extra point attempts en route to a team - leading 100 points . Although the 1984 season had all the makings of a memorable one for West Virginia , the Mountaineers experienced their first letdown in Nehlen ' s tenure . While West Virginia managed to finish 8 - 4 with a Bluebonnet Bowl victory over Texas Christian , it had squandered a 7 - 1 start to the season ( which included WVU ' s first victory over Penn State in 29 years ) and lost its final three regular season games . Despite its disappointing end to the season , the Mountaineers managed to achieve a # 21 ranking in the Coaches ' poll and produced two All - Americans in return specialist Wille Drewery and tight end Rob Bennett . After four consecutive seasons of bowl berths and finishes in at least one of the polls , West Virginia went on a two - year drought in 1985 and ' 86 , finishing those seasons with records of 7 - 3 - 1 and 4 - 7 ( Nehlen ' s first of only four losing seasons ) respectively . The shortcomings of those seasons came to a head in 1987 , where a young , promising Mountaineer team endured a season of growing pains and near - misses . Despite a 1 - 3 start , West Virginia rallied to finish the regular season at 6 - 5 with four of their five losses coming by 5 points or less . Freshman quarterback Major Harris led the way for the Mountaineers , compiling 16 total touchdowns and providing glimpses of what was to come in his illustrious collegiate career . Perhaps fittingly , the season of near - misses culminated in a 35 - 33 loss to # 11 Oklahoma State in the Sun Bowl , a game in which the Mountaineers led 24 - 14 at halftime and lost on a failed two - point conversion attempt with 1 : 13 remaining . The near - misses of 1987 , however , gave way to the 1988 season , a season that will live on as one of the greatest in Mountaineer history . The 1988 edition of the Mountaineers was one for the ages , featuring gifted sophomore quarterback Major Harris and a stifling defense . Entering the season at # 16 in the AP Poll , West Virginia breezed through its schedule for its first undefeated regular season since 1922 and its first ever 11 - win season . The Mountaineers averaged 43 points and 483 yards per game during the regular season , rolling up 30 or more points in 10 of its games ( including a 51 - 30 rout of Penn State , the most points ever surrendered by a Joe Paterno - coached team ) . The success of the regular season culminated in West Virginia ' s first ( and only ) trip to a National Championship Game in its history , where the # 3 Mountaineers met # 1 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl . It was there that the magical run would come to an end . On the third play from scrimmage , Harris separated his left shoulder . His injury diminished his scrambling ability for the rest of the game , as he amassed only 11 yards rushing . Despite the injury and with WVU trailing 26 - 13 in the 3rd quarter , Harris and the Mountaineers were in position to mount a comeback at the Irish 26 yard line . The WVU offense sputtered , however , and Notre Dame ' s Tony Rice put the game out of reach with his second touchdown pass of the contest . Notre Dame went on to win the Fiesta Bowl 34 - 21 and the National Championship . The once prolific Mountaineer offense hit a wall against the Irish defense , amassing only 282 yards . West Virginia finished the 1988 campaign ranked # 5 in both the AP and Coaches ' Polls . Major Harris compiled 610 yards rushing , 1 , 915 yards passing , and 20 total touchdowns on the season . 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 . 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 AP and Coaches ' Polls . After a lackluster 4 - 7 season in 1990 , West Virginia ' s final season as in Independent in the NCAA Division I - A ranks , and equally disappointing campaigns as new Big East Conference members of 6 - 5 and 5 - 4 - 2 in 1991 and 1992 , the 1993 season saw the Mountaineers return to ranks of the college football elite . For the second time in six seasons , West Virginia produced an undefeated , 11 - win regular season in 1993 . The Mountaineers put together a slew of heart - stopping victories in 1993 , beginning with a 36 - 34 upset of # 17 Louisville in Morgantown . The two most memorable wins , however , would come in the final two games of the regular season in Big East Conference play . Facing a 14 - 10 deficit in the 4th quarter against # 4 Miami , running back Robert Walker scored on a 18 - yard touchdown run to upset the Hurricanes before a record crowd of 70 , 222 at Mountaineer Field . The following week , the Mountaineers trailed # 11 Boston College 14 - 3 in the 4th quarter of the regular season finale . With a Big East title and possible trip to the National Championship Game on the line , senior quarterback Darren Studstill engineered two touchdown - scoring drives , including a 24 - yard touchdown pass to Ed Hill with 1 : 08 remaining , to cap another thrilling 17 - 14 victory and give the Mountaineers their first ever Big East Conference Championship . Despite being ranked # 2 in the Coaches ' Poll and # 3 in the AP Poll , West Virginia was not selected to play in the Orange Bowl for a possible National Championship , as 11 - 1 Florida State was selected to play Nebraska . Instead they were chosen for the Sugar Bowl along with SEC Champion Florida . The Gators routed the Mountaineers 41 - 7 , denying West Virginia of its perfect season . WVU finished the season at 11 - 1 , ranked # 6 in the Coaches ' Poll and # 7 in the AP Poll . Robert Walker amassed a then - school record 1 , 250 rushing yards along with 11 touchdowns on the season . Unfortunately for Nehlen , the ' 93 season would be his final season with double - digit victories as his subsequent Mountaineer teams failed to recapture that magic . After posting a 7 - 6 record in 1994 and a 5 - 6 mark in ' 95 , the 1996 Mountaineers showed promise of returning the program to national prominence . West Virginia jumped out to a 7 - 0 record in 1996 , only to lose three of its final four regular season games en route to a 8 - 3 record and a 20 - 13 defeat in the Gator Bowl at the hands of # 12 North Carolina to finish 8 - 4 . The 1997 season witnessed another strong start from the Mountaineers , taking a 7 - 2 record into the final two weeks of the season . Once again , the Mountaineers faltered as they lost 21 - 14 at Notre Dame and 41 - 38 in triple overtime to a 5 - 5 Pitt team to finish the regular season at 7 - 4 . The late season collapse culminated in another bowl game defeat , this time to Georgia Tech in the Carquest Bowl . Despite the disappointing conclusion to the season , quarterback Marc Bulger emerged as a capable leader throwing for 2 , 465 yards and 14 touchdowns , while running back Amos Zereoue shattered Robert Walker ' s rushing record with 1 , 589 yards and his 18 touchdowns remain a school record ( tied with Pat White ) . The 1998 season brought with it high expectations for the Mountaineers , as the program entered the season ranked # 11 in the AP Poll . Despite dropping its opening game to # 1 Ohio State , West Virginia rebounded to win its next four games and went on to finish the season with a 8 - 3 record and 5 - 2 mark in Big East conference play . The Mountaineers failed to attain nine wins , however , as they were defeated for the 8th consecutive time in a bowl game by Missouri in the Insight . com Bowl . Marc Bulger set two WVU records with 3 , 607 yards passing and 31 touchdown passes , while Amos Zereoue amassed 1 , 462 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in his final season as a Mountaineer . In addition , receivers Shawn Foreman and David Saunders finished with eight touchdown receptions each . After a forgettable 4 - 7 finish in 1999 , Don Nehlen ' s final season saw his Mountaineers finish 7 - 5 with a victory in the Music City Bowl over Ole Miss , ending West Virginia ' s streak of futility in bowl games . Overall , Nehlen posted a 149 - 93 - 4 record during his tenure at West Virginia , making him both the longest - serving and winningest coach in Mountaineer history . As the man responsible for shaping the Mountaineer football program and bringing it to national relevancy in his 21 seasons in Morgantown , Nehlen was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 . Most importantly , he left a legacy of success that laid the foundation for the program ' s most successful and prominent era . Golden era ( 2001 - present ) . After Don Nehlen ' s retirement , the program entered a new era with its first new head coach in 20 years and the 31st coach in its history : Rich Rodriguez . If taking over for a legend wasn ' t difficult enough for Rodriguez , his first season at the helm of the program while instituting his run - based conception of the spread offense made his job all the more stressful . The 2001 edition of the Mountaineers finished 3 - 8 , its worst record since 1978 . Perhaps most importantly , however , the conclusion 2001 season set the stage for the emergence of the most successful era in Mountaineer football history . The 2002 season represented the biggest single - season turnaround in program history . Despite a 5 - 3 record through the season ' s first eight games , the Mountaineers reeled off four consecutive victories , including upset road wins over then - ranked rivals Virginia Tech ( # 13 ) and Pitt ( # 17 ) . West Virginia finished the regular season at 9 - 3 overall , with a 6 - 1 conference record for 2nd place in the Big East , and a berth in the Continental Tire Bowl with Virginia . Despite losing its bowl game , West Virginia finished with a 9 - 4 record and was ranked in both the Coaches ' ( # 20 ) and AP ( # 25 ) polls for the first time since 1993 . The excitement generated from the accomplishments of the 2002 campaign was short - lived as the Mountaineers stumbled to a 1 - 4 record early 2003 season . West Virginia rebounded , however , and in similar fashion to the previous season reeled off seven consecutive victories . Once again those wins included triumphs over # 3 Virginia Tech and # 16 Pitt . The victory over Pitt was especially memorable for the Mountaineers as they scored 52 points in the Backyard Brawl for the 3rd time in five years , outscoring a vaunted Panther offense that featured wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald . The Mountaineers completed their impressive turnaround with a 8 - 4 regular season record and a 6 - 1 conference mark , earning them a share of their first Big East title since 1993 . West Virginia earned a trip to the Gator Bowl for a rematch with rival Maryland . The result for the Mountaineers was nearly a duplicate of their 34 - 7 defeat to the Terrapins earlier in the season , as they fell 41 - 7 and finished the season 8 - 5 . In contrast to 2002 and 2003 , the 2004 Mountaineer season may best be remembered for being the antithesis of those seasons and for what the Mountaineers " didn ' t " accomplish . West Virginia , ranked # 10 in the AP Poll to begin the season , jumped out to a 8 - 1 record . In the final two games of the regular season , however , the Mountaineers collapsed , losing to # 21 Boston College and to unranked Pitt . Most importantly , those losses culminated in West Virginia ' s squandering of its opportunity to win the Big East outright for the first time since 1993 , leading to a four - way tie for first place and the BCS Fiesta Bowl nomination going to Pitt by virtue of tiebreaker . The disappointing season drew to a close with 30 - 18 loss to Florida State in the Gator Bowl . Thankfully for the program and its fans , the sour taste of 2004 did not carry into the 2005 season , a special one for the Mountaineers . After a 5 - 1 , albeit unimpressive , start to the season , the Mountaineers came alive in Week 7 against # 19 Louisville as quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton cut loose on the Cardinal defense to erase a 24 - 7 4th quarter deficit en route to a thrilling 46 - 44 triple overtime victory . From that point forward , the Mountaineers cruised through the remaining Big East schedule , outscoring their opponents 111 - 26 en route to a 10 - 1 finish and an undefeated record in conference play for their 2nd outright Big East championship ( 3rd overall ) . The Mountaineers earned their first ever BCS bowl game berth when they faced # 8 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl . West Virginia jumped on the Bulldogs with 21 - 1st quarter points and never looked back , stunning Georgia with a 38 - 35 victory . Slaton earned Sugar Bowl MVP honors for his performance ( 204 yards rushing and three touchdowns ) . The Mountaineers finished the 2005 season with their third ever 11 - win season , earning rankings of # 5 and # 6 in the AP and Coaches ' Polls respectively . The emergence of White and Slaton provided the Mountaineers with two of the most prolific offensive performers in NCAA football history . The Mountaineers once again posted 11 wins in the 2006 season , narrowly missing out on another Big East championship after disappointing losses to Louisville and South Florida . The Mountaineers did , however , pull out another triple overtime thriller with a 41 - 39 victory over # 13 Rutgers in the final game of the regular season . West Virginia remained ranked the the top 15 in both polls throughout the season , earning another New Year ' s Day bowl game as they met the Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl . West Virginia came away with another 38 - 35 victory , winning consecutive bowl games for the first time since the 1983 and 1984 seasons . Additionally , center Dan Mozes and running back Steve Slaton earned Consensus All - American honors . Slaton ' s 1 , 744 rushing yards in 2006 remains West Virginia single - season record . The 2006 edition of the Mountaineers managed to register 505 points , a single - season record for West Virginia at that time . The 2007 season may well be regarded as the most infamous season in West Virginia football history . The Mountaineers , fresh off the successes of the 2005 and 2006 seasons , attained a preseason ranking of # 3 in the country and had aspirations of a National Championship . The Mountaineers raced to 4 - 0 out of the gate , outscoring their opponents by a 189 - 68 margin . In Week 5 , however , West Virginia suffered an upset defeat at the hands of # 18 South Florida before a sellout crowd at Tampa ' s Raymond James Stadium . The Mountaineers would rebound , however , winning their next six games , including a 66 - 21 victory over UConn to secure its 5th Big East title and its 2nd BCS bowl appearance . West Virginia rose to as high as # 2 in the AP Poll and # 1 in the Coaches ' Poll , needing only a victory in Morgantown over a 4 - 7 , heavy underdog Pitt team in the 100th installment of the Backyard Brawl to secure its second ever National Championship Game appearance . That victory did not come , however , as Pat White was injured in the first half and the Mountaineer offense sputtered against an inspired Pitt defense to the tune of a devastating 13 - 9 defeat . The fallout of that defeat reached beyond National Championship implications for the program , as it culminated in the departure of Rich Rodriguez to Michigan , ending his tenure at West Virginia with a 60 - 26 record making him the 2nd winningest coach in the program ' s history . Rodriguez left prior to West Virginia ' s meeting with # 3 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl . The Mountaineers proved resilient , however , as they put together an upset of their own with an impressive 48 - 28 victory over the Sooners . Long - time assistant coach Bill Stewart , named as interim head coach for the game , was rewarded thereafter with a five - year contract to become West Virginia ' s 32nd head coach . Despite the upset loss to Pitt and Rodriguez ' s departure , the Mountaineers managed to win another BCS bowl game and secure its fifth 11 - win season . Furthermore , West Virginia shattered the 2006 record of points scored in a season by posting 515 ( an average of 39 points per game ) in 2007 . The 2008 season saw the Mountaineers transition into the Bill Stewart era . It was also the final season of Pat White ' s decorated collegiate career . Resolve and resiliency were once again the hallmark of the program in 2008 , rebounding from a 1 - 2 start to finish in 2nd place in the Big East at 9 - 4 overall with a Meineke Car Care Bowl victory over North Carolina and a # 23 ranking in the AP Poll . The bowl victory was West Virginia ' s fourth in a row , giving White a postseason record of 4 - 0 as a starting quarterback , a feat never before accomplished in collegiate play . White ' s biggest accomplishment came in Week 13 , however , when he set the NCAA rushing yardage record for quarterbacks with a 200 - yard performance in a 35 - 21 win over Louisville . The 2009 edition of the Mountaineers saw West Virginia post another 9 - win season and 2nd place finish in the Big East . Most notably , the Mountaineers ended their two - year losing streak in the Backyard Brawl and exacted a measure of revenge with a thrilling upset victory over # 8 Pitt on Tyler Bitancurt ' s game - winning 43 - yard field goal in the closing seconds . West Virginia failed to reach an attainable 10 win - season , however , when it lost the Gator Bowl to a 6 - 6 Florida State team in Bobby Bowden ' s final game . Junior running back Noel Devine posted career bests with 1 , 465 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns , while senior Jarrett Brown became the first Mountaineer quarterback since Chad Johnston in 1995 to throw for over 2 , 000 yards . Despite achieving their third consecutive 9 - win season , the 2010 season was ultimately a disappointing campaign for the Mountaineers . Despite assembling arguably the best defense in program history ( surrendering only 176 total points , an average of 13 . 5 per game ) and having a talented offense featuring Noel Devine , quarterback Geno Smith , and receiver Jock Sanders , West Virginia struggled with consistency all season . The regular season saw the Mountaineers lose to # 15 LSU , Syracuse and UConn by a combined 14 points . The Mountaineer defense did not surrender more than 23 points against all season . Perhaps the most glaring defeat of the season came against UConn in Week 9 where West Virginia lost four fumbles , including one at UConn ' s 1 - yard line in overtime , in a 16 - 13 loss . The loss came back to haunt the Mountaineers as they failed to win the Big East conference outright and again lost out on a BCS Bowl bid by virtue of tiebreaker ( head - to - head record ) to UConn . Prior to West Virginia ' s Champs Sports Bowl match up with North Carolina State , Athletic Director Oliver Luck announced that Dana Holgorsen would be hired as the " coach - in - waiting , " serving as offensive coordinator during the 2011 season and replacing Stewart as head coach in 2012 . Luck explained that he didn ' t believe that the Mountaineers had an opportunity to win a national championship with the direction that the program was headed under Stewart as the reasoning for his decision . Nearly six months later , the coach - in - waiting arrangement imploded as Stewart resigned amidst controversy surrounding his remarks to local newspaper reporters in regard to Holgorsen ' s reputation . Holgorsen assumed the role of head coach as of June 10 , 2011 . The onset of the Dana Holgorsen era brought about heightened expectations for the program as the Mountaineers entered the 2011 season . The potential for a prolific offensive attack under Holgorsen ' s guise coupled with West Virginia ' s selection as the odds - on favorite to win the Big East title provided optimism for a return to a BCS bowl game for the first time since 2007 . The season began on a positive note , as the Mountaineers raced to a 5 - 1 start ( the loss coming to # 1 LSU ) and a # 11 ranking in the AP Poll . West Virginia stumbled , however , losing to an eventual 5 - 7 Syracuse team and to upstart Louisville , bringing its record to 6 - 3 with three games remaining . With the season hanging in the balance , the Mountaineers engineered 4th quarter comebacks in each of their final three games to defeat # 23 Cincinnati , Pitt and South Florida to finish the regular season at 9 - 3 ( 5 - 2 in Big East play ) with a share of its 7th Big East title . Because West Virginia finished in a three - way tie for the Big East championship with Cincinnati and Louisville , and all three teams compiled a 1 - 1 head - to - head record amongst each other , the conference tie - breaking procedure stipulated that the highest ranked team in the final BCS Poll would receive the Big East ' s BCS bid . The Mountaineers , being the only Big East team ranked in the final BCS Poll at # 23 , earned the BCS bid and were subsequently selected to play in the Orange Bowl against ACC champion # 14 Clemson . The game will be WVU ' s first ever appearance in the Orange Bowl , its 3rd BCS Bowl appearance and its 31st overall bowl appearance . The past ten years have yielded the most successful era of Mountaineer football to date . Since 2002 , West Virginia has compiled a 94 - 33 record for a . 740 winning percentage , participating in bowl games at the conclusion of each of those ten seasons , as well as producing six Big East Conference titles and three BCS bowl game appearances during that span . West Virginia joins Boise State and Virginia Tech as one of only three FBS programs to have won at least nine games each season for the past seven seasons . Notable seasons . Despite never having won a National Championship , the Mountaineers have achieved success in their history . Beyond the recent successes of the past ten seasons , West Virginia has one undefeated season to its credit , five 11 - win seasons , 15 conference championships , and 30 bowl appearances . Notable games . Several games in West Virginia history stand out amongst others . Whether the following games encompass a historical milestone for the program , a memorable victory or a disappointing defeat , each game listed below retains its significance within Mountaineer football lore in its own unique fashion . Special consideration is paid to games with conference and / or seasonal implications , rivalry games , major upset victories and defeats , and historically significant games for the Mountaineer program . Accomplishments . Bowl games . West Virginia has participated in 30 bowl game s throughout its history , compiling a 13 – 17 record . Of those 30 appearances , the Mountaineers have participated in two BCS Bowl Games and one National Championship Game , posting records of 2 - 0 and 0 - 1 respectively . West Virginia ' s participation in the 2012 Orange Bowl marks the program ' s 31st bowl game and its third BCS appearance . Conference championships . West Virginia has won or shared a conference title 15 times , including seven Big East titles . As members of the Southern Conference and the Big East , the Mountaineers have a all - time record of 154 - 64 - 3 ( . 703 winning percentage ) in conference play . Since joining the Big East in 1991 , West Virginia has amassed a 93 - 51 - 1 ( . 644 ) record against conference opponents , tops amongst the remaining original conference members ( Pitt , Rutgers and Syracuse ) . The Mountaineers have also been the most successful program in the Big East since the inclusion of Cincinnati , Connecticut , Louisville , and South Florida into the reconfigured Big East . Lambert - Meadowlands Trophy . The ECAC Lambert - Meadowlands Trophy is an annual award given to the best team in the Eastern Region of FBS - level college football . West Virginia has won the award on three occasions .