1997 West Virginia Mountaineers football team
American college football season
The 1997 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 105th overall and 7th season as a member of the Big East Conference (Big East). The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 18th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and five losses (7–5 overall, 4–3 in the Big East) and with a loss in the Carquest Bowl against Georgia Tech.
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
---|
August 30 | 12:00 p.m. | Marshall* | | | ESPN Plus | W 42–31 | 65,492 | [1] |
September 6 | 12:30 p.m. | East Carolina* | | - Mountaineer Field
- Morgantown, WV
| ESPN | W 24–17 | 51,143 | [2] |
September 13 | 12:00 p.m. | at Boston College | | | ESPN | L 24–31 | 39,200 | [3] |
September 27 | 3:30 p.m. | at Miami (FL) | | | CBS | W 28–17 | 39,270 | [4] |
October 4 | 12:00 p.m. | Rutgers | | - Mountaineer Field
- Morgantown, WV
| ESPN Plus | W 48–0 | 51,737 | [5] |
October 11 | 1:00 p.m. | at Maryland* | | | | W 31–14 | 31,210 | [6] |
October 25 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 19 Virginia Tech | No. 21 | - Mountaineer Field
- Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
| CBS | W 30–17 | 63,649 | [7] |
November 1 | 7:30 p.m. | at Syracuse | No. 17 | | ESPN | L 10–40 | 49,273 | [8] |
November 15 | 1:00 p.m. | Temple | | - Mountaineer Field
- Morgantown, WV
| | W 41–21 | 37,061 | [9] |
November 22 | 2:30 p.m. | at Notre Dame* | No. 22 | | NBC | L 14–21 | 80,225 | [10] |
November 28 | 2:30 p.m. | Pittsburgh | | | CBS | L 38–41 3OT | 48,044 | [11] |
December 29 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech* | | | TBS | L 30–35 | 28,262 | [12] |
|
Rankings
Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked | Week |
---|
Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
---|
AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 23 | 21 | 17 | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | — |
---|
Coaches | — | | — | 24 | — | — | — | 24 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 21 | — | — | — | — |
---|
Personnel
1997 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster
|
Players
|
Coaches
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
|
Game summaries
Marshall
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Thundering Herd |
3 |
7 | 21 | 0 |
31 |
• Mountaineers |
21 |
7 | 0 | 14 |
42 |
| | Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | 12:30 | WVU | Gary Thompkins 7-yard blocked punt return (Jay Taylor kick) | WVU 7–0 |
6:04 | WVU | Amos Zereoué 10-yard run (Jay Taylor kick) | WVU 14–0 |
2:24 | MAR | Billy Malashevich 25-yard field goal | WVU 14–3 |
0:02 | WVU | Amos Zereoué 52-yard run (Jay Taylor kick) | WVU 21–3 |
| 2 | 10:51 | WVU | Curtis Keaton 11-yard run (Jay Taylor kick) | WVU 28–3 |
3:34 | MAR | LaVorn Colclough 24-yard pass from Chad Pennington (Billy Malashevich kick) | WVU 28–10 |
| 3 | 13:08 | MAR | Randy Moss 15-yard pass from Chad Pennington (Billy Malashevich kick) | WVU 28–17 |
9:24 | MAR | Llow Turner 53-yard run (Billy Malashevich kick) | WVU 28–24 |
0:35 | MAR | Randy Moss 25-yard pass from Chad Pennington (Billy Malashevich kick) | MAR 31–28 |
| 4 | 11:07 | WVU | Chad Wable 15-yard pass from Marc Bulger (Jay Taylor kick) | WVU 35–31 |
7:56 | WVU | Amos Zereoué 1-yard run (Jay Taylor kick) | WVU 42–31 |
|
[13]
Maryland
Virginia Tech
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Georgia Tech (Carquest Bowl)
References
- ^ "West Virginia survives rally by Marshall". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 31, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Banged up Harley stalls". The Charlotte Observer. September 7, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Just when it's least expected". The Hartford Courant. September 14, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gloom over Miami". The Stuart News. September 28, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Knights simply dazed; Offense hits bottom vs. W. Virginia". Asbury Park Press. October 5, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "RB Zereoue lifts W. Virginia". The Miami Herald. October 12, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mountaineers humble Hokies 30–17". Martinsville Bulletin. October 26, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Syracuse overcomes mistakes, W. Virginia". The Journal News. November 2, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Owls lose their season finale, and maybe Dickerson as well". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 16, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Powlus finally a hero as Irish beat Mountaineers". The Indianapolis Star. November 23, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Triple threat; Gonzalez TD pass in third OT puts Pitt in bowl picture". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 29, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hamilton helps Georgia Tech roll over West Virginia". The Odessa American. December 30, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Marshall Makes It Close". Los Angeles Times. August 31, 1997. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
|
---|
Venues | |
---|
Bowls & rivalries | |
---|
Culture & lore | |
---|
People | |
---|
Seasons | |
---|
|
|