1986 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

American college football season

1986 West Virginia Mountaineers football

Conference| Independent
Record| 4–7
Head coach|

* Don Nehlen (7th season)

Home stadium| Mountaineer Field
(Capacity: 63,500)

Seasons

<- 1985

1987 ->

1986 Major eastern college football independents records

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 1 Penn State $  | 6  | - | 0  | - | 0 |  |  | 12  | - | 0  | - | 0
No. 19 Boston College | 3  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 3  | - | 0
Syracuse | 3  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Temple | 2  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Pittsburgh | 2  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 1
Rutgers | 2  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 1
West Virginia | 1  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0

* $ – Lambert Trophy Winner

Rankings from AP Poll
1986 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 1 Penn State |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 12  | - | 0  | - | 0
No. 2 Miami (FL) |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 11  | - | 1  | - | 0
No. 20 Virginia Tech |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 1
No. 19 Boston College |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  | - | 0
Tulsa |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
Florida State |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 1
Army |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Southwestern Louisiana |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Southern Miss |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Temple |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Pittsburgh |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 1
Rutgers |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 1
Cincinnati |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Notre Dame |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Syracuse |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
South Carolina |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 3  | - | 6  | - | 2
Tulane |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
West Virginia |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Louisville |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Navy |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Wichita State |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
East Carolina |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 2  | - | 9  | - | 0
Northern Illinois |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 2  | - | 9  | - | 0
Memphis State |  | - |  | - |  |  |  | 1  | - | 10  | - | 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1986 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 94th overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of four wins and seven losses (4–7 overall).

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

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September 6| Northern Illinois|

* Mountaineer Field
* Morgantown, WV

| W 47–14| 56,665| [1]
September 13| at East Carolina|

* Ficklen Memorial Stadium
* Greenville, NC

| W 24–21| 33,857| [2]
September 20| Maryland|

* Mountaineer Field
* Morgantown, WV (rivalry)

| L 3–24| 63,500| [3]
September 27| at Pittsburgh|

* Three Rivers Stadium
* Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl)

| L 16–48| 55,129| [4]
October 4| at Virginia Tech|

* Lane Stadium
* Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)

| L 7–13| 50,000| [5]
October 11| No. 1 Miami (FL)|

* Mountaineer Field
* Morgantown, WV

| L 14–58| 63,500| [6]
October 25| Boston College|

* Mountaineer Field
* Morgantown, WV

| L 10–19| 47,760| [7]
November 1| No. 2 Penn State|

* Mountaineer Field
* Morgantown, WV (rivalry)

| L 0–19| 59,184| [8]
November 8| at Rutgers|

* Giants Stadium
* East Rutherford, NJ

| W 24–17| 15,101| [9]
November 15| at Louisville|

* Cardinal Stadium
* Louisville, KY

| W 42–19| 21,834| [10]
November 22| Syracuse|

* Mountaineer Field
* Morgantown, WV (rivalry)

| L 23–34| 40,106| [11]

* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[12]

## Roster

[edit]

1986 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster

Players  | Coaches
Offense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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WR | `1` | Grantis Bell | Fr
RB | `3` | John Holifield | Sr
WR | `7` | John Talley | Jr
QB | `13` | Ben Reed | Jr
QB | `17` | Mike Timko | Jr
FB | `20` | Craig Taylor | So
G | `75` | John Stroia | So
OT | `79` | Brian Smider | So
TE | `81` | Keith Winn | So
WR | `82` | Calvin Phillips | So
TE | `83` | Gary Basil | Jr
Defense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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DB | `22` | Bo Orlando | So
DT | `61` | Mike Fox | Fr
DE | `87` | Renaldo Turnbull | Fr
DT | `98` | David Grant | Jr
DT | `99` | Jeff Lucas | Sr
Special teams | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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K | `8` | Charlie Baumann | So

Head coach

* Don Nehlen

Coordinators/assistant coaches

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (S) Suspended
* (I) Ineligible

* Injured
* Redshirt

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "NIU gains respect, and another loss". Chicago Tribune. September 7, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ "It wasn't pretty...but WVU will take its 24–21 victory". The Pittsburgh Press. September 14, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Maryland staggers W. Virginia". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 21, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Panthers rip West Virginia". The Lima News. September 28, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Hokies defeat West Virginia 13–7". Greensboro News & Record. October 5, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "'Canes barely break a sweat, 58–14". The Palm Beach Post. October 12, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "BC stops W. Va., 19–10". The Boston Globe. October 26, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Lions' defense stifles W. Virginia". The Daily News. November 2, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Rutgers shocked by WVa., 24–17". Daily Record. November 9, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Mountaineers thrash U of L 42–19". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 16, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "McPherson directs SU comeback, 34–23". Democrat and Chronicle. November 23, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "1986 West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2024.

* v
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* e

West Virginia Mountaineers football

Venues|

* Mountaineer Field (1924–1979)
* Milan Puskar Stadium (1980–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Cincinnati
* Marshall: Friends of Coal Bowl
* Maryland
* Old Ironsides
* Penn State
* Pittsburgh: Backyard Brawl
* Syracuse
* Virginia Tech

Culture & lore|

* The Mountaineer
* Marching band
* "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
* 2007 Backyard Brawl

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1891
* 1892
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*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number