1978 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

The 1978 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 86th overall season and they competed as an NCAA Division I-A independent. The team was led by head coach Frank Cignetti Sr., in his third year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record 2–9.

1978 West Virginia Mountaineers football
ConferenceIndependent
Record2–9
Head coach
Home stadiumMountaineer Field
Seasons
← 1977
1979 →
1978 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Penn State       11 1 0
North Texas State       9 2 0
East Carolina       9 3 0
Navy       9 3 0
No. 7 Notre Dame       9 3 0
Rutgers       9 3 0
Florida State       8 3 0
Tennessee State       8 3 0
Temple       7 3 1
Pittsburgh       8 4 0
Holy Cross       7 4 0
Louisville       7 4 0
UNLV       7 4 0
Southern Miss       7 4 0
Northeast Louisiana       6 4 1
Georgia Tech       7 5 0
Hawaii       6 5 0
Miami (FL)       6 5 0
South Carolina       5 5 1
William & Mary       5 5 1
Cincinnati       5 6 0
Villanova       5 6 0
Army       4 6 1
Memphis State       4 7 0
Tulane       4 7 0
Virginia Tech       4 7 0
Air Force       3 8 0
Colgate       3 8 0
Richmond       3 8 0
Syracuse       3 8 0
Illinois State       2 9 0
West Virginia       2 9 0
Boston College       0 11 0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

edit
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 9RichmondW 14–1236,558[1]
September 16at No. 3 OklahomaL 10–5271,187[2]
September 23at NC StateL 15–2942,200[3]
September 30California
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
L 21–2833,190[4]
October 7Syracuse 
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
L 15–3132,491[5]
October 14at Virginia TechL 3–1640,000[6]
October 21at TempleL 27–2811,445[7]
October 28No. 2 Penn State
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
L 21–4934,010[8]
November 4Virginia
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
W 20–1729,291[9]
November 11at No. 20 PittsburghL 7–5253,074[10]
November 18at Colorado StateL 14–5012,782[11]
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[12]

Roster

edit
1978 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB Terry Bowden
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

References

edit
  1. ^ "West Virginia defeats Richmond". Austin American-Statesman. September 10, 1978. Retrieved October 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Sooners peak over Mountaineers". Tulsa World. September 17, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Brown paces Pack romp". Durham Sunday Herald. September 24, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Campbell keys Cal past W. Va". The Modesto Bee. October 1, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Hurley returns, Syracuse rips West Virginia 31–15". Sunday News. October 8, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "VPI downs W. Virginia". Rocky Mount Telegram. October 15, 1978. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Temple edges West Virginia, 28–27". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 22, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Penn State rallies for 49–21 win". The Tampa Tribune. October 29, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Cavaliers too late 20–17". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 5, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Pitt attack finally erupts, crushes West Va., 52–7". The Pittsburgh Press. November 12, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "WVU clobbered again". The Roanoke Times. November 19, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "1978 West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 27, 2024.