CHESTNUT HILL, MASS., NOV. 26 -- The fifth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, playing with the nation's top-rated passer on the bench and a chance for the national title at stake, scored two touchdowns in the final eight minutes to complete an unbeaten regular season and earn a 17-14 victory over No. 11 Boston College before a crowd of 33,298 at Alumni Stadium.
The Mountaineers completed their comeback on a 24-yard pass from backup quarterback Darren Studstill to Ed Hill with 1:08 left. Then Mike Logan intercepted a 40-yard Boston College pass in the end zone on the game's final play to secure the victory.
Now for the hard part.
The Mountaineers are relegated to finger-drumming mode until the end of the weekend. Despite finishing 11-0, the surprise team of this college football season may not have a shot at the national championship.
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West Virginia is ranked behind unbeaten Nebraska and 10-1 Florida State in the all-important Bowl Coalition Poll. Thus, all the Mountaineers can do is hope Florida can defeat Florida State on Saturday. If Florida State wins, the Seminoles will face Nebraska in the Orange Bowl for the national title, barring a sudden change in the voting.
That displeases West Virginia Coach Don Nehlen, who always has been opposed to a playoff and has despised the media's voting this year.
"We won this football game," Nehlen said. "{Boston College} defeated Notre Dame at Notre Dame -- at Notre Dame -- when Notre Dame was number one. Now we come in here and play this team, at home -- where it's harder to win -- and we beat this team, that beat Notre Dame, that beat Florida State."
Nehlen became more succinct: "Now I'm not very smart because none of that matters. But in order to have the opportunity to play for the national championship, the good Lord says you've got to do every single thing for 11 straight weeks. We have done that. So has Nebraska. Nobody else in America has done that. It would be a crime for this team not to have the opportunity to play Nebraska because we're the only two undefeated teams."
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Should things not work out in West Virginia's favor, then the Mountaineers, as the Big East champion, would likely be extended a bid to either the Cotton Bowl or Sugar Bowl. Conference runner-up Miami is the likely choice to be selected for either the Fiesta, Gator or Hancock. Boston College (8-3), which had won eight straight games, would then likely go to the CARQUEST Bowl. The pairings will be announced Dec. 5 in Atlanta.
Should unbeaten Auburn, which is on probation, somehow sneak into second in the bowl coalition poll, then the Orange Bowl can choose its opponent for Nebraska.
The Mountaineers had to come back with quarterback Jake Kelchner, the nation's leader in passing efficiency, on the bench. Nehlen said Kelchner, suffering from a pulled hamstring, was not mobile enough to be effective.
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