Scouting West Virginia: you may not know...

Scouting West Virginia: You May Not Know…

The Mountaineers’ 105-man roster is comprised of players from 15 different states, two foreign countries and the District of Columbia. Twenty three players come from West Virginia, while Florida ranks second with 18. Ohio is third with 14, followed by Pennsylvania with 12, Virginia with 11 and Maryland with nine. There is one South Carolinian – freshman defensive back Alex Burdette from Pawley’s Island.

Clemson and West Virginia were both members of the Southern Conference between 1950 and 1953, but they never played in football during that period.

West Virginia is making its 10th consecutive bowl appearance, which ranks as the 11th longest in the nation.

The Mountaineers have finished no worse than second in the Big East for 10 straight years.

Dating back to 1980, West Virginia has a 155-9-1 record when it scores 30 points or more.

Nine different Mountaineers have scored their first collegiate touchdowns this season.

In half their games this season, West Virginia has had at least nine different players catch passes.

West Virginia University has a main-campus enrollment of 29,300.

The West Virginia University rifle team has won 14 NCAA championships.

West Virginia has won more football games than any other FBS team that hasn’t won a national title.

West Virginia is in the process of joining the Big 12 Conference, and is in the middle of an ongoing legal battle with the Big East. WVU officials intend to join the Big 12 on July 1, 2012, while the Big East insists that the school must serve out a 27-month notice required by conference rules, which would push the date back two years.

John Denver’s ‘Country Road’ has become West Virginia University’s unofficial song, and is sung by the crowd at the conclusion of every Mountaineer home victory.

West Virginia athletic events begin with the ceremonial ‘Firing of the Rifle,’ and the Mountaineer mascot also fires the rifle whenever the football team scores.

Mountaineers’ coach Dana Holgorsen is in his first season as a head coach, but is coaching in his 12th consecutive bowl game, dating back to the 2000 Houston Bowl as a Texas Tech assistant. He was Texas Tech’s inside receivers coach when the Red Raiders routed Clemson in the 2002 Tangerine Bowl in Orlando.

West Virginia is 3-11 in bowl games against ACC opponents, and its game against Clemson will be its fourth straight against a team from the ACC. Overall, the Mountaineers have won five of their last seven meetings against ACC teams, including this year’s regular-season victory over Maryland.

Holgorsen is one of just seven coaches to guide a team to a BCS bowl in his first season as a head coach, and is joined this year by Stanford’s David Shaw, whose Cardinal will play in the Fiesta Bowl. Others include Larry Coker of Miami in the 2001 Rose Bowl, Ralph Friedgen of Maryland in the 2002 Orange Bowl, Charlie Weis of Notre Dame in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, Chris Peterson of Boise State in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, and Chip Kelly of Oregon in the 2009 Rose Bowl.

West Virginia has an all-time 13-17 record in bowl games, dating back to the 1922 East-West Game.

West Virginia is 2-0 in BCS bowl games, having beaten Georgia 38-35 in the 2006 Sugar Bowl and Oklahoma 48-28 in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.

Seven members of the Mountaineer football team all Miami home, including quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver Stedman Bailey. Smith has set new West Virginia single-season records for passes, completions and passing yardage this season, while Bailey has nearly 1,200 reception yards.

During the 2011 season, West Virginia averaged 6.4 yards on first down, 6.4 yards on second down, and 6.3 yards on third down.