West Virginia not ready
to give up on its dream
MORGANTOWN. W Va
(API — West Virginia, which
has been healing the odds all
season, will have to hope for a
mirac 1« if it hopes to win its
first national title
But the Mountaineers
believe miracles can happen
"Our season was |ust a great
feeling." receiver Jn\ Kearney
said. "Any time you can go 11
t). you have to lie proud of
yourself... It didn't make a dif
ference who we played or how
had we played.
"In the end. a true champion
w ill find a way to puli out all
victories "
Finding a way to win the
national championship will
certainly be a test of that theo
ry.
The Mountaineers were
ranked third in The Associat
ed Press poll Sunday, set ond
in the USA Today-CNN poll,
and. most importantly, third in
the howl coalition tabulations
That means Nebraska 111 -0).
top-ranked in the coalition,
and Florida State (1 I 1). No 1
m the combined poll, probably
will play in the Orange Him I
in what is being called the
national championship game
Not even a big win over No
7 Texas A&M (10-1) in the Cot
ton Bowl, which is the almost
certain destination for West
Virginia on New Year’s Day.
might be enough for the Moun
taineers.
But backup quarterback Par
ren Studstill said his team
mates aren't done, just like
they weren't when they trailed
Boston College 14-3 in the
fourth quarter of Friday’s
game, nor when they were
behind Miami late in the game
the previous week
"People say we don’t put up
the points like Florida State or
the other teams." Studstill
said. "But when our backs are
against the wall, we come
through.
"We might not be the best
individual talents, we might
not have the Charlie Wards ol
Florida State, the receivers or
the Derrick Brooks, hut on the
field, pound-for-pound. I think
wo art' the best team in the
nation. Wo iust have a w ill to
no! quit this yoar "
West Virginia, the Hig East
champion. has come much far
ther than expected The Moun
taineers ret eived only three
votes in The A P's preseason
poll, with Hig East teams Syra
cuse. Miami anti Boston (a>I■
lt<ge all getting more support
‘ Hut we plated everybody
tough Kearney said West
Virginia wanted to show peo
ple that we should get respet t
We've gained a little respet t
hut not the respect an 1 1 -0
team should get."
(amt h Don N'ehlen agreed
“This senior class has been
outstanding." Nehlen said
"They ve worked hard and
tried to do a great job for us, so
I have nothing but good things
to sav about tins team
"Every single thing yve
asked them to tin. they did
And that’s the tough tiling
about the polls You ask kids
to do every thing, and they do
it and then they're not reward
ed. It makes it diffii ult
"I've always lieen under the
assumption in athletics that
your second chance comes
next year, not this year,' he
said, apparently referring to
Florida State's loss to Notre
Dame this season
While Nehlen didn't men
tion the Seminoies by name,
Kearney did.
"I think (the poll voters)
wanted Florida State to win
the national championship at
the beginning of the year and
didn’t think Notre Dame could
do it." Kearney said
"And then Notre Dame heat
them, and they didn't drop
them too far after the loss
(The voters) kept them in the
national championship race,
even yvhen they lost to Notre
Dame "
Hut Kearney said West Vir
ginia can’t dwell on its disap
pointment too long.
"i think the team will just
have to forget about it be< ause
if yve don't, we will lose in the
boyvl game." be said.
1
Top Five Reasons
to Attend Talk by
5. It’s better than studying for a final
4. He once opened for Pearl Jam
3. He isn’t William F. Buckley
2. He isn’t H. Ross Perot
1. You might learn something
William Raspberry, syndicated columnist for
The Washington Post, will speak on
Friday, Dec. 3, at 3:30 p.m. in the EMU Ballroom.
He will be available for a student question and
answer period from 11:30 until 12:30 that day.
Both events are free.
Sponsored by VO College of Education
Bowls, polls, ‘Noles and coalitions
At’) Florida State h.null'd West \ oginia its
first loss of tho stsisuit Sunday Th«* defeat mine in
the polls. however, not ott the field.
The Seminoles edged the Mountaineers hv t>‘l
points in the i ninhirted Assov i.ited Press and I SA
Today l NN polls, setting up a probable Orange
Bowl showdown between Florida State and
Nebraska for the national title
The AP media poll ranked Florida Slate No 1.
Nebraska No. 2 and West Virginia No. t I he t SA
Todav-t NN i oai lies' poll had Nebraska first, fol
lowed In West Virginia and Florida State
In the combined polls, which determine the
major how I man hups, the order w as Nebr ask a (l 1
0). Florida State (1 11) and West Virginia (lit*)
Since No l\s No 2 games are mandated by the
howl coalition when possible. Nebraska will plav
Florida State in the Orange Howl |an 1 if both
teams hold their positions in the last i omhtned
poll, to be released next Sunday Nebraska. Finn
da State and West Virginia have t ompleted their
regular seasons so there s little i ham e of a ma|or
shift ill the polls next week
It Florida State meets Nebraska in the Orange
Howl, West Virginia will go to the (lot ton Howl
and plot No ' 1 ex,is A\ M (lot) He< ause V\ est
Virginia Is No .1 ill the I o.u lies poll, the Moult
tameers might win a share of the national title if
F lorida State beats Nebraska
M,ivbe there d be a < o championship who
knows 1 said West Virginia i n.u It Don Nehlen
yvho has lobbied hard to get his team in the Orange
Howl
I iorida State coach Bobbv Bowden said the
Seminoles deserve a shot at the title liecause thev
probably plaved the most difficult si heiltile in the
country The Seminoles' opponents have a ■ uni
bitted rei ord of compared to ">n t, t 2 tor
West Virginia's foes
I have no animosity toward Don Nehlen, and I
know he doesn't have any toward me Bowden
said "Hut we've got to get our point across And
mine is one thing strength of si heilule
Florida State and West Virginia staked their
claims to a title game over the holidav weekend bv
healing highlv ranked opponents The Seminoles
heat No n Florida 13-21 Saturday, snapping the
Ciotors 21-game home w inning streak t he Moun
taineers won 17-14 on the road Friday against No
t ", Boston College, whn li upset Notre Dame two
weeks ago.
We had a perfect season, and
it's very difficult for our kids to
understand how the bowl
coalition works.'
Don Nehlen,
Hcsf Virginia conch
Nehlen’s 1 ampaign for .1 game against Nebraska
almost paid off The Mountaineers rose from No 5
to No i m tho A I’ poll mul 1 limbod from No I to
No .1 m UNA Today ( NX, but thin remained
behind Florida State in tin* i ombined polls
Although bt> nils disappointed b\ tin' poll
results, Nohlen said ho wasn't going to got upset
ovor tin* sittintion
Uo bail a pertei t soason. and it s vory difficult
lor our kills to undorstand how tin* bowl coalition
works, ospoi tally u lion tin* 1 oai bos votod us No.
7." Nolilon said. "Hut thorn's no way I'm going to
got l»*iit out ol sho|io Im*i miso wo got a < ham o to go
to a groat bow l ami plat a groat football loam."
Nebraska 1 oai h l oin ( kborno said Saturday ho
would prefer to plat West Virginia in the Orange
How l Chat's understandable considering that tho
( ornbuskers bat e lost bow I games to I lorida State
three times ut the past sis sears
"Ideally, you'd like to plat another si bool from
1 similar t Innate that plat ■ on Astroturf and Inis
the same logistu s problems of getting everybody
transported dost 11 there ( kborno said "Hut ifsve
don't plat West Virginia, it isn't going to happen
I lorida State rei oived 47 first plai e votes in the
A I’ poll, while the rest went to Nebraska (17).
Auburn (71 uni West Virginia (I) In the 1 ouches'
poll Nebraska got 4 I first-plat e votes, followed lit
Florida Stale 110) West V irginia («) and Notre
I fame (1)
Nn 4 Auburn (11 0) is the only undefeated team
besides Nebraska and West Virginia, but the Tigers
are barred from postseason plat bei ause of N't AA
probation
II Nebraska and West Virginia lose their bowl
games. Auburn probably would finish No 7
behind Florida State in the Al' poll licit would
give Hobby Bowden and his son. Auburn coat h
Terry Bowden, the first 17 family linisli in the
poll
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