The 2000 football campaign for the West Virginia Mountaineers is one that will not be forgotten anytime soon. It was a season that saw one of the true legends in coaching step down and the 16-year bowl curse lifted. A season that saw the legendary Fighting Irish of Notre Dame pay a visit to Morgantown for the first time ever, as well as the first visit from the less than legendary Idaho Vandals.
Don Nehlen surprised everyone when he announced his retirement following a 31-27 loss to Syracuse in the eighth game of the season. The winningest coach in West Virginia history finished his career with a 202-128-8 record, but most importantly he left on a winning note as the Mountaineers captured the Music City Bowl title, the first bowl win in 16 years.
The 2000 defense showed vast improvement from the 1999 version which allowed 192 rushing yards per game, thanks to the additions of linebacker Grant Wiley and safety Shawn Hackett. Wiley, a true freshman, introduced himself to the Big East with an impressive 94 tackles and two interception returns for touchdowns. Wiley earned Big East Defensive Rookie of the Year for his performance. Hackett came to WVU from Lackawanna Junior College and recorded a team-high 115 tackles from his safety position. The jarring hits and run-support Hackett provided from the secondary proved to be a vital contribution to the team’s defensive success.
After kicking off the season with wins at home over Boston College and Maryland, the Mountaineers ran into the buzz saw that was Miami. The Miami defense accounted for three touchdowns on the day, but the most crucial of them may have been Leonard Myers 25-yard interception return of an errant Brad Lewis pass. The interception gave Miami the lead and the Hurricanes never looked back and went on for the 47-10 victory.
West Virginia rebounded from the blowout loss to Miami with consecutive wins on the road against Temple and at home over Idaho. The table was set for a Thursday night prime-time showdown between the 4-1 Mountaineers and the No.2 Virginia Tech Hokies. After a hard fought first half which saw West Virginia dodge several bullets from the Hokies superstar quarterback Michael Vick, the Mountaineers entered the locker room leading 14-7. Then came the third quarter.
Andre Davis scored three touchdowns on a 30-yard run, a 64-yard pass and a 76-yard punt return as the Hokies reeled off 27 unanswered points. The Hokies went on to a 48-10 win, dropping the Mountaineers record to 4-2 on the season.
Nehlen and his team then returned home for the historic first-time visit from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The contest saw a season-high 64,424 spectators fill the stands of Mountaineer Field as Notre Dame looked to snap a seven-game road losing streak dating back to 1998. West Virginia enjoyed a 14-7 lead after the first quarter of play, but Notre Dame used big plays in the second quarter to put 21 points on the board. The Irish led 28-14 at the half and stemmed a late charge by the Mountaineers to post a 42-28 win.
Next came the Syracuse game and Nehlen’s stunning announcement. Apparently on their way to a victory leading 27-24, the Mountaineers fell victim to a late interception by cornerback Will Allen. The subsequent Orangemen drive saw freshman quarterback R.J. Anderson, making his first collegiate start, lead his team on a 13-play, 84-yard drive ending with a 13-yard touchdown pass to receiver Malik Campbell for the go-ahead score. The 31-27 loss was soon overshadowed by Nehlen’s plan of retirement.
Armed with the newfound motivation of a retiring coach, West Virginia traveled to Piscataway, N.J., for a contest with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Mountaineers were looking to break a three-game losing streak, but Rutgers would go silently. It took West Virginia two overtimes and one miraculous catch by Phil Braxton on a fourth-and-15 play to outlast Rutgers and earn Nehlen his 200th career victory.
The Mountaineers returned home after the win for the final home game of Nehlen’s illustrious career against East Carolina. Playing inspired football, West Virginia handed the Pirates a 42-24 beating and Nehlen was carried off the field by his players as a video tribute to the coach played overhead on the jumbo scoreboard. The win gave the Mountaineers six on the season and made them bowl eligible.
West Virginia received an invitation to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN, despite suffering a 38-28 loss on the road to rival Pittsburgh in the final game of the season. Nehlen was matched against SEC power Ole Miss as he tried to break the nation’s longest bowl losing streak.
The Mountaineers got out of the gates early behind the accurate arm of junior Brad Lewis. Lewis completed all seven of his first half pass attempts for 249 yards and four touchdowns as West Virginia took a 35-9 lead into the half.
Despite the big lead, West Virginia faithful had seen second half collapses too many times in the past to feel very comfortable. Shawn Terry put these fears to rest when he returned the second half kickoff 99 yards for the score and a 42-9 lead. Nehlen and company went on for a 49-38 victory and Lewis finished the game 15 of 21 for 318 yards and five touchdowns.
A new era will begin for West Virginia football when the team takes the field in 2001 with Rich Rodriguez as the head coach. Don Nehlen spent 21 years as the head man for West Virginia and posted two undefeated seasons in his tenure. Everyone that was present for the 2000 West Virginia football season should feel privileged to have witnessed the passing of a legend and the breaking of the nation’s longest bowl losing streak in the same season.