Other than the Backyard Brawl, this is the next oldest rivalry left among tradtional eastern football programs. Enjoy the article...

The Daily Athenaeum Wrote:A Storied History WVU Football: The forgotten rivalry
Patrick Southern, Sports Writer
Section: Sports Section
Issue Date: Friday October 10, 2008

While students on campus today might think Pitt and Marshall are West Virginia’s biggest rivals, there have been many more matchups that have the history and mutual disdain necessary to make a good grudge match.

The annual border war with Penn State disappeared from the schedule when both schools left the ranks of the independents in the early ’90s, when the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten, and WVU headed for the Big East.

In more recent years, Virginia Tech served as a hated rival for the Mountaineers, but that also disappeared from the schedule when the Hokies left the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

An annual battle with Maryland likewise has gone by the wayside, at least temporarily, as the Terrapins replaced WVU with Pac-10 opponent California this season.

But one old, forgotten rival has been a part of West Virginia’s schedule 56 times, including every year since 1955.

In fact, Syracuse has played the Mountaineers more times than any team other than WVU’s mortal enemies from Pittsburgh.

But despite that long history, the rivalry didn’t truly develop into a contentious one until the late 1980s, when both programs were achieving great success.

“It’s been fireworks ever since,” said current WVU safeties coach Steve Dunlap.

Dunlap has a unique perspective on the series.

He played for the Mountaineers under former coach Bobby Bowden and is now in his 21st season as a WVU assistant coach.

After Rich Rodriguez failed to retain Dunlap upon being hired in 2001, the Hurricane, W.Va., native relocated to Syracuse, where he served on the Orange’s staff for four seasons.

Now in his first season back with the Mountaineer program, Dunlap said the rivalry of the ’80s and ’90s existed because of the mutual respect the two programs had for each other.

“The two coaches had the same kind of belief,” Dunlap said. “You know, the strap-up-your-chin-strap, physical style. It was always a head-knocking event.”

The final game of the 1987 regular season embodied that style.

It pitted an undefeated Syracuse team at home against West Virginia.

The Orange and head coach Dick MacPherson had accepted an invitation to the Sugar Bowl just before kickoff.

But the Mountaineers nearly ruined the celebration.

It was an ugly game for the ’Cuse, including six turnovers, and WVU held a 31-24 lead with only 1:30 left.

But Orange quarterback Don McPherson, who would go on to finish second in Heisman Trophy balloting, engineered a late drive that culminated in a 17-yard touchdown pass to Don Kelly with only 10 seconds remaining.

As there was no overtime system in college football at the time, MacPherson elected to go for the two-point conversion and avoid a tie.

The conversion barely made it into the end zone, when Michael Owens took an option pitch and just reached the goal line to secure the victory.

“They cheated,” Dunlap said.

“They put the ball on the hash, so we called a coverage that was loaded to that side of the field. Then they come out with two tight ends and move the ball to the middle of the field.”

After the devastating loss, West Virginia quickly turned the tables.

The very next season, head coach Don Nehlen’s team was 10-0 going into its regular season finale in Morgantown against Syracuse.

Major Harris and company would need no late game heroics to finish their unbeaten season. WVU won 31-9.

A stunning ending again robbed West Virginia of what seemed to be a sure victory when the teams matched up in 1992.

With the Mountaineers up 17-13 and time winding down, Syracuse quarterback Marvin Graves was pushed out of bounds on an option play.

Apparently frustrated with the push, Graves threw the football at a WVU player. A brawl ensued.

“All Hell broke loose,” Dunlap said. “They throw their third-team guard out. But then they throw out our best defensive back, our best pass rusher and our nickel back. And Graves stays in the game.”

To add insult to injury, Graves led the drive into the end zone to win the game, taking full advantage of the absence of those key players.

“When they threw the touchdown pass to beat us, they flushed around where our best pass rusher is supposed to be, and the receiver beat the guy that backed up our best defensive back,” Dunlap said.

So the mild-mannered Dunlap, seated in the press box, did the only thing he could do to express his frustration at events on the field.

“I smashed my hand into the window of the press box,” Dunlap said. “I broke my hand.”

Again, that anguish carried over to the following season, when WVU was once again in the midst of an undefeated regular season.

“I couldn’t get them to warm up before the game (in ’93),” Dunlap said. “They just stood on the 50 and stared and watched them warm up. ‘Coach, don’t worry, we’ll be ready.’”

The team was indeed ready that day, as WVU went on to exact revenge on the Orange by a final of 43-0.

While the rivalry has moved out of the consciousness of most fans thanks largely to the recent struggles of the Syracuse program, Dunlap and those around during the ’80s and ’90s still remember the battles of that era.

“It was a great rivalry for years and years, with mutual respect between the two teams,” Dunlap said.

I really envy WVU for having these history-laden series that go back decades. I'll be dead before USF has anything comparable to this. :grumpy:

I feel the same pain that WVU feels with Penn St. Pitt had a great rivalry with them as well that suddenly stopped. Not going to talk more about that because well all know what happened. Pitt and WVU not playing PSU makes as much sense as Loiusville and Cincy not playing Memphis(even though Loiusville played Memphis tonight).

The core of the eastern indys was WVu, Pitt, PSU, and SU. Its too bad they all don't play each other anymore.

You could have added BC to that list, Hoquista, even though we tend to forget about them now...

Hoquista Wrote:The core of the eastern indys was WVu, Pitt, PSU, and SU. Its too bad they all don't play each other anymore.

-- Amen

Quote:You could have added BC to that list, Hoquista, even though we tend to forget about them now...

-- I think BC and Rutgers joined the Indies late...RU wasn't till 1980 I think

Jackson

BC joined prior to Rutgers. BC came on-board in the '60s, I think...

quo vadis Wrote:I really envy WVU for having these history-laden series that go back decades. I'll be dead before USF has anything comparable to this. :grumpy:

Quo, you really need a perscription. Your FOOTBALL PROGRAM'S only a decade old. Why would you expect a decades-old rivalry already???

When he's dead, they'll have 'em...

BC (along with Temple) more or less joined the 4 core schools Pitt, SU, PSU, and WVu in the 70s while the aforementioned quad started earlier than that. BCs played Villanova (46) about the same amount of time or more as those 4 schools and BC stopped playing Nova in 1980. Rutgers started more or less in 1980.

Pitt-PSU and Pitt-WVu go way back while Pitt-SU started more or less yearly in the 50s. PSU-SU start more or less yearly in the 20s while PSU-WVu in the 40s. SU-WVu started about teh same time as Pitt-SU. This is why I included only those 4 teams. I think the only school SU has played more than those 4 teams is Colgate.