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West Virginia’s Top 10 All-Time Wins

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West Virginia’s Top 10 All-Time Wins


Football season is just around the corner and to help you get fired up for its return, I thought we could take a look back at some of the best wins in West Virginia program history. I’m sure you will all agree exactly with all ten of my selections and the order in which they appear.

Here. We. Go.

WVU kicker Tyler Bitancurt's game-winner vs. Pitt in 2009. WVU Athletics Communications

Just two years removed from the game no one wants to talk about, West Virginia got its revenge on Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. Sure, it wasn’t a game that kept them out of a national championship, but it did keep them from going to a BCS game. Also, many of the players that were involved in that ’07 game were still in the program and were able to get their payback.

WVU RB Quincy Wilson running the ball vs. Virginia Tech. WVU Athletics Communications

The Hokies entered this matchup a perfect 6-0 and had their sights set on a national championship. No one, including the Hokies, expected a 2-4 West Virginia team to show up and dominate one of the nation’s best teams. That loss sent Virginia Tech into a spiral, losing four of its final six games. WVU would go on to win five of its last six.

WVU defeats Penn State in 1984. WVU Athletics Communications

West Virginia lost 27 straight games to Penn State in addition to one tie prior to this game. Nearly 30 years went by before the Mountaineers saw themselves on the right side of the score against the dominant Penn State Nittany Lions. This ended up being one of Joe Paterno’s worst teams, but still, this was a moment Mountaineer fans had been waiting for for almost three decades.

WVU vs. Boston College in 1984. WVU Athletics Communications

“They got Flutie!” – one of the most iconic calls by Jack Fleming. West Virginia’s defense came up strong late in the game and running back John Gay ran in the go-ahead touchdown which would ultimately be the game-winner. WVU fizzled out at the end of the season, but at the time this was a gigantic win for the Old Gold and Blue.

WVU vs. Oklahoma in 1982. ESPN.

The season-opener in 1982 was expected to be a blowout loss on the road against a top-10 Oklahoma team. The Mountaineers had a very young team and had Penn State transfer Jeff Hostetler at quarterback. That day, he made a name for himself and led WVU to a signature 41-27 win over the Sooners. Hostetler threw for 321 yards and four touchdowns that afternoon.

WVU fans storming the field after beating Miami in 199

If you have this one higher on your list, I can’t blame you. To this day, this game featured the largest crowd ever to attend a football game at Mountaineer Field with 70,222 spectators on hand. WVU ripped off nine straight wins to open the season, but this was by far their stiffest challenge yet. Miami had a loaded roster and were playing for a national title berth as well. Robert Walker’s 19-yard touchdown with six minutes and change to go was the deciding factor.

 Steve Slaton runs vs. Georgia. Christopher Gooley-USA TODAY Sports

Christopher Gooley-USA TODAY Sports

SEC speed. That’s all WVU heard about during the month of bowl prep. How could a team from the Big East hang with the speed and athleticism of Georgia? Ask the Bulldogs how this one went. The young duo of Pat White and Steve Slaton caught the nation’s attention with this Sugar Bowl win. WVU caught Georgia off guard and jumped out to a 28-0 lead just a few minutes into the second quarter. The Bulldogs battled back, but were unable to complete the comeback. Phil Brady’s fake punt rush for a first down went down as one of the top plays in program history.

Pat White (5) tries to break free from grasp of Oklahoma Sooners safety. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl is a moment Mountaineer fans will never forget. West Virginia lost out on a national championship appearance after falling to a four-win Pitt team and then shortly after, lost head coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan. WVU fans were crushed and lost so much hope in such a short amount of time. Every college football analyst picked Oklahoma to crush West Virginia because of everything the team just went through mentally. They and 84% of the country were wrong. WVU came out with a point to prove and handled the Sooners 48-28. The “leave no doubt” pregame speech from Bill Stewart gives Mountaineer fans chills to this very day.

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WVU coach Don Nehlen interviewed after beating Boston College in 1993.

Perfection is not easy. It’s happened just twice in the history of the program and this win over Boston College sealed the deal for an undefeated campaign in 1993. They had to earn this one with backup QB Darren Studstill leading the way. He engineered a 77-yard scoring drive and just as BC threatened to answer, Steve Perkins forced a fumble which was recovered by Mike Logan. Studstill threw up a jumpball to Ed Hill in the end zone who came down with the game-winning catch. WVU should have secured a spot in the national championship game once again, but a one-loss Florida State team got in instead.

WVU beats Syracuse to finish undefeated in 1988. WVU Athletics Communications

I’ll be honest, it’s very hard to peg the best win of all-time. You could make a case for really any of these victories I have listed in the top five. But I’m going with the ’88 win over Syracuse. Why? It gave West Virginia it’s first-ever perfect season. The first time you do something of that magnitude, it has to be recognized as the top moment in program history, at least until you win a national title. WVU had a fairly favorable schedule to this point in the season, but Syracuse was no slouch by any means. West Virginia silenced all the doubters pounding Syracuse and securing a spot in the Fiesta Bowl to take on Notre Dame for the national championship. The other wins were great, but can you really put anything else above the one that punched your ticket to the title game? I don’t think so.

READ MORE ABOUT WVU ATHLETICS

It’s Time to Retire Pat White’s Number

Ranking the Tip Five West Virginia QBs Since 2000

1988 vs. 2007: Who Was the Best WVU Football Team Ever?



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Annandale teen and grandmother killed in Christmas day crash

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Annandale teen and grandmother killed in Christmas day crash


A Fairfax County family is demanding justice, saying the driver who caused a crash that killed a grandmother and a high school student is out free while they’re grieving an unimaginable loss.

The Vu family, from Annandale, was at a holiday dinner on Christmas day, but on their drive home, Virginia State police say another driver rear-ended the Vu family’s van on the Beltway in Fairfax County.

Duy Cao was driving the van — her 75-year-old mother, Su Nguyen, and her 15-year-old daughter, Annie Vu, were killed.

The family said according to Virginia State police, the driver who hit them was going more than 100 miles per hour.

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“I don’t know how to, how to live,” Cao said, sitting alongside her husband An Vu, as the couple
gasped through their grief and recover from their own injuries.

There were six people in their van, and everyone was rushed to the emergency room, including their son, Annie’s brother, 12-year-old Andy.

“When he came out of it, his first question was, you know, ‘Where is Annie?’” said Kathie Vu, Annie’s godmother.

She says Annie’s brother was just released from the hospital four days ago and is struggling to cope with losing his sister and grandmother.

“My mom, the best. My mom, she came here, 11-years-old. She takes care of my children,” Cao said.

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Nguyen was a devout catholic who helped raise the kids while their parents worked. Annie was a bright student at Annandale High School, where the principal says grief counselors have been made available for students.

At the beginning of this school year, Annie introduced herself to her classmates in her AP Seminar class at Annandale High School. Her principal shared with News4 what she wrote about herself. She told her classmates to count on her to always be hard-working, respectful and collaborative. She talked about her family and how her grandmother taught her to speak some Vietnamese. She hoped to major in biology at the University of Virginia saying, “although I don’t know what to do in the healthcare field, I’m sure I want to help others.”

“The other day, I heard my brother-in-law say, ‘There will be no more Christmas now.’ They’re always going to come into this time of year thinking about what happened,” Kathie Vu said.

The Vu family is demanding answers about the man who hit their car. Virginia State Police have not released his name nor any charges. The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney says reckless driving charges were filed, but News4 hasn’t been able to confirm that via court records.

While News4 has not been able to confirm if reckless driving charges have actually been filed against the driver who allegedly caused this deadly crash, the prosecutor’s office says it is waiting for the results of a toxicology test. Once those results are back, it could determine what charges the driver might face.

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The family says that misdemeanor charge isn’t enough, they want him tried for involuntary manslaughter.

“I want everybody to pray for my mother-in-law and for my daughter so they can, you know, in heaven,” An Vu said.



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Former Oklahoma Sooners DB transferring to West Virginia

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Former Oklahoma Sooners DB transferring to West Virginia


The Oklahoma Sooners are fully in the swing of transfer portal season in early January, as they’re making additions to the roster and seeing former players land at their new schools. The portal officially opened on January 2nd, and it will be open until January 16th.

One of the latest players to find his new school is former OU defensive back Maliek Hawkins, who has committed to West Virginia. Hawkins is the son of former Oklahoma defensive back Mike Hawkins Sr., who played for the Sooners in 2002 and then played multiple years in the NFL. He’s the younger brother of former OU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who started five games in Norman over the last two seasons. Both Hawkins brothers are now headed to Morgantown, with the older Hawkins hoping to win the starting QB job, and the younger Hawkins hoping to crack the rotation at cornerback.

Hawkins was a member of Oklahoma’s 2025 recruiting class, signing with the Sooners as a three-star recruit. He played in just one game during his true freshman season, and now arrives at WVU as a package deal with his older brother.

Despite the Sooners expecting to return starters Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory at the CB spots in 2026, the portal exits of Hawkins, Devon Jordan, Gentry Williams, and Kendel Dolby have thinned the depth at that position. With Jacobe Johnson also expected to return, Oklahoma will be looking to add a key rotational cornerback or two in the transfer portal ahead of next year.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.





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Virginia state trooper injured in Beltway crash following pursuit

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Virginia state trooper injured in Beltway crash following pursuit


A Virginia State Police trooper was injured in a crash during a pursuit on Interstate 495 Sunday afternoon, according to the Virginia State Police. 

At 3:47 p.m., a trooper attempted to stop a Honda Accord for reckless driving on Interstate 495 westbound. The vehicle refused to stop, leading to a pursuit, a press release says. 

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The pursuit ended when the suspect’s vehicle exited at Van Dorn Street. The trooper terminated the pursuit to avoid a collision with another vehicle, resulting in the police vehicle going off the road and striking a tree.

Trooper’s condition and ongoing investigation

What we know:

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The trooper involved in the crash suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, according to the release. The injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The incident is still under investigation by Virginia State Police to determine the exact circumstances and any potential charges against the driver of the Honda Accord.

What we don’t know:

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The identity of the driver of the Honda Accord and whether they have been apprehended remains unknown at this time.

The Source: Information from a Virginia State Police press release.  

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