West Virginia Mountaineers (NCAA Football 2004)

[superjames1992]

Larry Fitzgerald's Three Touchdowns Push Pitt Past WVU in Backyard Brawl

MORGANTOWN, WV - No. 10 Pittsburgh (8-2, 5-0) walloped West Virginia (4-6, 1-4) this evening in Morgantown 35-10. The Panthers avenged their 24-17 loss last year at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh with a dominating performance this evening at Milan Puskar Stadium.

West Virginia outgained Pittsburgh 328-280, but the Mountaineers lost the turnover battle 4-2 and also missed two field goals.

West Virginia quarterback Rasheed Marshall threw three picks. Coming into tonight's game, he had thrown just six interceptions all season. Quincy Wilson had an effective game for the Mountaineers with 98 yards rushing and a touchdown on just 13 carries, but it wasn't enough as the Mountaineers had to resort to the passing game after falling behind in the first half.

Pittsburgh got off to a quick start and went up 7-0 in the first quarter after Lousaka Polite's 1-yard fullback dive for a score. The Mountaineers came back with a touchdown of their own early in the second quarter, this one a two-yard rushing score by Quincy Wilson, to tie the game at 7-7.

Pittsburgh would begin to put some distance between them and West Virginia thereafter, though. First, Brandon Miree scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown with 2:46 remaining. Then, following Rasheed Marshall's first interception of the game in the waning seconds of the first half, quarterback Rod Rutherford found Larry Fitzgerald on a 42-yard Hail Mary to end the half and put the Panthers up 21-7.

"That was a back breaker," muttered West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez. "From there, it seemed like our passion melted away and we let [Pittsburgh] take control."

West Virginia did score a field goal to open the second half and cut the lead to 21-10, but Larry Fitzgerald made this game a legendary one for himself as he scored on 17- and 12-yard receptions over the remainder of the third quarter. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

Larry Fitzgerald ended with 134 yards receiving and three touchdown receptions. Kris Wilson also had a nice game at tight end for the Panthers with three receptions for 62 yards. Rod Rutherford threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers, but also threw two first-half picks that kept the game closer than it otherwise might have been.

The Mountaineers, now at 4-6, must win their final two games of the season against Syracuse and Temple to become bowl eligible. Even if they do win both games to close out the season, at 6-6 it is no guarantee they'll be selected for a post-season bowl. The Mountaineers have lost six of their last seven games, including four in a row.

#10 Pittsburgh 35, West Virginia 10

PITT - 07 / 14 / 14 / 00
WVU - 00 / 07 / 03 /00

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter:
(1:32) PITT: 1 yard run by FB #32 (7-0 PITT)

2nd Quarter:
(6:14) WVU: 2 yard run by Wilson (7-7)
(2:46) PITT: 2 yard run by HB #25 (14-7 PITT)
(0:00) PITT: 42 yard pass from QB #12 to WR #1 (21-7 PITT)

3rd Quarter:
(5:07) WVU: 21 yard field goal by Cooper (21-10 PITT)
(3:50) PITT: 17 yard pass from QB #12 to WR #1 (28-10 PITT)
(0:07) PITT: 12 yard pass from QB #12 to WR #1 (35-10 PITT)

4th Quarter:
(No Scoring)

Pittsburgh Panthers

QB #12: 16/27, 263 Yds, 3 TD, 2 Int
HB #25: 9 Car, 48 Yds, TD
WR #1: 7 Rec, 134 Yds, 3 TD
TE #83: 3 Rec, 62 Yds
WR #82: 3 Rec, 34 Yds

SS #31: 8 Tkl, 3 TFL, 2 Sck, Int
LOLB #44: 7 Tkl, TFL
CB #19: 6 Tkl
CB #27: 5 Tkl, TFL, Int
MLB #37: Tkl, Int

West Virginia Mountaineers

R. Marshall: 13/28, 143 Yds, 3 Int, 24 Car, 49 Yds
Q. Wilson: 13 Car, 98 Yds, TD
R. Bolden: 2 Rec, 45 Yds
M. Henderson: 3 Rec, 39 Yds
S. Beresford: 3 Rec, 37 Yds

G. Wiley: 8 Tkl, 2 TFL, 2 Sck
J. Addae: 3 Tkl, Int
B. King: 3 Tkl
L. Washington: 2 Tkl, 2 TFL, Int
A. Jones: 2 Tkl

B. Cooper: 1/3 FG, Long 21, 1/1 PAT
T. James: 4 Punts, 189 Yds, 47.2 Avg, 0 Inside 20

[superjames1992]

Week 13 Overview

Top 25
1. Ohio State (32) (11-0)
2. Oklahoma (21) (11-0)
3. Tennessee (5) (10-0)
4. Hawaii (1) (10-0)
5. Kansas State (11-1)
6. Miami (9-1)
7. Georgia (9-1)
8. Notre Dame (9-1)
9. Pittsburgh (8-2)
10. Michigan (9-2)
11. Maryland (9-1)
12. NC State (9-2)
13. Arkansas (8-2)
14. Florida State (7-4)
15. Virginia Tech (8-2)
16. Texas (8-3)
17. Boise State (9-1)
18. Nebraska (9-2)
19. Ole Miss (8-2)
20. Auburn (7-4)
21. Washington State (9-2)
22. Texas A&M (8-3)
23. Washington (7-4)
24. Oregon State (8-3)
25. Boston College (8-3)

Big East Standings
1. #6 Miami 9-1 (5-0)
2. #9 Pittsburgh 8-2 (5-0)
3. #15 Virginia Tech 8-2 (4-2)
4. #25 Boston College 8-3 (4-2)
5. Syracuse 3-6 (1-4)
6. West Virginia 4-6 (1-4)
7. Temple 3-7 (1-4)
8. Rutgers 3-7 (0-5)

[Bigsheen]

Man, Larry Fitz really torched you guys. Hasn’t been the best season in Morgantown, but looking forward to the future of Mountaineer football with Rich Rod at the helm.

This really brings back a lot of memories, not just from gaming but also the real-life counterparts.

[SilverBullet19]

Man, Fitz caused Fits... I couldn't resist the pun lol.

I used Pitt just because of Larry Fitzgerald in NCAA 04, ran with them a few years. It really brings back memories!

[superjames1992]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bigsheen

Man, Larry Fitz really torched you guys. Hasn’t been the best season in Morgantown, but looking forward to the future of Mountaineer football with Rich Rod at the helm. This really brings back a lot of memories, not just from gaming but also the real-life counterparts.

Yep, agreed. It’s also cool to see the “old” Big East in its final season before Miami and Virginia Tech left. It’s a lot of fun with the round-robin.

Larry definitely torched us, but he was the cover athlete for NCAA Football 2005 for a reason, so I’ll let it slide.

The season itself has been disappointing, as you said. The UCF loss was gut-wrenching and is a game we really shouldn’t have lost. We should be favored in our final two games, so hopefully we can qualify for a bowl game at 6-6, at least.

Quote: Originally Posted by SilverBullet19

Man, Fitz caused Fits... I couldn't resist the pun lol. I used Pitt just because of Larry Fitzgerald in NCAA 04, ran with them a few years. It really brings back memories!

LOL! Yeah, Fitzgerald was nasty. I’m glad that’s the last time we’ll have to face them!

EDIT: Well, actually, I doubt he’ll declare for the NFL draft after this season like he did in real life, so maybe not.

[superjames1992]

West Virginia Retains Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy With 24-7 Victory Over Syracuse

SYRACUSE, NY - West Virginia (5-6, 2-4) retained the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy with a 24-7 victory this afternoon at the Carrier Dome against the Syracuse Orange (3-7, 1-5). With the victory, the Mountaineers averted their seventh loss of the season, and will be bowl eligible with a victory in their regular season finale at home against Temple next Saturday.

It was an ugly outing tonight for West Virginia as they struggled offensively once again, but the Mountaineer defense stepped up in a big way, holding Syracuse to just seven offensive points while scoring a touchdown of their own.

West Virginia scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game as Rasheed Marshall scored a 21-yard rushing touchdown to put the Mountaineers up 7-0. Syracuse tied the game at 7-7 on their following drive as quarterback R.J. Anderson found Andrew Fontenette on a 28-yard strike.

The Mountaineers pulled ahead once again midway through the second quarter as Brian King intercepted Anderson and took it to the house from 79 yards out to put WVU up 14-7. In an instant, it went from Syracuse driving the ball for a go-ahead score to being down by a touchdown.

Neither team scored again until the fourth quarter as both teams struggled offensively, but Brad Cooper nailed a 23-yard field goal to extend the West Virginia lead to two scores, 17-7, with 6:02 left in the game. The Mountaineers added some insurance with Rasheed Marshall's second rushing touchdown of the game a couple minutes later to put the Mountaineers up by three scores, 24-7.

R.J. Anderson struggled for Syracuse, completing just 13/36 passes for 133 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Walter Reyes rushed for 116 yards on 15 carries, but the Orange neglected to run the ball as much as they probably should have, even though they were having success on the ground and Anderson and the passing attack were struggling.

West Virginia also struggled in the passing game. The Mountaineers amassed a season-low 47 passing yards as Rasheed Marshall completed just 6/18 passes and threw an interception, his 10th of the season. He did have success on the ground, however, rushing it 16 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Quincy Wilson also had a solid day on the ground with 61 rushing yards on 16 carries. Senior fullback Moe Fofana also returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with an injury, and made his presence felt today with 37 yards rushing on just six carries.

West Virginia will host Temple next week in both teams' season finales. With a win, the Mountaineers will finish the regular season at 6-6, including 3-4 in Big East Conference play, and will be eligible for a bowl game for the second consecutive year.

West Virginia 24, Syracuse 7

WVU - 07 / 07 / 00 / 10
SU - 07 / 00 / 00 / 00

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter:
(6:19) WVU: 21 yard run by Marshall (7-0 WVU)
(3:45) SU: 28 yard pass from QB #5 to WR #80 (7-7)

2nd Quarter:
(3:12) WVU: 79 yard interception return by King (14-7 WVU)

3rd Quarter:
(No Scoring)

4th Quarter:
(6:02) WVU: 23 yard field goal by Cooper (17-7 WVU)
(4:16) WVU: 2 yard run by Marshall (24-7 WVU)

West Virginia Mountaineers

R. Marshall: 6/18. 47 Yds, Int, 16 Car, 56 Yds, 2 TD
Q. Wilson: 16 Car, 61 Yds, Rec, 2 Yds
M. Fofana: 6 Car, 37 Yds
K. Harris: 7 Car, 23 Yds
T. Johnson: 2 Rec, 26 Yds

B. King: 7 Tkl, Int, TD
G. Wiley: 6 Tkl, 2 TFL, FR
L. Washington: 5 Tkl, FF
A. Jones: 3 Tkl, FF
B. Lynch: 3 Tkl, TFL

B. Cooper: 1/1 FG, Long 23, 3/3 PAT
T. James: 7 Punts, 328 Yds, 46.8 Avg, 0 Inside 20

Syracuse Orange

QB #5: 13/36, 133 Yds, TD, 2 Int
HB #39: 15 Car, 116 Yds
FB #43: 4 Car, 25 Yds
TE #41: 7 Rec, 55 Yds
WR #80: Rec, 28 Yds, TD

ROLB #45: 8 Tkl, 3 TFl, Sck, FF
LE #97: 5 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sck
SS #22: 5 Tkl
CB #26: 4 Tkl, TFl, Int, FF
FS #21: 4 Tkl, TFL

K #19: 0/1 FG, N/A Long, 1/1 PAT
P #47: 6 Punts, 240 Yds, 40.0 Avg, 1 Inside 20

[superjames1992]

Week 14 Overview

Top 25
1. Ohio State (34) (12-0)
2. Oklahoma (23) (12-0)
3. Tennessee (1) (11-0)
4. Hawaii (1) (11-0)
5. Kansas State (12-1)
6. Miami (10-1)
7. Georgia (10-1)
8. Notre Dame (9-1)
9. Pittsburgh (9-2)
10. Maryland (10-1)
11. Arkansas (9-2)
12. Florida State (7-4)
13. Virginia Tech (9-2)
14. Texas (8-3)
15. Michigan (9-3)
16. Nebraska (9-2)
17. Ole Miss (9-2)
18. NC State (9-3)
19. Auburn (8-4)
20. Texas A&M (8-3)
21. Washington (8-4)
22. Washington State (9-3)
23. Iowa (8-4)
24. Colorado State (10-2)
25. Southern Miss (8-3)

Big East Standings
1. #6 Miami 10-1 (6-0)
2. #9 Pittsburgh 9-2 (6-0)
3. #13 Virginia Tech 9-2 (5-2)
4. Boston College 8-4 (4-3)
5. West Virginia 5-6 (2-4)
6. Syracuse 3-7 (1-5)
7. Temple 3-8 (1-5)
8. Rutgers 3-8 (0-6)

[OliDegu2008]

You know I am most definitely following! Good luck!