Jeff Hostetler
October 07, 2002 10:26 AM | General
By Mickey Furfari
Mountaineer
Illustrated
Whenever
one thinks of West Virginia's 1982 football team, which is celebrating its 20th
anniversary this weekend, that terrific 41-27 upset of ninth-ranked Oklahoma
immediately comes to mind.
It came in Don Nehlen's third season as head coach and thrust his program among the nation's elite.
Jeff Hostetler, who had transferred from Penn State, made a dazzling debut as the Mountaineer quarterback that sizzling hot afternoon in Norman, Okla., completing 17 of 38 passes for a career-high 321 yards and four touchdowns.
He was named Sports Illustrated Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
"I had some anxiety about playing my first game in such a hostile environment," he recalled recently. "I didn't know exactly how we'd perform under those circumstances."
It turned out to be the most cherished conquest of his two years at WVU. "The win over Oklahoma made that '82 team," Hostetler said. "It was a big catalyst for us. It emblazoned us all.
"We were such a huge underdog, and they kept saying it could never be done," Hostetler remembered. "People out there said we were going to kill their horse because he was going to be running around the field so much (after scores) that he'd die.
"It was 113 degrees on the field. And it was a sea of red. To come out and beat 'em after we were down, I was thrilled about it. Everyone else was, too."
He lost 14 pounds during that game.
"It seemed like everything was going against us," Hostetler noted. "But we came in there in great shape, never gave up, and really put it to them. It's just a great, great memory."
What he remembers most is that after Oklahoma jumped out to a 14-0 lead, he kept urging teammates not to ease up. "I told them, 'Hey, we can move the ball on them; we can score; we just have to stay positive.'
"That was my whole focus throughout the game. Even at halftime, after we had moved ahead, I kept on saying, 'Listen, we're only halfway there. We've gotta keep on fightin'.
"There was some anxiety, but there was a lot of excitement, too, because I thought we had an opportunity to do something that nobody thought we could do."
That triumph earned West Virginia a No.19 national ranking. It finished the regular season with a 9-2 record and rated No. 10.
Florida State then defeated the Mountaineers in the Gator Bowl 31-12.
"We thought we could be a pretty good team," Hostetler said. "After Oklahoma, we knew we could. I think it kind of ingrained in us that no matter what the circumstances, if we stick together, we can do something.
"And we did."
WVU also posted victories in 1982 over Maryland 19-18, Richmond 43-10, No. 19 Boston College 20-13, Virginia Tech 16-6, East Carolina 30-3, Temple 20-17, Rutgers 44-17 and Syracuse 26-0.
No. 2 Pitt needed a fourth-quarter rally to eke out a 16-13 win at Pittsburgh. The other loss was to Penn State 24-0.
"I think a lot of it was just heart. And we worked together real well. Several teams had more talent, but we competed against them. And I think that was a sign of good players with a lot of heart and a great coaching staff."
In all, WVU posted four all-time great victories with Hostetler at the controls. The others were Pitt 24-21, Boston College 27-17 and Maryland 31-21 in his senior year
He went on to play 16 years in the NFL and had a hand in two Super Bowl wins with the New York Giants.
Hostetler and his wife, the former Vicky Nehlen, reside in Morgantown with their three sons: Jason, 17; Justin, 15; and Tyler, 11.
