Wikipedia

1996 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

The 1996 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 104th overall and 6th season as a member of the Big East Conference (Big East). The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 17th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and four losses (8–4 overall, 4–3 in the Big East) and with a loss in the Gator Bowl against North Carolina.

1996 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Gator Bowl, L 13–20 vs. North Carolina
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record8–4 (4–3 Big East)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDan Simrell (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorSteve Dunlap (5th season)
Home stadiumMountaineer Field
Seasons
← 1995
1997 →
1996 Big East Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 13 Virginia Tech +   6 – 1     10 – 2  
No. 14 Miami (FL) +   6 – 1     9 – 3  
No. 21 Syracuse +   6 – 1     9 – 3  
West Virginia   4 – 3     8 – 4  
Pittsburgh   3 – 4     4 – 7  
Boston College   2 – 5     5 – 7  
Rutgers   1 – 6     2 – 9  
Temple   0 – 7     1 – 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 317:30 p.m.at Pittsburgh
ESPNW 34–054,612[1]
September 712:00 p.m.Western Michigan*
ESPNW 34–947,938[2]
September 1412:00 p.m.East Carolina*
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
ESPN PlusW 10–950,129[3]
September 217:00 p.m.at Purdue*
W 20–640,642[4]
September 286:00 p.m.Maryland*No. 23
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
ESPN2W 13–054,542[5]
October 53:30 p.m.Boston CollegeNo. 19
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
CBSW 34–1758,307[6]
October 191:30 p.m.at TempleNo. 15
W 30–1012,546[7]
October 267:00 p.m.No. 25 Miami (FL)No. 12
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
ESPNL 7–1066,948[8]
November 23:30 p.m.SyracuseNo. 18
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
CBSL 7–3056,312[9]
November 912:00 p.m.at Rutgers
W 55–1421,024[10]
November 2312:00 p.m.at No. 17 Virginia TechNo. 23
ESPN2L 14–3150,086[11]
January 112:30 p.m.vs. No. 12 North Carolina*No. 25
NBCL 13–2052,103[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[13]

Rankings

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See also: 1996 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP—————231917151218——23252425—
Coaches————231915141117—2421252425—

Roster

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1996 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 8 Chad Johnston Sr
QB 10 Marc Bulger Fr
QB 17 Ja'Juan Seider Fr
RB 20 Amos Zereoue Fr
TE 82 Anthony Becht Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 23 Mike Logan Sr
LB 57 Gary Stills So
DT 78 Henry Slay Jr
LB 91 Bernard Russ Sr
DT 92 John Thornton So
LB 98 Kevin Landolt So
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

References

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  1. ^ "WVU stomps Pitt". Indiana Gazette. September 1, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "West Virginia rushes past Western Michigan". Detroit Free Press. September 8, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "West Virginia wins, 10–9, after East Carolina fails on 2-point play". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 15, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Purdue's offense feels mountain of W. Va. pressure". The Indianapolis Star. September 22, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Double-zero; Mountaineers blank Maryland while keeping the loss column empty". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 29, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Eagles have no answer". The Boston Globe. October 6, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Only victory Temple finds in moral". Courier-Post. October 20, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Blocked punt revives 'Canes' fortunes 10–7". Fort Myers News-Press. October 27, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Syracuse rips Mountaineers". The Roanoke Times. November 3, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "West Virginia blasts Rutgers". The Record. November 10, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Virginia Tech stays in Big East title chase". The Charlotte Observer. November 24, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Backup quarterback stars for Tar Heels". The Cincinnati Enquirer. January 2, 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "1996 West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
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