MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – When word came down last Sunday afternoon that West Virginia was playing Syracuse once again in the 2018 Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Florida, at least one dude's systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings began to rise.
 
Former Mountaineer defensive back Michael Collins will readily admit that he still doesn't care too much for anything Syracuse. He didn't care too much for Syracuse back in 1992, nor in 2002, nor in 2012 the last time we talked before the two schools played in the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City.
 
You see, Collins bore the brunt of the biggest miscarriage of justice in Milan Puskar Stadium history. 
 
What transpired that sunny, October afternoon in 1992 was far worse than anything we've seen in the subsequent 26 years since it happened. The seven refs working the Syracuse game that day screwed things up so royally that Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen used the word "crime" numerous times during his very brief postgame press conference to describe what he saw.
 
The controversy began with less than three minutes to play in a very physical, very emotional game the 24^th-ranked Mountaineers were leading 17-13 over the 14^th-rated Orange.
 
Syracuse had the football at its own 18 when quarterback Marvin Graves took off on an option run to the far side of the field toward the Orange bench.
 
West Virginia cornerback Tommy Orr collided with Graves along the sideline and knocked him deep into the bench area. Graves, believing the hit was late and unnecessary, got up and bounced the football off the back of Orr's helmet. 
 
Then, Syracuse assistant coach Kevin Rogers ran down and grabbed Orr. What began as some pushing, shoving and name-calling turned into an all-out fist fight once Rogers got involved.
 
The entire West Virginia team ran across the field to join in the melee. 
 
Underneath them all, trying to cover the exposed parts of his body without protective padding was Collins, who ended up getting thrown out of the game for getting pummeled by five different Syracuse players – all wearing jersey numbers 70 and higher!
 
"There were four guys stomping on me and another guy trying to pull my helmet off so they could kick me in the head," Collins recalled six years ago. "About that time, miraculously, a couple of guys from our bench came over and helped me right as they were about to pull my helmet off!"
 
When order was eventually restored and both teams were escorted to their respective benches, the Big East officiating crew, led by John Soffey, had to sort things out - without the benefit of instant replay.
 
First, they determined that Graves was guilty of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which required a 15-yard walk off.
 
Then, both teams were assessed offsetting penalties for fighting and three West Virginia defensive starters – Collins, cornerback Leroy Axem and defensive end Tom Briggs - were thrown out of the game.
 
Realizing someone from Syracuse needed to be tossed as well, the officials eventually settled on "obscure" offensive lineman Ken Warren.
 
"Obscure" was the word the New York Times used to describe him.
 
"Who the hell was he?" Collins laughed. "Obviously, he was one of their better players."
 
When Warren's jersey number 65 was announced as the only Syracuse player ejected, reporters covering the game in the press box converged on longtime SU sports information director Larry Kimball.
 
Warren wasn't even listed on the flipcard provided to the media to help them identify players.
 
Kimball went through something like this once before during a basketball game in Morgantown 22 years prior at the old Field House. Syracuse center Bill Smith actually took a swing at a referee late in the game, which nearly caused a full-scale riot that required a premature ending with a minute still left to play.
 
Syracuse had to have a police escort out of town after the game.
 
This time, a much older and more seasoned Kimball swatted away his inquisitors like flies, "I don't know who he is so leave me the hell alone!" he growled.
 
When order was finally restored on the field and play resumed, West Virginia's defense stopped Syracuse on its next two plays, bringing up a fourth-and-9 at the Orange 26-yard line. 
 
Then, a Graves pass over the middle sailed high of tight end Chris Gedney, and the Mountaineer players began celebrating what they thought was a game-winning defensive stop.
 
Then dropped a late flag.
 
Linebacker Matt Taffoni was called for pass interference, giving the Orange a fresh set of downs at the 31.
 
Soon the mood in the stadium turned dark, many fans harboring conspiratorial thoughts of the Big East taking care of one of its founding members over the Johnny-come-lately Mountaineers.
 
Two plays after the pass interference penalty, Graves completed a 38-yard pass to Gedney to the WVU 17, and then he went right back to his tight end on the very next play for the game-winning touchdown with just 51 seconds remaining.
 
The guy who would have been responsible for guarding Gedney (Collins) was out of the game, as was the guy who was having great success getting pressure on Graves (Briggs).
 
The Syracuse loss ended up costing West Virginia a chance to go to a bowl game that season, which Collins believed played a factor in the Mountaineers' 41-7 defeat to Florida in the 1994 Sugar Bowl.
 
"Looking back on it now, one of the biggest things that hurt us in the bowl game against Florida was the fact that none of us had actually ever played in a bowl game and we never had the bowl experience," Collins explained. "I'm not saying we would have won the Sugar Bowl, but we would have had a much different mentality had we made a bowl game the year before."
 
Syracuse ended up catching fire following the WVU win by capturing four of its five remaining regular season games and defeating Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl to complete an outstanding 10-2 season, one of only six 10-win campaigns in Syracuse history.
 
By the way, a 10-win season is something this year's Orange team is gunning for with a victory over West Virginia down in Orlando later this month.
 
Collins, who now resides in Minneapolis, recalled once running into former Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress at a community function. Childress noticed that Collins was wearing the Flying WV and struck up a conversation.
 
"So you are from West Virginia, huh? Some of my coaches say that place is crazy!" Childress said.
 
"Which coach?"
 
"Kevin Rogers," Childress answered.
 
"No $#@! he would say that," Collins replied. "That guy once started a bench-clearing brawl at our place!"
 
It kind of makes you see orange, too, doesn't it?