The 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with an 11–0 (7–0 conference record) and won the school's first
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...
championship in what was the first year of round robin play for the conference. The team traveled to the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
, where they lost to the
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
, 41–7. WVU finished the season 11–1.
Schedule
Season summary
The 1993 season began with an uncertainty at quarterback. Both
Darren Studstill and
Jake Kelchner were up for the spot, but coach
Don Nehlen
Donald Eugene Nehlen (born January 1, 1936) is a former American football player and coach. He was head football coach at Bowling Green State University (1968–1976) and at West Virginia University (1980–2000). Nehlen retired from coaching ...
decided to have a rotation each game while playing freshman
Chad Johnston a few games. Star running back
Adrian Murrell
Adrian Byran Murrell (born October 16, 1970) is a former professional American football running back. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft after playing collegiately for the West Virginia Mountaineers. ...
was replaced that season by
Robert Walker and All-American center
Mike Compton was replaced by Dale Williams. Tackle
Rich Braham
Rich Braham (born November 6, 1970) is a former National Football League center who played for the Cincinnati Bengals. Rich now lives in Morgantown West Virginia. He has 3 kids. 2 of which are twins, Rylee and Luke.
High school career
Braham atte ...
provided help to Walker in the run game. Young
Aaron Beasley
Aaron Bruce Beasley (born July 7, 1973) is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for West Virginia University, and recei ...
and
Mike Logan led the secondary.
The first game against
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
was an easy win. The next was against the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
. Kelchner passed for 270 yards and Harold Kidd grabbed a big interception to seal the win, 42–37. The next week, the Mountaineers blew by the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
35–3 in Morgantown. In that game, Mike Collins returned a fumble 97 yards for a score and
Vann Washington took an interception 27-yards for another score.
The next week was a close win against
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
, 14–13. The Mountaineers won, even though turning the ball over five times, when the Tech kicker missed a 44-yard field goal. The next game was against the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...
, one of the toughest games of the season. Led by
Brian Brohm
Brian Joseph Brohm (born September 23, 1985) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the interim head coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Purdue University. He played college football at Louisv ...
's older brother,
Jeff Brohm
Jeffrey Scott Brohm (born April 24, 1971) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current head football coach of the Louisville Cardinals. Brohm played college football at the University of Louisville for coach Howard S ...
, the Cardinals were undefeated like the Mountaineers. But Robert Walker score three times, and led the Mountaineers to a close 36–34 win. The win led the Mountaineers into the Top 15 in the country. The next game, against the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
, had a close first quarter. But Robert Walker rushed for over 150 yards and Mike Baker caught a couple of touchdown passes to pull away and win, 42–21.
The next game was a revengeful game. In 1992, West Virginia played the
University of Syracuse, when a massive fight occurred. In a controversial decision, three Mountaineers were ejected, while only one Orangeman was ejected. That led to the Syracuse win. In the '93 version of the game, after missing two field goals, the Mountaineers were up 7–0 at halftime. But in the second half, the Mountaineer exploded. After a 90-yard run by Robert Walker, the Mountaineers won 43–0.
After beating
Rutgers
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...
and
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
, the Mountaineers were 9–0. In one of the biggest games in Mountaineer history, the #4
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
came to Morgantown and played before a record Mountaineer Field crowd of 70,222, a mark that still stands today. The game was close, but Robert Walker won the game when he took a run to the sideline in the fourth quarter. Up 17–14, with four minutes left, Jake Kelchner threw a 40-yard bomb to seal the game.
After the game, Jake Kelchner injured his arm and Vann Washington had leg problems. The next game was against
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
, who was coming off an upset win of their own over then #1 Notre Dame, the Mountaineers were almost taken by surprise. Down 11 points with 13 minutes left, Don Nehlen told defensive coordinator
Steve Dunlap
Steve Dunlap (born February 4, 1954) was the assistant head coach and Special Teams Coordinator for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team. Dunlap had been with the Mountaineers on and off throughout his 33-year coaching career on the defe ...
to put in Keith Jones and
Mike Logan. The next play, Jones hit the fullback, resulting in a fumble which was recovered by the Mountaineers. Darren Studstill drove 63-yards downfield, and hit
Eddie Hill
Eddie Hill (born March 6, 1936) is an American retired drag racer who won numerous drag racing championships on land and water. Hill had the first run in the four second range (4.990 seconds), which earned him the nickname "Four Fat ...
for one of the greatest scores in West Virginia history. West Virginia finished the season 11–0, their second undefeated season.
Sugar Bowl
Although the Mountaineers finished the season as one of only two undefeated and untied teams eligible for a bowl game, alongside Coaches' Poll #1
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
, they were denied a chance to play in the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
, that year's de facto national championship game.
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
was also undefeated but was on probation. West Virginia finished second in the final regular-season Coaches' Poll, but was only third in the final regular-season AP Poll behind #2 Nebraska and #1
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
. The margin between Florida State and West Virginia was large enough to drop the Mountaineers to third in the "Bowl Poll," a combination of the points from both polls which the
Bowl Coalition
The College Football Bowl Coalition was formed through an agreement among Division I-A college football bowl games and conferences for the purpose of forcing a national championship game between the top two teams and to provide quality bowl game ...
used to set bowl matchups.
Instead, West Virginia was scheduled to play the
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
in the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
. After an 80-yard drive that led to a touchdown pass, the Mountaineers then stopped the Gators on their first drive. The next Gator drive almost went three-and-out, until a personal foul on
Steve Perkins gave Florida the momentum. Jake Kelchner was playing a good game, but then Nehlen surprised many by putting Studstill in. On the Mountaineers' first drive, Studstill threw an interception that the Gators returned for a touchdown. Florida ran off with the game after that, winning 41–7, ending any claim West Virginia might have had at a national championship. Florida State beat the same Florida team on the road by a 33-21 score.
Coach Don Nehlen said of the game, "We had wanted to play Nebraska in the Orange Bowl as the only two undefeated teams, but the Bowl Coalition didn't like the match. Instead, we were slotted to play
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
in the
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
. Instead, the Sugar Bowl paid more money so the conference and administration wanted us to play Florida. If we wanted the best chance to win, we should have taken the Cotton; playing a slower, more physical team outdoors would have worked to our advantage a lot more than playing those Florida speed-burners indoors on a smooth surface."
Roster
Team players in the NFL
References
{{Big East Conference football champions
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
Big East Conference football champion seasons
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy seasons
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University (also referred to as "WVU" or "West Virginia") in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. West Virginia plays its home games at Milan Puskar ...