The Mountaineers that afternoon put up plenty of resistance against college football’s No. 1 team and its best player, Tony Dorsett.
In fact, if not for a late hit on Dorsett by West Virginia’s Robin Meeley and Dorsett’s response – he threw the ball at Meeley’s head, triggering a bench-clearing brawl - Dorsett would have had an NCAA-record-tying three straight 200-yard rushing performances to his credit. (It was later pointed out to me by a Penn State fan after reading my book “The Backyard Brawl” that Nittany Lion John Cappelletti had already accomplished the feat).