Column - My most memorable moments as a WVU student

It has truly been a wild ride for the class of 2012. The last four years have been both devastating and exhilarating for West Virginia fans. The last four years have seen some incredible performances by some of the most talented athletes ever to wear the old gold and blue. Here are my most memorable moments of the last four years.

 

Senior Year – The 2012 Orange Bowl

Seniors waited a long time for this one.

After two BCS bowl wins in three years, expectations were high as the class of 2012 entered. In three straight 9-4 seasons, those expectations were simply never met and ugly losses always outweighed the victories.

Although some of these issues arose this season as well, things seemed to finally go in the right direction at season's end, culminating a nationally televised, record-shattering Orange Bowl explosion over Clemson. As WVU became the water-cooler topic of the next 24 hours, it was the gridiron moment Mountaineer fans had been waiting for.

Now, seniors can walk across the stage and receive their diploma worry-free, knowing (or at least believing) that this program is headed in the right direction.

Honorable Mentions – Joining the Big 12, Women's soccer second consecutive Big East title, Men's soccer defeating No. 1 Connecticut, Football comeback win vs. Pitt, Stewart/Holgorsen saga.

 

Junior Year – Thundering comeback in Huntington

Quarterback Geno Smith was making only his second career star, and Doc Holliday was in his second game after leaving his position as recruiting coordinator and associate head coach at West Virginia to become the head man at rival Marshall University.

The Hurricane, W.Va. native had his team one quarter away from knocking off their big brother and rival for the first time in school history. Meanwhile, WVU was less than 10 minutes away from an embarrassing first loss to Marshall in school history.

With Marshall up 21-6 and in possession of the ball following a Smith fumble, the situation appeared helpless and the game was all but in hand. Then Marshall coughed the ball up back in the hands of West Virginia. This time, WVU held the ball and Smith led the Mountaineers to 96-and 98-yard scoring drives with a two point conversion to cap regulation and send the game to overtime.

Freshman kicker Tyler Bitancurt put WVU up first in the first overtime, and the Mountaineer defense sealed the victory in the end, forcing a three and out to set up a missed Marshall field goal.

All things considered, the game was over, and in the minds of many WVU fans, the season was over. Then, 10 minutes later, the game was won and the season was saved in one of the most improbable comebacks in West Virginia history.

Honorable Mentions – 35-10 win at Pitt with Nike Pro Combat uniforms, Casey Mitchell-led comeback vs. Louisville, Win and court rush vs. Purdue, Rifle team and individual air rifle championship

 

Sophomore Year – The 2010 Big East Tournament Run

The magic began early in the season when Da'Sean Butler prevented a colossal collapse against Cleveland State with a last second lay-up. Then, it continued to grow as Marquette, Louisville and Villanova all fell at the hands of WVU's star forward.

Next was the unbelievable final second bank-shot 3 pointer to edge Cincinnati in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. The next nerve-racking win came in the semifinal matchup with Notre Dame, which saw Irish guard Tory Jackson narrowly miss a game winning three. Finally, Butler did it again with a heart-stopping jumper in the waning seconds against Georgetown to secure WVU's first Big East men's basketball title.

Watching Butler, Devin Ebanks, and the squad that seemed to have an unbreakable will to win is something I will never forget. The defense, the rebounds, the black uniforms and all the last minute magic are just a few of the factors that make this run unforgettable.

The sweat-inducing, nail-biting victories set the Big East run apart from WVU's first Final Four run since 1959 that went through No. 1 seed Kentucky and ended in Indianapolis in front of 71,298 fans.

Honorable Mention – Final Four run, Men's soccer season opener vs. UC-Santa Barbara setting an attendance record, Tyler Bitancurt's game winning kick vs. Pitt at home, Football vs. UConn after death of Jasper Howard.

 

Freshman Year – Pat Whiteout

It was cold. The kind of cold snowy weather that makes the weather for this season's Bowling Green game feel warm and comfortable. Snow fell throughout the day, and temperatures dipped below freezing for senior night under the lights.

It was Pat White's final game and rival USF was in town, so nearly 50,000 Mountaineer fans dressed in white, sporting T-shirts that read, "End of an Era," braved the frigid winds and filled Milan Puskar Stadium to give a proper sendoff to a West Virginia legend.

The game was ugly, and the conditions were awful, but it didn't matter. Mountaineer fans wanted to see their hero at Mountaineer Field one more time, and that senior class was the last one to witness a season with White under center.

In the end, the indescribable feeling between Mountaineer fans and White was palpable in the stadium that night, and that is why this moment is unforgettable.

Honorable Mention – Men's basketball College GameDay vs. Louisville, Butler's court rush spurring 43-point performance vs. Villanova, Rifle national title.

Of course, this year's story is not yet complete, so we'll have to wait and see if any seniors like KJ and Truck have another memorable run in them.