The Ohio State Game
September 5, 1998
Mountaineer Field
West Virginia (0-0) hosts top-ranked Ohio State (0-0) in an 8:00 p.m. game on Saturday, September 5, 1998, at Mountaineer Field (63,500) in Morgantown. The game will be televised live nationwide by CBS (Sean McDonough, Terry Donahue and Mike Mayock).
No tickets remain for the Ohio State game; updated parking and transportation information will be released on Tuesday.
As part of "Kickoff '98" festivities, sponsored in part by United National Bank, Kroger, McDonald's, Toyota, the Dominion Post and United States Cellular, the first 5,000 students to enter the game Saturday will receive a "Kickoff '98" football t-shirt. Two pregame entertainment stages outside the stadium will begin at 3:30 p.m., and there will also be a special halftime presentation.
Hall of Famers Sam Huff and Archie Griffin will participate in the ceremonial pregame coin toss.
The Rankings -- Ohio State comes to Morgantown as the No. 1 team in both the preseason Associated Press media and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls. West Virginia is ranked 11th in the preseason AP poll and 12th in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.
Top Preseason Ranking -- West Virginia's No. 11 preseason rating is the highest the Mountaineers have placed in that early poll since it was initiated in 1950. In all, West Virginia has been ranked in the preseason poll nine times, beginning with a No. 16 rating in 1953. West Virginia was rated No. 19 in 1955, No. 20 in 1970, No. 16 in 1988, No. 17 in 1989, No. 25 in 1990, No. 24 in 1994 and No. 23 in 1995.
Six of those preseason rankings have been under current coach Don Nehlen's watch. Ironically, in two of those years (1990 and 1995), West Virginia managed losing records. The Mountaineers went 4-7 in 1990 and 5-6 in 1995.
From The Ranks Of The Unranked -- West Virginia is one of six teams in both polls to receive a preseason ranking after finishing the 1997 season unranked. The other five include Virginia, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Arizona. Of the six unranked teams from '97, the Mountaineers received the highest ranking for '98, starting out at 11th and 12th.
No. 1s In Morgantown -- Saturday's game against Ohio State represents the second time a No. 1-ranked team has played at new Mountaineer Field, which opened in 1980. The last time the nation's top team came to Morgantown was 1986 when Miami defeated the Mountaineers 58-14 on October 11. West Virginia also faced Penn State that season, which defeated Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to capture the national championship.
The only other national champions to play in Morgantown were the 1937 Pitt squad led by Coach Jock Sutherland and his "Dream Backfield", which included Hall of Famer Marshall "Biggie" Goldberg, and the 1982 Penn State team led by Curt Warner.
The Series -- Ohio State holds a 4-1 advantage in the series with the Mountaineers, first contested in 1897 in a game at Parkersburg, W.Va., that WVU won 24-0. Ohio State won the last meeting between the teams 24-3 at Ohio Stadium in 1987.
In fact, Saturday's contest in Morgantown is the return game of a two-game series that was initiated with that 1987 Buckeye win in Columbus. Before that, the two schools' last meeting was 84 years prior in 1903, a 34-6 Ohio State win.
This will be the first meeting of the teams in Morgantown. Previous scores in the series were:
1897,West Virginia 24, Ohio State 0 (at Parkersburg)
The Last Time -- West Virginia and Ohio State last met on the football field back on September 12, 1987, at Ohio Stadium when the Buckeyes came away with a 24-3 victory before a crowd of 88,272.
Taking advantage of three straight turnovers by the Mountaineers, including a fumble recovery on the opening kickoff, Ohio State jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead behind a 47-yard field goal by Matt Frantz, a seven-yard touchdown run by Jaymes Bryant and a Everett Ross 23-yard touchdown reception from Tom Tupa.
West Virginia then settled down and played the Buckeyes fairly even the rest of the way. The Mountaineers' lone score on the day came on a 27-yard field goal by Charlie Baumann in the third quarter.
Tailback Undra Johnson led the way on the ground for WVU with 76 yards rushing, followed by A.B. Brown with 50 yards. Vince Workman led the Buckeye ground attack with 51 yards while Tupa threw for 150 yards on the day.
Linebacker Chris Haering and tackle David Grant led WVU with 10 tackles each while OSU linebacker Chris Spielman turned in a game high 19 stops.
Aside from the turnovers, the two teams had a similar showing with Ohio State chalking up 213 yards of total offense to West Virginia's 197.
About Coach Nehlen -- West Virginia's Don Nehlen, the winningest coach in Mountaineer history, is beginning his 19th season at West Virginia with a 130-77-4 (.626) record at WVU. Combining that mark with a 53-35-4 (.598) record in nine seasons as head coach at Bowling Green, Nehlen's career totals stand at 183-112-8 (.617) as he begins his 28th season as a collegiate head coach. A 1958 Bowling Green graduate, Nehlen just finished a term as president of the American Football Coaches Association.
John Cooper is in his 11th season at Ohio State, where he holds an 86-32-4 record. In 22 seasons overall as a college head coach, his record is 168-72-6.
Nehlen Versus -- Coach Don Nehlen's record against Ohio State is 0-1. As head coach of the Mountaineers, Nehlen is 1-2 against opponents from the Big Ten Conference while at WVU (Penn State was not a member of the Big Ten when it played WVU) and Nehlen is 12-1-1 at WVU against teams from the state of Ohio (including Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Kent State, Miami, Ohio U. and Ohio State). Nehlen is 14-3-1 in season openers and 15-2-1 in home openers at WVU.
Success = Stability -- West Virginia's Don Nehlen will be the first to tell you that stability breeds success, just one reason why he is the winningest coach in WVU history. A look at the 1998 schedule shows that many coaches have come and gone since Nehlen became a Mountaineer 19 years ago.
Over that span, Ohio State has had two head coaches (Earle Bruce, John Cooper); Maryland five (Jerry Clairborne, Bobby Ross, Joe Krivak, Mark Duffner, Ron Vanderlinden); Tulsa four (John Cooper, Don Morton, George Henshaw, Dave Rader); Navy five (George Welch, Gary Tranquill, Elliott Uzelac, George Chaump, Charlie Weatherbie); Temple five (Wayne Hardin, Bruce Arians, Jerry Berndt, Ron Dickerson, Bobby Wallace); Miami four (Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, Butch Davis); Virginia Tech two (Bill Dooley, Frank Beamer); Syracuse three (Frank Maloney, Dick MacPherson, Paul Pasqualoni); Rutgers four (Frank Burns, Dick Anderson, Doug Graber, Terry Shea); Boston College five (Ed Chlebek, Jack Bicknell, Tom Coughlin, Dan Henning, Tom O'Brien); and Pitt six (Jackie Sherrill, Foge Fazio, Mike Gottfried, Paul Hackett, Johnny Majors, Walt Harris).
Not counting Pitt's one-game hiring of Sal Sunseri, the 1998 opponents have had 45 total coaching changes (an average of 4.1 coaches per school) since Nehlen arrived 19 years ago.
And success breeds stability through the coaching staffs. The average tenure of West Virginia's assistant coaches is 14.1 years in Morgantown, compared to staffs at Ohio State (5.8), Maryland (1.7), Tulsa (4.6), Navy (3.4), Temple (1.5), Miami (5.8), Virginia Tech (6.8), Syracuse (5.0), Rutgers (2.5), Boston College (2.0) and Pitt (2.4 years) with their current school.
The Captains -- Four seniors were elected as West Virginia's 1998 football captains by a vote of the squad Thursday night. They are Shawn Foreman, Bryan Pukenas, John Thornton and Gary Stills.
Best Conditioned -- Coming into the Mountaineers' preseason camp, seven players tested out as "Best Conditioned" in their weight groups by strength coach Allan Johnson. They were Charles Fisher and Dave Lightcap (under 190 lbs.), Jerry Porter and Shawn Foreman (191-215), Gary Stills (216-240), Greg Robinette (241-274) and John Thornton (heavyweight).
At Mountaineer Field -- This is the 19th season of competition for West Virginia at Mountaineer Field. WVU holds a 78-30-4 (.714) all-time record at the facility, which opened in 1980. Last season, WVU averaged crowds of 52,854 per game at Mountaineer Field to lead the BIG EAST for the third consecutive season.
In 18 previous openers at Mountaineer Field, West Virginia's average attendance has been 54,677, and the Mountaineers' average margin of victory in 15 victories in those games has been 27.1 points. The largest home opener attendance (68,041) was against Pitt in 1991, West Virginia's first-ever BIG EAST game and its first contest of WVU's 100 Years of Football celebration.
Opening Day Numbers -- In 18 previous season openers under Don Nehlen, West Virginia has scored a total of 641 points, or an average of 35.6 per game. The average margin of 14 Mountaineer victories in season openers has been 28.2 points. The highest score by WVU in an opener under Nehlen came in 1988's 62-14 win over Bowling Green. The lowest winning total by WVU in an opener under Nehlen was a 23-3 win over Ohio University in 1987, while the lowest opening total was in the 1994 31-0 Kickoff Classic loss to eventual national champion Nebraska.
Packing 'Em In -- Though WVU no longer sells standing room tickets, West Virginia's attendance for Saturday's game should exceed 65,000. If that occurs, it would mark the 12th time West Virginia has managed a crowd of more than 65,000 in new Mountaineer Field, which seats 63,500. The all-time attendance record was 70,222 for the 1993 Miami game. Said athletic director Ed Pastilong: "We could have sold another 30,000 tickets for this game."
Partly due to the interest in Ohio State tickets, West Virginia sold out its entire supply of season tickets for the first time in school history, and has already sold out four other 1998 home games. Only a limited number of tickets remain for the November 21 matchup against Boston College.
What About Saunders? – While Ohio State's David Boston leads all juniors nationally with 106 career receptions, West Virginia’s David Saunders' two-year totals compare favorably to those of the talented Buckeye. Saunders, the Palatine, Ill., native, who missed the entire 1997 season with an injured knee, snared 115 passes for 1,725 yards and 10 touchdowns during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. Boston's numbers read 106 catches for 1,420 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Dynamic Duo -- West Virginia's senior receivers David Saunders and Shawn Foreman are the only two players in school history to record 70-catch seasons. Saunders, the team's leading receiver in 1996 with 76 catches for 1,043 yards, missed the 1997 season following knee surgery. The slack was taken up by Foreman last year, who went on to snare a school-record 77 passes for 928 yards. Combined, the two have caught 221 passes for 3,125 yards, or more than a ½ mile of yardage.
School Career Chart Movers -- Several West Virginia players are advancing among the West Virginia career leaders (Amos Zereoue numbers on separate page):
Perlo Bastien: Tied with three other players for 10th place in career passes broken up with 16 and needs two more to pass Tommy Orr and Preston Waters for seventh with 17.
Marc Bulger: School leader in career completion percentage among quarterbacks with more than 300 pass attempts at .578; ranks second in career completion percentage at .578 and needs a completion mark of .602 to better school leader Jake Kelchner; tied for second with Oliver Luck and Jeff Hostetler in career 300-yard passing games with two and needs three more to pass Chad Johnston for the school record with four; ranks third in career passing efficiency among quarterbacks with a minimum of 100 attempts with a rating of 132.29 and needs a rating of 143.32 to pass Major Harris for second; tied with Major Harris for fourth in career 200-yard passing games with six and needs four to pass Oliver Luck for third with nine; fourth in career 200-yard total offensive games with five other players at five and needs five to pass Chad Johnston and Jeff Hostetler for third position with nine; ranks ninth in career passing yards with 2,817 and needs 342 yards to pass Darren Studstill for the eighth spot with 3,158 yards; ranks ninth in career pass completions with 211 and needs 31 to pass Darren Studstill for eighth with 241; ranks ninth in career interception avoidance at .0466 and needs an avoidance ratio of .0459 to pass Major Harris for eighth place; needs 14 more pass attempts to pass Jerry Yost for 10th place in career attempts with 378.
Shawn Foreman: Tied with Rich Hollins for sixth in career 100-yard receiving games with four and needs one to match Jay Kearney for fifth with five; ranks seventh in career receptions with 106 and needs five to pass Cedric Thomas for sixth with 110; ranks ninth in career receiving yards with 1,399 and needs 103 to pass Marshall Mills for eighth with 1,501; needs two touchdown catches to move into 10th place in career touchdown receptions, a spot currently occupied by David Saunders, Ed Hill and Lovett Purnell.
Barrett Green: Ranks ninth in career interception return yardage with 143 and needs eight yards to pass Bo Orlando for seventh with 150.
David Saunders: School leader in career 100-yard receiving games with seven; ranks third in career receptions with 115 and needs nine to pass Mark Raugh for second with 123; ranks sixth in career receiving yards with 1,725 and needs 72 to pass Danny Buggs for fifth with 1,796; tied for 10th in career touchdown receptions with Ed Hill and Lovett Purnell with 10 and needs one TD catch to reach sixth place, now occupied by three players;
Gary Stills: Tied with Henry Slay for sixth in career quarterback sacks with 16 and needs one to match Delbert Fowler for fifth with 17.
Nate Terry: Owns the school record with two career kickoff returns for a touchdown; ranks second in career kickoff return average among players with a minimum of 25 returns with an average of 25.4 and needs an average of 25.7 to pass Bob Greshman for the school record; ranks fifth in career punt return average among players with a minimum of 25 returns with an average of 10.8 and needs an average of 11.4 to pass Mike Logan for fourth position; ranks seventh in career kickoff return yardage with 813 and needs 57 yards to pass Mike Logan for sixth with 869;
Jay Taylor: Owns the school record with the highest percentage of PATs in a career at 100.0 (75-75) among players with at least 50 attempts; ranks third in career field goals made with 30 and needs 23 to pass Charlie Baumann for second with 52; ranks fourth in career kick scoring with 165 and needs six points to pass Frank Nester for third place; ranked fifth in career extra points made with 75 and needs three to pass Bill McKenzie for fourth with 77; ranks fifth in career extra points attempted with 75 and needs seven to pass Bill McKenzie for fourth with 81; tied with Steve Sinclair for sixth in career field goals attempted with 42 and needs two to pass Ken Juskowich and Bill McKenzie for second with 43
CH-CH-Changes -- Several key changes have taken place on the Mountaineer defense involving regulars who manned other positions in 1997. Strong safety Barrett Green has moved to willie linebacker, free safety Gary Thompkins has switched to strong safety, wide receiver Jerry Porter is now at free safety, fullback Mark Plants has moved to mike linebacker, mike linebacker Damon Cogdell has switched to sam linebacker and defensive tackle Kevin Landolt is now at defensive end. These moves were necessitated by the fact that the Mountaineer defense allowed 1,285 yards in West Virginia's final three losses of 1997 to Notre Dame, Pitt and Georgia Tech.
True Freshmen To Play? -- Coach Don Nehlen indicated that as many as seven true freshmen could wind up playing in Saturday's season opener against Ohio State. On offense the veteran coach conceded that wide receiver/returner Antonio Brown (Miami, Fla.), tight end Brad Cusick (Marlton, N.J.) and either tailback Lewis Daniels (Youngstown, Ohio) or Brannon Goins (Rockledge, Fla.) could be backups.
On defense, linemen Osa Nosa (Homestead, Fla.), Jerome Taylor (Lewisburg, W.Va.) and David Upchurch (Hyattsville, Md.) could be in the rotation while linebacker James Davis (Stuart, Fla.) might see action on special teams. If all of these true freshmen do see action, it would be the most to play at one time since the early part of Nehlen's 19-year tenure in Morgantown; the 1981 Mountaineers played 12 true freshmen en route to a 9-3 record and Peach Bowl victory over Florida.
This decade, only 13 true freshmen have seen action: DB Tommy Orr (1990), LB Wes Richardson (1990), K Todd Sauerbrun (1991), LB Matt Taffoni (1991), DB Aaron Beasley (1992), WR Daymeian Gallimore (1992), TB Jeff Nixon (1993), K Bryan Baumann (1994), WR Jerrald Long (1994), TB Curtis Keaton (1995), DB Perlo Bastien (1996), LS Donnie Lindsey (1996) and K Jon Ohliger (1996).
September Record -- West Virginia holds a 50-17-3 record in September games under Don Nehlen, and the Mountaineers are 31-8-1 at home during that month in the Nehlen era. West Virginia holds a 133-57-5 all-time September record.
BIG EAST Career Chart Movers -- Several West Virginia players are advancing among the BIG EAST conference career statistical leaders. Remember that the BIG EAST records do not include bowl games. (Amos Zereoue numbers on separate page):
Marc Bulger: Ranks fifth in career interception avoidance at 3.08 and needs an avoidance of 3.05 to pass Syracuse's Donovan McNabb; is seventh in career completion percentage at .572 and needs a percentage of .575 to pass Boston College's Mark Hartsell for sixth place with .574.
Barrett Green: Ranks seventh in career interception return yardage and needs eight return yards to pass Virginia Tech's Antonio Banks with 150 return yards.
David Saunders: Needs four catches to move into 10th place in career receptions, passing Rutgers' Jim Guarantano with 118; needs 14 receiving yards to move into 10th place in career receiving yardage, passing Syracuse's Shelby Hill with 1,738; needs three touchdown catches to move into 10th place in career touchdown catches passing West Virginia's Rahsaan Vanterpool and Syracuse's Quinton Spotwood with 12.
Jay Taylor: Is the BIG EAST leader in career PAT percentage at 100.0 with a perfect 70-of-70; ranks fifth in career field goals made with 27 and needs three to pass Virginia Tech's Shayne Graham for fourth with 29; ranks seventh in career field goal attempts with 38 and needs two to pass Boston College's John Matich and Virginia Tech's Shayne Graham for fifth with 39; ranks eighth in career field goal percentage at .711 and needs a percentage of .718 to pass Miami's John Biskup for seventh place; ranks eighth in career PATs attempted with 70 and needs six to pass Virginia Tech's Shayne Graham for seventh with 75; ranks eighth in career PATS made with 70 and needs five to pass Virginia Tech's Shayne Graham for seventh with 74; ranks 10th in career points with 151 and needs two to pass Rutgers' John Benestad for ninth with 152.
Nate Terry: Tied with Syracuse's Kevin Johnson and Jim Turner and Temple's Lew Lawhorn with two career kickoff returns for touchdowns; needs 55 kickoff return yards to pass Rutgers' Steve Harper for 10th place with 867 yards.
Of Starters -- When the West Virginia-Ohio State game kicks off Saturday, the Mountaineers will have a total of 24 players with at least one game of starting experience on the home sideline. Of those 24, seven have had more than 20 starts in their careers, led by senior nose tackle John Thornton with 29. He is followed by offensive linemen Bryan Pukenas, Eric de Groh and Solomon Page with 24 each. Wide receiver David Saunders and cornerback Perlo Bastien have each made 23 career starts and tailback Amos Zereoue has started 22 contests.
Sears Trophy Begins Season In Morgantown -- The Sears National Champion Football Trophy begins its 1998 tour in Morgantown Thursday through Saturday for the WVU-Ohio State game. It has been awarded each year since 1993 to the No. 1-ranked team in the AFCA coaches poll following the postseason bowl games. The trophy, which also appeared in Morgantown prior to the 1993 WVU-Miami game, is part of the Sears Collegiate Champions program, a comprehensive trophy and academic scholarship program that honors collegiate champions in a number of sports, including WVU's 13-time NCAA champion rifle team.
Each year, an artisan at Waterford Crystal in Ireland spends three months handcrafting the sparkling football that sits atop the Sears Trophy, which is insured for more than $30,000. Last season, the Sears Trophy appeared at 10 games and traveled more than 14,000 miles. For more information, contact Phil Worth (972/778-7783).
Sixteen To Go -- The Mountaineer football program needs just 16 more victories to join the 600-win club. Currently, there are 14 NCAA Division I-A programs with more than 600 football wins, led by Michigan with 776. West Virginia is tied with North Carolina at 18th with 584. Immediately ahead of the Mountaineers are Colorado, Washington and Auburn with 593 wins each.
Within Reach --The following Mountaineers have milestone numbers within reach this season:
Still Around -- As of August 26, 15 former West Virginia players are still in NFL training camps. The list of Mountaineers on NFL teams include: QB Jeff Hostetler (Washington), WR James Jett (Oakland), OG Mike Compton (Detroit), RB Adrian Murrell (Arizona), LB Bernard Russ and TE Lovett Purnell (New England), LB Canute Curtis and OG Rich Braham (Cincinnati), CB Aaron Beasley and S Mike Logan (Jacksonville), PK Mike Vanderjagt (Indianapolis), S Bo Orlando (Pittsburgh), P Todd Sauerbrun (Chicago), DE John Browning (Kansas City) and DT Mike Fox (Carolina).
Of those players, eight could wind up with starting jobs in Jett, Compton, Murrell, Braham, Beasley, Sauerbrun and Browning.
Troopers Assigned -- Two West Virginia State Police officers have been assigned to the Mountaineer football detail for the 1998 season. They are Trooper Jim Wise from the Moundsville detachment and Trooper Reggie Patterson from the Bridgeport detachment.
MSN Information -- The Mountaineer Sports Network will provide live radio coverage via satellite on 52 stations statewide and throughout the East. The broadcasts can also be heard live on the internet at www.broadcast.com. Tony Caridi will handle the play-by-play, joined by color commentator Woody O'Hara and stadium reporter John Garcia.
On The Tube -- Saturday's CBS telecast of the Ohio State game is the first of seven confirmed network television broadcasts for West Virginia this season. Other games to air on national networks include Maryland (ESPN2), Navy (Fox), Miami (CBS), Syracuse (ESPN), Boston College (ESPN) and Pitt (CBS). Additionally, there is a possibility that the Virginia Tech contest in Blacksburg on October 31 could be picked up for national TV.
Saturday's game also represents the 70th network television game for West Virginia; the Mountaineers will be making their 13th appearance on CBS. Under Don Nehlen, the Mountaineers hold a 26-31-1 record on national television, including a 7-4 mark on CBS. All-time, West Virginia is 28-38-1 in nationally televised games dating back to the 1954 Sugar Bowl and 7-5 overall on CBS.
TotalCast -- New this season, real-time statistics and play-by-play of West Virginia football games will be available on the internet. The service, provided by Raleigh, N.C.-based TotalSports can be accessed directly through www.MSNsportsNET.com.
Where The Opponents Play -- In BIG EAST action, Syracuse hosts Tennessee, Temple visits Toledo, Miami entertains East Tennessee State, Virginia Tech opens at home against East Carolina, Rutgers plays Richmond, Boston College travels to Georgia Tech, and Pitt hosts Villanova. Also, Maryland is at home against James Madison, and Tulsa hosts Southwest Missouri State. Navy is idle.
Other Sports On Campus -- Other WVU varsity sports in action this week include the WVU volleyball team, which hosts the Mountaineer Invitational against James Madison, Towson and Eastern Kentucky on Friday and Saturday at the Coliseum. On Friday, men's soccer hosts St. Francis (Pa.) at 7:00 p.m., while the women's soccer team plays at Notre Dame on Friday. On Saturday morning, the cross country teams host the Mountaineer Duals at the agronomy farm course.
Where They Go Next -- West Virginia enjoys an off-week before the Mountaineers host the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, September 19, in a 6:00 p.m. game at Mountaineer Field that will be televised by ESPN2. Festivities of the weekend will include the 10-year reunion of WVU's undefeated Fiesta Bowl team. Ohio State next hosts Toledo on September 12.
Copyright, MSN 1998
