The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers — led by head coach Rich Rodriguez — have a special but heartbreaking place in their fans’ hearts.
The team built itself up to a No. 2 ranking in the AP Poll heading into the final week of the season, before two missed field goals by Pat McAfee cost them a chance at a national championship in a 13-9 loss to a 28.5-point underdog Pitt.
Rich Rodriguez Thinks it Would Have Been Hard to Land Terrelle Pryor
Rodriguez left the Mountaineers after the season for Michigan, and the Mountaineers have never replicated 2007’s 11-win season since.
The 2008 offseason was interesting. Highly-hyped quarterback Terrelle Pryor was expected to be in the mix for West Virginia before eventually signing with Ohio State.
In an interview with ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Rodriguez discussed whether he could have landed Pryor in West Virginia.
“It still would have been a hard get,” Rodriguez said. “Because Ohio State they had a big brand. I think our style of play and what Pat (White) was doing drew a lot of his interest. I think it would have been phenomenal. We tried to get him at Michigan because all the quarterbacks had left there.”
Instead, Pryor ended up terrorizing Rodriguez and the Wolverines. While he only racked up 407 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions in three appearances in “The Game,” he was a winner in all three, at an average of 25.3 points per game.
KEEP READING: Rich Rodriguez Comes Home: Inside His Emotional Return to Morgantown, Championship Dreams and Changes After 17 Years
Rodriguez was fired by Michigan after the 2010 season. He eventually took the Arizona job in 2012 until being fired in 2017. Rodriguez returned to the Mountaineers this winter for a second stint following the firing of Neal Brown.
West Virginia fans are hoping he can recreate his magic.
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