The Wisconsin Badgers visited Morgantown for the season opener. It wasn't pretty. The Badgers left town with a 24-17 win. After beating up on WVU's perennial cupcake, the East Carolina Pirates, WVU lost at home to Cincinnati. Next up was a trip to the DC area for a battle with the Maryland Terrapins. WVU forgot to show up and were sent back to Morgantown with their coonskin cap tails between their legs and a 1-3 record.
Up next was a trip to Miami, Florida to face the number two ranked Miami Hurricanes. Side Note: I just google searched their 2003 roster and found the following players: Ken Dorsey (two time Heisman Trophy finalist), Frank Gore (starting running back for the San Francisco 49ers), Willis Mcgahee (starting running back for the Baltimore Ravens), Najeh Davenport (former Pittsburgh Steelers running back), Ed Reed (2004 NFL Defensive Player of the Year), Sean Taylor (former Washington Redskins cornerback who was recently shot and killed as his home was robbed), Clinton Portis (starting tailback for the Washington Redskins), Kellen Winslow (tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Jeremy Shockey (tight end for the New Orleans Saints) and so on and so on. You get the point. These guys were a frickin' minor league team for the NFL. WVU was doomed, or so it seemed.
WVU jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter and was happy going into halftime with a 10-10 tie. They were keeping up with the number two team in the country... on their turf! Early in the fourth quarter the Hurricanes mounted a 19-10 lead. WVU followed that up with a field goal and cut the Miami lead to six. A chance is all you can ask for, right? After a few changes of possession, the WVU offense took the field for the final time. On a third and thirteen with two minutes and thirteen seconds remaining WVU quarterback Rasheed Marshall threw a screen pass to Mountaineer running back Quincy Wilson...
WVU takes the lead 20-19 with perhaps the greatest individual effort I've ever seen on a football field. He absolutely ruined 6 Miami defenders. Do me a favor and watch it again. It's worth it. The best part is at the end when he obliterates Brandon Meriweather (starting strong safety for the New England Patriots). I watched this game with my roommate and one of my best friends at our house in Morgantown. During the play our living room turned into a 3 man mosh pit. I kid you not. I remember holding up our TV so it didn't fall over during the fraycus. It was as much utter pandemonium as three 25 year old men could cause. After we regained our compsure we realized there was still more than two minutes remaining and we were indeed the Mountaineers. Miami ended up driving the length of the field and kicked a field goal as time expired to win the game 22-20. It hurt. It stung. We were so close. What a brutal way to lose a game to the #2 team in the country.
The pain from this loss quickly expired, however. This game propelled the Mountaineers to a seven game win streak and a birth in a New Year's Day bowl game. Quincy Wilson single handedly saved the 2003 season. WVU fans across the Mountain State portray Quincy Wilson as a bit of a folk hero to this day. Some people even name their cats after him...
Love it - nice to 'meet' you - Quincy :)
ReplyDeleteYay for Quincy!! (both of them!) My apartment had a similar scene after that play. A friend of mine even sprang his ankle during his touchdown celebration.
ReplyDeletethat is a hilarious picture of your cat. i love it.
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