The 1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 91st overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his fourth year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of 9âÂÂ3 and defeated Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Jeff Hostetler was the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers. He led the team with 2345 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. Leading the team in rushing was Tom Gray with 498 net yards. Rich Hollins led the team in receiving with 50 receptions for 781 yards. Paul Woodside was also a reliable commodity for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineer offense was rolling after its first two games. They had beaten their first two opponents by a combined 103âÂÂ10 score, with a 55âÂÂ3 win over Ohio, and a 48âÂÂ7 win over Pacific. Their first test of the season came on the road against #17 Maryland, where the Mountaineers emerged victorious 31âÂÂ21. The next week, the Mountaineers played on the road, against a second straight ranked opponent in #19 Boston College. Again, the Mountaineers emerged victorious 27âÂÂ17. They then avenged a 13âÂÂ16 loss at Pittsburgh the year before, by beating the Panthers 24âÂÂ21 at home. The next week, they posted a second consecutive win over a major rival by shutting out Virginia Tech 13âÂÂ0 at home. The win moved WVU's ranking up to 3rd in the major polls. The Mountaineers were beaten at Penn State, the next week, ruining their national title hopes. It is very possible, that had the Mountaineers won that, they would be playing for the national championship. They were still hung over the week after, losing to Miami 20âÂÂ3, giving them 2 straight losses. WVU came back with a 27âÂÂ9 win over Temple, and a 35âÂÂ7 win over Rutgers. They lost at Syracuse the next week 27âÂÂ16, and closed out the season with a 20âÂÂ16 win over Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Bowl.