Virginia Tech–West Virginia football rivalry

Virginia Tech Hokies

West Virginia Mountaineers

First meeting

November 16, 1912

Latest meeting

October 1, 2005

Next meeting

September 2, 2017

Trophy

Black Diamond Trophy

Statistics

Meetings total

All-time series

West Virginia leads, 28–22–1

The Virginia Tech–West Virginia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Virginia Tech Hokies and West Virginia Mountaineers. They met 51 times between 1912 and 2005. The two teams played as conference foes from 1991 to 2003 as members of the Big East Conference (1979–2013). They met every year from 1973–2005. The Black Diamond Trophy is the trophy that goes to the winner of the game. It was introduced in 1997 and was meant to symbolize the Appalachian region’s rich coal heritage (the phrase "black diamond" is often used as a term for coal.)

Virginia Tech held the trophy in six of the nine years in which it was contested, but West Virginia leads the series 28–22–1. The last game was played on October 1, 2005, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Virginia Tech won 34–17.

History

Early games

The first game took place in 1912, but they started playing consecutively in 1973. When head coach Frank Beamer began leading the Hokies to success in the 1990s, the rivalry soon elevated.

The first big game of the rivalry came in 1974. Both teams were wrapping up losing seasons in Blacksburg, but neither thought the game would be so hard fought. Former West Virginia head coach Bobby Bowden even received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against him for arguing a personal foul that cost the Mountaineers 30 yards. The game featured a 99-yard interception return and an 85-yard touchdown run for Artie Owens and the Mountaineers. The Hokies had two chances to hit a game-winning field goal, after a penalty on West Virginia, but missed both and lost 22–21. Only a year later, West Virginia picked up a hard-fought 10–7 win which ended with a Mountaineer game-winning field goal.

In 1979, West Virginia capped one of the greatest comebacks in the rivalry's history. Down 23–6 at halftime, the Mountaineers rallied behind quarterback Oliver Luck and his four second-half touchdowns to pull out a 34–23 come-from-behind victory.

1980s

After West Virginia pulled off the comeback in 1979, the Hokies up-ended new head coach Don Nehlen at West Virginia. The Hokies, who eventually made it to the Peach Bowl, thrashed the legendary coach's team 34–11. Virginia Tech runningback Cyrus Lawrence ran for 173 yards, the most ever by a Virginia Tech back in the series. A defensive struggle in 1984 also highlighted the early 80s contests. The game was won by the Mountaineers 14–7, despite being outgained 339–240 by Virginia Tech.

In 1988, en route to the first undefeated regular season in school history, West Virginia won against the Hokies 22–10. In the hardest game for the Mountaineers in that season, West Virginia battled six turnovers and 13 penalties to win. Former head coach Don Nehlen said about playing in Blacksburg, “Playing here is like airplane landings – any one you can walk away from is a good one.” The following year, 1989, West Virginia lost a dramatic game to the Hokies, 12–10. The win was the first for Virginia Tech in Morgantown since 1967 and the first time that the Hokies defeated a ranked Mountaineer team who was coming off of the undefeated '88 season.

1990s

In 1991, Virginia Tech overcame the odds to beat West Virginia 20–14. Heavy rain, a 50-minute lightning delay, and a late offensive surge by the Mountaineers threatened Virginia Tech's win. But when the Mountaineers fumbled on a one-yard line handoff with 16 seconds left, the Hokies came away with the win.

West Virginia handed the Hokies payback for the '91 contest in 1993, when they again ended the season undefeated. The Mountaineers pulled out a 14–13 win, despite five turnovers and a late Virginia Tech field goal attempt (which sailed wide right). Head coach Frank Beamer, on the hot seat, saved his job by leading the Hokies to the Independence Bowl. The 1994 game was the first to be televised by ESPN. The game was a 34–6 win for the #14-ranked Hokies and began a winning span of three years by a combined score of 92–20.

In 1997, West Virginia ended Virginia Tech's three-year winning streak in front of 64,000 fans and a CBS television audience (the first of the series). The Mountaineers won 30–17 behind Amos Zereoue's 153 rushing yards and Marc Bulger's passing and rushing touchdowns.

One of the greatest wins in the series by the Hokies came in 1999. With Marc Bulger out for the Mountaineers, and freshman sensation Michael Vick at quarterback for the #3 Hokies, Virginia Tech won 22–20 in dramatic fashion. West Virginia scored the go-ahead touchdown to put them up 20–19 with 1:15 left. However, Vick led the Hokies on a dramatic drive, highlighted by a key 26-yard scramble down the sideline when it appeared he would run out-of-bounds. Shayne Graham then hit the game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired to preserve Virginia Tech's undefeated season and keep their national title hopes alive. They also moved up a spot, as Minnesota upset then-#2 Penn State 24–23 on a 32-yard field goal by Dan Nystrom as time expired in Happy Valley to become bowl-eligible earlier in the day.

2000s

The following season after Michael Vick's dramatic comeback for the Hokies, Virginia Tech again came back to beat West Virginia. After leading 14–7 in the third quarter, the Mountaineers collapsed. Andre Davis, Tech's speedy receiver, scored on a 30-yard reverse, a 64-yard pass and a 76-yard punt return in the span of six minutes to lead the Hokies to a 48–20 victory. 41 of Tech's 48 points came in the second half, which was a school record.

In 2003, the #3 Hokies came into Morgantown and were upset 28–7. The Hokies had beaten Syracuse 51–7 previously, while West Virginia was 2–4. The game featured a 93-yard pass by Rasheed Marshall to give the Mountaineers a 21–7 lead. Marshall also scored the last touchdown on a four-yard run. West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez said “that may have been the most electric crowd that I’ve seen since I’ve been back here. My wife said everybody stood up and yelled from the start until the finish of that game.”

In 2004, the Hokies got revenge for their upset the season before. The #6-ranked Mountaineers lost 19–13 in Blacksburg to a key field goal block that was taken back 74 yards to give the Hokies a 13–0 lead. The last game of the rivalry came in 2005, when Virginia Tech, led by Marcus Vick, dominated West Virginia 34–17 and became the only team to top them in the 2005 season.

Leading up to their 2012 game against James Madison at FedEx Field, then West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck indicated a similar neutral site meeting could be possible between West Virginia and Virginia Tech. "In my discussions with (athletic director) Jim Weaver, our only opportunity to play a Virginia Tech might be this kind of game (referring to their game against James Madison) because they are not really interested in a home-and-home," Luck said. "It's less of a commitment."^[1]

In May 2013, Luck stated with the implementation of a College Football Playoff replacing the Bowl Championship Series in regards scheduling out-of conference opponents:

“I would love to get Pitt back on the schedule, I would love to get (Virginia) Tech back on the schedule, I would to get UVA back on the schedule, another school that we used to play a lot, and even Penn State,” Luck said. “Is that possible? Well, it takes two to tango, but I think the good news is we will see some stronger non-conference schedules as we go forward.”^[2]

On July 3, 2013 the two schools announced that the series would resume with a home-and-home series beginning on September 18, 2021 in Morgantown and concluding the next year on September 24, 2022 in Blacksburg.^[3] Also, on July 15, 2014, the two schools announced a neutral site game at FedEx field in Landover, Maryland will be played on September 2, 2017.^[4]

The future of the Black Diamond Trophy was uncertain following both schools' move from the Big East. Virginia Tech has confirmed that the Black Diamond Trophy will be up for grabs in the 2017, 2021, and 2022 games.^[5]

Game results

Virginia Tech victories	West Virginia victories	Tie games

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	November 16, 1912	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	41–0
2	November 13, 1915	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	19–0
3	October 14, 1916	Charleston, WV	West Virginia	20–0
4	November 10, 1917	Huntington, WV	West Virginia	27–3
5	November 15, 1952	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	27–7
6	November 7, 1953	Bluefield, WV	#7 West Virginia	12–7
7	September 28, 1957	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	14–0
8	October 25, 1958	Richmond, VA	West Virginia	21–20
9	November 14, 1959	Morgantown, WV	Virginia Tech	12–0
10	September 24, 1960	Richmond, VA	Virginia Tech	15–0
11	October 7, 1961	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	28–0
12	September 29, 1962	Richmond, VA	West Virginia	14–0
13	November 16, 1963	Morgantown, WV	Virginia Tech	28–3
14	October 17, 1964	Blacksburg, VA	West Virginia	23–10
15	November 6, 1965	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	31–22
16	October 1, 1966	Blacksburg, VA	Tie	13–13
17	October 28, 1967	Morgantown, WV	Virginia Tech	20–7
18	October 26, 1968	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	27–12
19	September 22, 1973	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	24–10
20	November 23, 1974	Blacksburg, VA	West Virginia	22–21
21	October 25, 1975	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	10–7
22	October 30, 1976	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	24–7
23	November 12, 1977	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	20–14
24	October 14, 1978	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	16–3
25	November 3, 1979	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	34–23
26	November 1, 1980	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	34–11

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
27	October 17, 1981	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	27–6
28	October 16, 1982	Blacksburg, VA	#13 West Virginia	16–6
29	October 15, 1983	Morgantown, WV	#4 West Virginia	13–0
30	September 15, 1984	Blacksburg, VA	West Virginia	14–7
31	October 5, 1985	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	24–9
32	October 4, 1986	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	13–7
33	November 7, 1987	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	28–16
34	October 1, 1988	Blacksburg, VA	#7 West Virginia	22–10
35	October 7, 1989	Morgantown, WV	Virginia Tech	12–10
36	October 6, 1990	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	26–21
37	October 5, 1991	Morgantown, WV	Virginia Tech	20–14
38	September 26, 1992	Blacksburg, VA	West Virginia	16–7
39	October 2, 1993	Morgantown, WV	#25 West Virginia	14–13
40	September 22, 1994	Blacksburg, VA	#14 Virginia Tech	34–6
41	October 28, 1995	Morgantown, WV	Virginia Tech	27–0
42	November 23, 1996	Blacksburg, VA	#17 Virginia Tech	31–14
43	October 25, 1997	Morgantown, WV	#21 West Virginia	30–17
44	October 31, 1998	Blacksburg, VA	#20 Virginia Tech	27–13
45	November 6, 1999	Morgantown, WV	#3 Virginia Tech	22–20
46	October 12, 2000	Blacksburg, VA	#3 Virginia Tech	48–20
47	October 6, 2001	Morgantown, WV	#6 Virginia Tech	35–0
48	November 20, 2002	Blacksburg, VA	West Virginia	21–18
49	October 22, 2003	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	28–7
50	October 2, 2004	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	19–13
51	October 1, 2005	Morgantown, WV	#3 Virginia Tech	34–17
Series: West Virginia leads 28–22–1

References

↑ http://dailymail.com/Sports/WVUSports/201209140071
↑ "A playoff system could change how schedules are made". Bluefield Daily Telegraph.
↑ "WVU, VT to renew football series". Beckley Register-Herald.
↑ "WVU Adds Virginia Tech to 2017 Slate – WVU Athletics". WVUsports.com.
↑ "Virginia Tech, West Virginia to Open 2017 Season at FedExField". FBSchedules.com.

Virginia Tech Hokies football

Venues	Sheib Field (1894–1901) Gibboney Field (1902–1908) Miles Field (1909–1925) Miles Stadium (1926–1964) Lane Stadium (1965–present) Victory Stadium (alternate, 1942–1971)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Boston College Georgia Tech Miami Virginia (Commonwealth Cup) West Virginia (Black Diamond Trophy) VMI (former)

Culture & lore	HokieBird "Tech Triumph" The Marching Virginians

People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

West Virginia Mountaineers football

Venues	Mountaineer Field (1924–1979) Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium (1980–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Marshall Maryland Penn State Pittsburgh Syracuse Virginia Tech

Culture & lore	The Mountaineer Marching band "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Rivalries of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference	O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy (Boston College–Clemson) Boston College–Notre Dame Boston College–Syracuse Boston College–Virginia Tech Clemson–Florida State Clemson–Georgia Tech Textile Bowl (Clemson–NC State) Duke–North Carolina basketball/overall Victory Bell (Duke–North Carolina football) Duke–NC State Duke–Wake Forest Florida State–Miami Florida State–Virginia Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech Miami–Virginia Tech North Carolina–NC State overall North Carolina–NC State North Carolina–Wake Forest NC State–Wake Forest South's Oldest Rivalry (North Carolina–Virginia) Pittsburgh–Syracuse Virginia–Virginia Tech Commonwealth Cup (Virginia–Virginia Tech football)

Non-conference	Boston College–Harvard men's basketball rivalry Auburn–Clemson Auburn–Georgia Tech Green Line Rivalry (Boston College–Boston U) Boston College–Holy Cross Commonwealth Classic (Boston College–UMass basketball) Boston College–UMass Clemson–Georgia Clemson–South Carolina Colgate–Syracuse Connecticut–Notre Dame (women's basketball) Duke–Maryland (basketball) Duke–Michigan (basketball) Florida–Florida State The Keg of Nails (Cincinnati–Louisville) Kentucky–Louisville overall Governor's Cup (Kentucky–Louisville football) Louisville–Memphis Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate (Georgia–Georgia Tech) Georgia Tech–Tennessee Georgia Tech–Tulane Maryland–Virginia Florida–Miami Miami–Nebraska NC State–South Carolina North Carolina–South Carolina NC State–East Carolina Notre Dame–UCLA basketball River City Rivalry (Cincinnati–Pittsburgh) City Game (Pittsburgh–Duquesne) Penn State–Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl (Pittsburgh–West Virginia) Georgetown–Syracuse Penn State–Syracuse Syracuse–West Virginia Virginia Tech–West Virginia VMI–Virginia Tech

Notre Dame football rivalries	Georgia Tech–Notre Dame Miami–Notre Dame Notre Dame–Pittsburgh

Big 12 Conference football rivalry games

Conference	Baylor–TCU Baylor–Texas Tech Bedlam Series (Oklahoma–Oklahoma State) Texas–Texas Tech Red River Showdown (Oklahoma–Texas) Kansas–Kansas State Iowa State–Kansas State TCU–Texas Tech Oklahoma State–Texas Tech

Non-conference	Arkansas–Texas Battle of the Brazos (Baylor–Texas A&M) Border War (Kansas–Missouri) Iowa–Iowa State Iowa State–Missouri Missouri–Oklahoma Nebraska–Oklahoma Nebraska–Texas SMU–TCU TCU–Texas A&M Texas A&M–Texas Tech Texas–Texas A&M Friends of Coal Bowl (Marshall–West Virginia) Maryland–West Virginia Penn State–West Virginia Syracuse–West Virginia Virginia Tech–West Virginia Backyard Brawl (Pittsburgh–West Virginia)

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