2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Big East champion Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 38–35 vs. Georgia
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 5
Record	11–1 (7–0 Big East)
Head coach	Rich Rodriguez (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Calvin Magee (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Jeff Casteel (4th season)
Base defense	3–3–5
Captains	Garin Justice Mike Lorello Jahmile Addae Ernest Hunter
Home stadium	Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium (Capacity: 60,000)

2005 Big East Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 West Virginia $		7	–	0					11	–	1
No. 19 Louisville		5	–	2					9	–	3
Rutgers		4	–	3					7	–	5
South Florida		4	–	3					6	–	6
Pittsburgh		4	–	3					5	–	6
Connecticut		2	–	5					5	–	6
Cincinnati		2	–	5					4	–	7
Syracuse		0	–	7					1	–	10
$ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the season with an 11–1 record. The Mountaineers won their third consecutive Big East title with a conference record of 7–0. They ended the season with a 38–35 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.

Preseason

The 2005 season followed a disappointing 2004 campaign, where the Mountaineers started the season with National Championship expectations only to finish the season 8–4. Despite a number of starters returning on defense, the question marks on offense lead many to think the '05 season was going to be a rebuilding year with most national publications picking the Mountaineers to finish behind Louisville and Pitt or lower. With QB Rasheed Marshall and RB K.J. Harris leaving, the quarterback and halfback positions were open. Adam Bednarik and redshirt-freshman Pat White were competing for the spot, with Coach Rich Rodriguez opting to use a rotation that allowed them both to play. It marked the first season for the "new" Big East, welcoming Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida into the league following Boston College leaving to join former members Virginia Tech and Miami in the ACC, and Temple getting kicked out of the league.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	1:30 p.m.	at Syracuse		Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York (Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy)	ABC	W 15–7	45,418
September 10	6:00 p.m.	Wofford*		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, West Virginia		W 35–7	54,630
September 17	12:10 p.m.	at Maryland*		Byrd Stadium College Park, Maryland (rivalry)	JPS	W 31–19	52,413
September 24	12:05 p.m.	East Carolina*		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, West Virginia	ESPN+	W 20–15	57,295
October 1	12:05 p.m.	No. 3 Virginia Tech*		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, West Virginia (Black Diamond Trophy)	ESPN	L 17–34	60,193
October 8	12:06 p.m.	at Rutgers		Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, New Jersey	ESPN+	W 27–14	21,717
October 15	3:42 p.m.	No. 19 Louisville		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, West Virginia	ABC	W 46–44 3OT	59,797
November 2	7:36 p.m.	Connecticut	No. 17	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, West Virginia	ESPN2	W 45–13	52,808
November 9	7:30 p.m.	at Cincinnati	No. 14	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio	ESPN2	W 38–0	25,893
November 24	8:05 p.m.	Pittsburgh	No. 11	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, West Virginia (Backyard Brawl)	ESPN	W 45–13	52,997
December 3	7:30 p.m.	at South Florida	No. 11	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida		W 28–13	45,274
January 2	8:51 p.m.	vs. No. 7 Georgia*	No. 11	Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	W 38–35	74,458
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and BCS Standings after October 17 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 2 Darius Reynaud So QB 2 Nate Sowers Fr QB 3 Markell Harrison Fr QB 5 Pat White  Fr WR 7 Brandon Myles Sr QB 9 Dwayne Thompson  So RB 10 Steve Slaton Fr QB 11 Adam Bednarik  So QB 12 J.R. House Fr RB 14 Jason Gwaltney Fr QB 15 T.J. Mitchell Fr QB 16 Jarrett Brown Fr WR 20 Brandon Tate So WR 21 Dorrell Jalloh Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 1 John Holmes Fr DB 3 Larry Williams So DB 4 Jahmile Addae (C)  Sr DB 6 Antonio Lewis So DB 8 Thandi Smith Sr DB 13 Aaron Meckstroth So DB 15 Dee McCann Sr DB 17 George Shehl Sr DB 18 Abraham Jones Jr DB 19 Vaughn Rivers So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 7 Kash Kiefer Fr P 16 Scott Kozlowski Fr K 18 Colby James So K 29 Kyle Chilton Fr P 37 Scott Kozlowski Fr P 38 Phil Brady Sr K 40 Pat McAfee Fr LS 46 Adam Hughes Fr LS 77 Tim Lindsey Jr	Head coach Rich Rodriguez Coordinators/assistant coaches Jeff Casteel - Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers Tony Gibson - Defensive Backs Herb Hand – Recruiting Coordinator, Tight Ends Butch Jones – Wide Receivers Bill Kirelawich – Defensive Line Calvin Magee - Offensive Coordinator, Running Backs Bill Stewart - Quarterbacks, Special Teams Coordinator Bruce Tall - Safeties Rick Trickett - Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Line Travis Trickett - Student Assistant Coach Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Game summaries

At Syracuse

See also: 2005 Syracuse Orange football team and Syracuse-West Virginia football rivalry

1 2 3 4 Total • West Virginia 0 7 3 5 15 Syracuse 0 7 0 0 7 Date: September 4 Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Game start: 1:30 pm EDT Game attendance: 45,418 Game weather: Indoors Television network: ABC

Scoring summary Q2 14:07 SYR Damien 5 yard run (Ricky Krautman kick) SYR 7-0 Q2 12:24 WVU Eric Wicks 32 yard interception return (Pat McAfee kick) Tied 7-7 Q3 5:53 WVU Pat McAfee 33 yard field goal WVU 10-7 Q4 8:02 WVU TEAM Safety WVU 12-7 Q4 3:26 WVU Pat McAfee 33 yard field goal WVU 15-7

The 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers opened the football season at Syracuse. Syracuse was playing its first game under new head coach Greg Robinson. The Mountaineers committed 5 turnovers, including 4 lost fumbles, but managed to hold on to a lead for a 15–7 win. Syracuse started the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run by tailback Damien Rhodes.

West Virginia tied the game at 7 with Eric Wicks's 32-yard interception return for a touchdown. Right before halftime, the Mountaineers had a chance to take a 10–7 lead, but freshman place-kicker Pat McAfee missed a 47-yard field goal wide right. He redeemed himself later with a 33-yard field goal with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

With just over 8 minutes left in the game, West Virginia's Ernest Hunter tackled Perry Patterson in the end zone for a safety to increase the lead to 12–7. On West Virginia's next possession they added a 26-yard field goal by McAfee with 3 minutes left. The win brought the Mountaineers record to 1–0, and the Orangemen fell to 0–1. The win increased WVU's streak to 4 wins over Syracuse.

Statistics

Statistics	West Virginia	Syracuse
First downs	16	7
Total yards	339	103
Passing yards	167	85
Rushing yards	172	18
Penalties	7-65	11-71
Turnovers	5	2
Time of possession	33:55	26:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Virginia	Passing	Adam Bednarik	14–21, 104 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Adam Bednarik	12 carries, 72 yards
	Receiving	Brandon Myles	5 receptions, 76 yards
Syracuse	Passing	Perry Patterson	15–31, 85 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Damien Rhodes	16 carries, 46 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Damien Rhodes	7 receptions, 21 yards

Wofford

1 2 3 4 Total Wofford 0 0 7 0 7 • West Virginia 14 7 7 7 35 Date: September 10 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 6:00 pm EDT Game attendance: 60,758 Game weather: 82, Clear, Wind N @ 6 mph

Scoring summary Q1 6:53 WVU Darius Reynaud 27 yard pass from Adam Bednarik (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 7-0 Q1 2:28 WVU Pernell Williams 5 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 14-0 Q2 7:22 WVU Jason Gwaltney 1 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 21-0 Q3 10:53 WVU Adam Bednarik 3 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 28-0 Q3 2:05 WOF Michael Hobbs 1 yard run (Nick Robinson) WVU 28-7 Q4 14:43 WVU Pat White 48 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 35-7

Backup quarterback Pat White ran for 107 yards and a touchdown to lead West Virginia to a 35–7 victory over I-AA Wofford. West Virginia finished the game with over 500 yards of total offense, and no turnovers.

Statistics

Statistics	Wofford	West Virginia
First downs	10	24
Total yards	154	511
Passing yards	76	172
Rushing yards	78	339
Penalties	3-35	5-47
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	27:13	32:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wofford	Passing	Josh Collier	5–9, 70 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Michael Hobbs	13 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Brandon Berry	2 receptions, 15 yards
West Virginia	Passing	Adam Bednarik	6-6, 90 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Pat White	11 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Brandon Myles	3 receptions, 57 yards

At Maryland

See also: 2005 Maryland Terrapins football team and Maryland-West Virginia football rivalry

1 2 3 4 Total • West Virginia 0 7 0 24 31 Maryland 0 3 3 13 19 Date: September 17 Location: Byrd Stadium College Park, MD Game start: 12:10 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 52,413 Game weather: 84, Hazy, Wind NW @ 11 mph Television network: JBS

Scoring summary Q2 9:39 WVU Jason Gwaltney 1 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 7-0 Q2 0:55 MD Dan Ennis 33 yard field goal WVU 7-3 Q3 5:18 MD Dan Ennis 34 yard field goal WVU 7-6 Q4 14:52 WVU Owen Schmitt 3 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 14-6 Q4 10:41 WVU Pernell Williams 1 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 21-6 Q4 10:22 MD Vernon Davis 73 yard pass from Sam Hollenbach (Dan Ennis kick) WVU 21-13 Q4 8:24 MD Jo Jo Walker 12 yard pass from Sam Hollenbach (2-point pass failed) WVU 21-19 Q4 4:56 WVU Jason Gwaltney 15 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 28-19 Q4 2:18 WVU Pat McAfee 40 yard field goal WVU 31-19

Backup quarterback Pat White directed three fourth-quarter touchdown drives, and West Virginia ripped Maryland's defense for 301 yards rushing in a 31–19 victory. Freshman Jason Gwaltney scored two touchdowns for the Mountaineers (3–0), who had lost three straight at Maryland (1–2) since 1997. West Virginia let a 15-point lead dwindle to 21–19 before Gwaltney scored on a 15-yard run with 4:56 left. The Mountaineers then recovered a fumble by Maryland quarterback Sam Hollenbach, and Pat McAfee kicked a 40-yard field goal to make it 31–19 with 2:18 remaining. White went 3-for-5 for 29 yards, but guided an offense that amassed 24 points and 144 yards in the final 15 minutes.

Statistics

Statistics	West Virginia	Maryland
First downs	18	15
Total yards	387	341
Passing yards	86	291
Rushing yards	301	50
Penalties	9-68	4-30
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	35:40	24:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Virginia	Passing	Adam Bednarik	5–6, 57 yards
	Rushing	Owen Schmitt	6 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Brandon Myles	3 receptions, 52 yards
Maryland	Passing	Sam Hollenbach	20–31, 291 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Mario Merrills	9 carries, 35 yards
	Receiving	Vernon Davis	5 receptions, 158 yards, 1 TD

East Carolina

See also: 2005 East Carolina Pirates football team

1 2 3 4 Total East Carolina 3 3 3 6 15 • West Virginia 7 13 0 0 20 Date: September 24 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: Noon EDT Game attendance: 57,295 Game weather: 74, Overcast, Wind NW @ 8 mph Television network: ESPN+

The previous 3 times the Mountaineers played East Carolina were blow-outs, 37–17, 48–7, and 56–23. This one appeared to be another one after the Mountaineers led 20–6 at half-time. The offense looked terrible the entire game, as they turned the ball over 4 times. Backup quarterback Pat White tossed two interceptions and Adam Bednarik threw one and fumbled once before leaving the game with a knee injury in the first quarter. The defense had to constantly defend short fields, after turnovers in their own territory. The defense only allowed 287 yards and 1 touchdown in the entire game. West Virginia failed to score a single second half point, and managed to escape 20–15.

Statistics

Statistics	East Carolina	West Virginia
First downs	20	17
Total yards	287	307
Passing yards	206	180
Rushing yards	81	127
Penalties	3-25	5-49
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	31:53	28:07

Virginia Tech

See also: 2005 Virginia Tech Hokies football team and Virginia Tech-West Virginia football rivalry

1 2 3 4 Total • #3 Virginia Tech 10 14 3 7 34 West Virginia 0 14 3 0 17 Date: October 1 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: Noon EDT Game attendance: 60,193 Game weather: 70, Fair, Wind SW @ 5 mph Television network: ESPN

3rd ranked Virginia Tech clashed with West Virginia, at Mountaineer Field in a showdown of two 4–0 unbeaten teams. Virginia Tech had a monster game from their star quarterback, Marcus Vick. The junior completed 15 of 17 passes for 177 yards, and rushed for 74 yards on 12 carries. Virginia Tech jumped out to an early 10–0 lead, through a West Virginia turnover. Virginia Tech played a solid game, converting 10 out of 15 third down attempts, and having only one turnover. With Virginia Tech leading 24–17 late in the fourth quarter, a touchdown run sealed the deal for the Mountaineers who fell to 4–1 on the season. True freshman Steve Slaton was a bright spot for the Mountaineers, rushing for 90 yards on 11 carries.

Statistics

Statistics	Virginia Tech	West Virginia
First downs	23	11
Total yards	391	253
Passing yards	177	103
Rushing yards	214	150
Penalties	2-10	7-55
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	37:21	22:39

At Rutgers

See also: 2005 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

1 2 3 4 Total • West Virginia 14 7 3 3 27 Rutgers 0 7 7 0 14 Date: October 8 Location: Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ Game start: Noon EDT Game attendance: 21,717 Game weather: 73, Rainy, heavy at times, Wind S @ 14 mph Television network: ESPN+

Steve Slaton ran for a career-high 139 yards and one touchdown to help West Virginia beat Rutgers 27–14. Jason Gwaltney added 57 yards rushing for West Virginia which beat Rutgers for the 11th straight time. West Virginia rushed for 236 yards against a depleted Rutgers defense, which was without three starters—linebacker Terry Bynes, defensive back Jason Nugent and end Eric Foster.

Statistics

Statistics	West Virginia	Rutgers
First downs	15	17
Total yards	314	295
Passing yards	78	171
Rushing yards	236	124
Penalties	5-34	7-45
Turnovers	0	4
Time of possession	26:16	33:44

Louisville

See also: 2005 Louisville Cardinals football team

1 2 3 4 OT 2OT 3OT Total #19 Louisville 7 10 7 0 7 7 6 44 • West Virginia 0 0 7 17 7 7 8 46 Date: October 15 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 3:42 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 59,797 Game weather: 69, Partly cloudy, Wind WNW @ 10 mph Television network: ABC

In one of the best games of the year, The Louisville Cardinals clashed with the West Virginia Mountaineers who were 5–1. Louisville completely dominated the first half of play racing to a 17–0 lead. West Virginia finally got on the board in the third quarter, when Bednarik hit freshman Steve Slaton on a 14-yard screen-pass for a touchdown. Louisville answered with another touchdown in the third quarter, to take a 24–7 lead after 3 quarters. Early in the 4th quarter starting QB Adam Bednarik left the game with a leg injury and was replaced by Pat White, which proved to be the spark the offense needed.

With just over 8 minutes left in the game, Steve Slaton scored a rushing touchdown to make the score 24–14. With 4:35 left in the game, Pat McAfee kicked a 35-yard field goal to trim the margin to 7. WVU's defense held, and the Mountaineers came back on offense again. Steve Slaton scored with a minute to go to tie the game at 24–24, and send the game into overtime. Starting in the third OT teams are forced to go for two following a TD, Pat White hit Jalloh on a pass which ended up being the deciding points. Louisville responded with a Michael Bush touchdown. On the conversion Brian Brohm, unable to find anyone open, attempted to scramble for the conversion but was tackled short, preserving the WVU victory and giving the Mountaineers the inside track for the conference's BCS berth.

Statistics

Statistics	Louisville	West Virginia
First downs	26	20
Total yards	459	390
Passing yards	277	109
Rushing yards	182	281
Penalties	9-81	9-85
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	30:56	29:04

Connecticut

See also: 2005 Connecticut Huskies football team

1 2 3 4 Total Connecticut 3 0 3 7 13 • #17 West Virginia 14 21 3 7 45 Date: November 2 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 52,808 Game weather: 47, Clear, Wind S @ 4 mph Television network: ESPN2

Pat White ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in his first start, leading No. 18 West Virginia to a 45–13 win over Connecticut. West Virginia showed no signs of sluggishness from an 18-day layoff. The Mountaineers built a 35–3 halftime lead, getting a pair of touchdowns following turnovers. The defense limited UConn to 12 rushing yards and 129 overall, the fewest allowed by West Virginia in three seasons. UConn had one of Division I-A's top defenses statistically, but four of its opponents have a combined record of 3–29. The nation's ninth-best rushing attack used a rotation of backs to compile 228 yards against the Huskies. White frustrated UConn with his legs and his arm. He ran for 63 yards on 12 carries.

White hit Brandon Myles with a 20-yard TD pass early in the second quarter. On the first play of the ensuing drive, West Virginia's Warren Young recovered a fumble at the UConn 20.

White then leveled two UConn players on a block that saved teammate Steve Slaton from a big loss. Two plays later, White eluded three defenders on a bootleg run to the right and scored from 14 yards out for a 28–3 lead.

At Cincinnati

See also: 2005 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

1 2 3 4 Total • #14 West Virginia 7 14 17 0 38 Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 9 Location: Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 25,893 Game weather: 61, Overcast, Wind W @ 9 mph Television network: ESPN2

Pat White ran for 111 yards, taking off on quarterback draws that set up Steve Slaton's four touchdowns and a 38–0 victory over Cincinnati. White, Slaton and one of the nation's toughest defenses led the Mountaineers to their most lopsided victory of the season and their first shutout since 2002. White spent the night tormenting the nation's youngest defense. He ran straight up the middle on draws, turned upfield on option fakes, and took off on passing plays. The Mountaineers forced four turnovers and prevented Cincinnati from getting closer than the West Virginia 37-yard line until the final play of the game.

Pittsburgh

See also: 2005 Pittsburgh Panthers football team and Backyard Brawl

1 2 3 4 Total Pittsburgh 7 6 0 0 13 • #11 West Virginia 14 7 3 21 45 Date: November 24 Location: Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV Game start: 8:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 52,997 Game weather: 18, Cloudy, Wind NW @ 9 mph Television network: ESPN

Pat White ran for 220 yards on 23 carries to break the Big East rushing record for a quarterback, leading the No. 11 Mountaineers to a 45–13 victory over Pittsburgh. White ran for two touchdowns and passed for another. The day began with massive snowfall that forced the game to be played on a frozen field with swirling snow flurries and a 7-degree wind chill. West Virginia clinched at least a tie for the Big East title and avenged a 16–13 loss to Pitt the year before in the Backyard Brawl. White broke the conference quarterback rushing record of 210 yards, set by Michael Vick against Boston College in 2000. White also threw for 41 yards. Steve Slaton rushed for 179 yards on 34 carries to help the Mountaineers finish with 451 total yards on the ground. Slaton ran for two TDs and caught a scoring pass.

At South Florida

See also: 2005 South Florida Bulls football team

1 2 3 4 Total • #11 West Virginia 7 7 7 7 28 South Florida 0 3 3 7 13 Date: December 3 Location: Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 45,274 Game weather: 63, Clear, Wind NNW @ 1 mph

Pat White ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns, leading West Virginia to a 28–13 victory over South Florida in the 11th-ranked Mountaineers' final tuneup for a Bowl Championship Series appearance. Nine days after running for 220 yards against Pittsburgh to break the Big East rushing record for a quarterback, White was just as impressive in helping the conference champions finish unbeaten in league play for the first time since 1993. The redshirt freshman scored on second-half runs of 65 and 76 yards and finished with his fourth game with at least 100 yards rushing. He also completed 5 of 10 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown as the Mountaineers amassed 394 yards of total offense—305 of that on the ground.

The victory was the sixth straight for West Virginia (10–1, 7–0) and gave the Mountaineers at least 10 wins in a season for the first time since 1993 and just the fifth time in school history.

The dominating performance dispelled any notion that the Mountaineers lacked motivation to win their regular-season finale after wrapping up the Big East title and the league's automatic BCS berth when USF (6–5, 4–3) lost at Connecticut the week before.

Steve Slaton rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown for the Mountaineers, and West Virginia's defense limited Big East rushing leader Andre Hall to 75 yards on 20 carries for South Florida.

vs. Georgia (Sugar Bowl)

See also: 2005 Georgia Bulldogs football team and 2006 Sugar Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • #11 West Virginia 21 10 0 7 38 #7 Georgia 0 21 7 7 35 Date: January 2, 2006 Location: Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA Game start: 8:30 pm EST Game attendance: 74,458 Game weather: Indoors Referee: Jay Stricherz Television network: ABC

Scoring summary Q1 12:12 WVU Steve Slaton 52 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 7–0 Q1 6:27 WVU Darius Reynaud 3 yard pass from Pat White (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 14–0 Q1 4:27 WVU Darius Reynaud 13 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 21–0 Q2 14:10 WVU Steve Slaton 18 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 28–0 Q2 12:58 UGA Kregg Lumpkin 34 yard run (Brandon Coutu kick) WVU 28–7 Q2 8:52 UGA Thomas Brown 52 yard run (Brandon Coutu kick) WVU 28–14 Q2 5:37 WVU Pat McAfee 27 yard field goal WVU 31–14 Q2 0:58 UGA Leonard Pope 4 yard pass from D.J. Shockley (Brandon Coutu kick) WVU 31–21 Q3 1:44 UGA A.J. Bryant 34 yard pass from D.J. Shockley (Brandon Coutu kick) WVU 31–28 Q4 8:32 WVU Steve Slaton 52 yard run (Pat McAfee kick) WVU 38–28 Q4 5:13 UGA Bryan McClendon 43 yard pass from D.J. Shockley (Brandon Coutu kick) WVU 38–35

The Sugar Bowl, the second BCS bowl, and the final game of six played on January 2, 2006, was contested at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, having been, like the New Orleans Bowl, displaced from the Louisiana Superdome by Hurricane Katrina. West Virginia, representing the Big East as conference champion, upset Georgia, the winner of the SEC championship game, 38–35. Georgia was looking for its third straight win in Atlanta in as many appearances, having won its last regular season game (against rival Georgia Tech on the Tech campus) and the SEC championship game (over LSU) at the Georgia Dome, located near the Bulldogs' Athens, Georgia campus, but West Virginia took a 28–0 lead in the game's first 16 minutes and withstood a furious Georgia comeback before scoring late in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Mountaineers freshman running back Steve Slaton began a career day early, running for a 52-yard score just 2:48 into the game en route to accumulating 204 yards on 26 carries against a Bulldogs defense that entered the game having allowed only 3.5 yards per carry. On the subsequent West Virginia possession, freshman quarterback Pat White accounted 56 yards of a 64-yard scoring drive, connecting with wide receiver Darius Reynaud for a three-yard touchdown pass; Reynaud caught six passes for 50 yards on the day. Just two plays into the next Bulldogs drive, running back Danny Ware lost the first of what would be three Georgia fumbles on the day, and West Virginia took just five plays to go 26 yards, scoring a touchdown on a 13-yard Reynaud run. The Mountaineers defense stymied an additional Georgia drive and forced a fumble by Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley, setting up a 50-yard drive that culminated in Slaton's second touchdown scamper, an 18-yarder that gave West Virginia a 28-point lead just 15:50 into the game. Shockley began to have success against the Mountaineers defense in the second quarter, completing three straight passes for a total of 46 yards before running back Kregg Lumpkin, who finished the day with 67 yards on nine carries, scored from 34 yards to put Georgia on the board. After their defense forced a West Virginia punt, the Bulldogs went 91 yards in just six plays, with Thomas Brown's scoring on a 52-yard run; Brown has held largely in check the remainder of the game, totaling only 78 yards on nine carries. A long run by West Virginia fullback Owen Schmitt, who finished the day having run for 80 yards on nine carries, set up a 27-yard Pat McAfee field goal, but Shockley, who finished the day having completed 20 of 33 passes for 278 yards and having gained 62 yards on eight carries, drove his team 80 yards in under five minutes and hit wide receiver Leonard Pope, who caught six passes for 52 yards on the day, from four yards to cut the West Virginia halftime lead to 10 points. After combining to give up more than 600 yards in total offense in the first half, both defenses tightened in the second half and although Brown lost a fumble to the Mountaineers, neither team managed a score until 1:44 remained in the third quarter when Shockley hit A.J. Bryant for a 34-yard touchdown to bring the Bulldogs to within three points. White continued to play well through air and on the ground in the fourth quarter, though, and led his team on an 80-yard drive that ended when Slaton ran for a 52-yard touchdown and once more extended the West Virginia lead to ten. For the game, White completed 11 of 14 passes for 124 yards—completing four passes for 64 yards to senior Brandon Myles, his leading receiver—but also added 79 yards on 24 carries in contributing to his team's 386-yard rushing performance. Shockley drove his team once more, connecting with Mohamed Massaquoi, whom he four times for 43 yards on the day, to convert a crucial third down and then finding Bryan McClendon, who caught three balls for 72 yards, on a 43-yard scoring drive. The Bulldogs defense held but West Virginia punter Phil Brady successfully carried out a fake punt and ran for a first down, allowing the Mountaineers, behind Slaton and White, to run out the clock, run their season to 11–1, and prevent the Big East from going winless in four bowls; South Florida, Rutgers, and Louisville had all lost earlier. The game was the final of three games hosted by the Georgia Dome in four days; the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl was held on December 30, and an NFL contest between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons was played on January 1, which the Panthers won 44–11. The game returned to New Orleans in 2007.

Statistics

Statistics	West Virginia	Georgia
First downs	27	27
Total yards	502	501
Passing yards	120	277
Rushing yards	382	224
Penalties	9-73	4-50
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	35:59	24:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Virginia	Passing	Pat White	11–14, 120 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Steve Slaton	26 carries, 204 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Brandon Myles	4 receptions, 64 yards
Georgia	Passing	D.J. Shockley	20–33, 277 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Thomas Brown	9 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Bryan McClendon	3 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD

Rankings

See also: 2005 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	20	18	18	16	13	12	12	11	5
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	25	20	17	16	15	13	12	12	11	6
Harris	Not released				—	—	25	20	18	18	17	14	13	13	12	Not released
BCS	Not released							17	17	17	14	12	11	11	11	Not released

Statistics

Team

Team Statistics
	West Virginia	Opponents
Points	385	214
First Downs	225	212
Rushing	150	91
Passing	64	110
Penalty	9	11
Rushing Yards	3269	1316
Rushing Attempts	625	452
Average Per Rush	5.2	2.9
Long	76
Rushing TDs	34	14
Passing Yards	1398	2413
Comp–Att	122-193	221-370
Comp %	63.2	59.7
Average Per Game	116.5	201.8
Average per Attempt	7.2	6.5
Passing TDs	12	12
INTs	7	17
Rating	137.3	116.0
Touchdowns	50	26
Passing	12	12
Rushing	34	14
Defensive	2	0
Interceptions	17	7
Yards	151	76
Long	40
Total Offense	4667	3729
Total Plays	818	822
Average Per Yards/Game	388.9	310.8
Kick Returns: # – Yards	32-738	44-847
TDs	0	0
Long	41
Punts	56	67
Yards	2184	2642
Average	39.0	39.4
Punt Returns: # – Yards	23-358	21-162
TDs	2	0
Long	76
Fumbles – Fumbles Lost	19-10	35-14
Opposing TDs	0	0
Penalties – Yards	82-697	62-495
3rd–Down Conversion %	42.5	36.9
4th–Down Conversion %	64.3	45.5
Takeaways	31	17
Field Goals	11	12
Extra Point	48	22
Sacks	29	18
Yards	144	95

Offense

Passing
#	Player	Pos	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rate
5	Pat White	QB	65	114	57.0	828	7.3	8	5	132.4
11	Adam Bednarik	QB	55	75	73.3	532	7.1	4	2	145.2
12	J.R. House	QB	2	4	50.0	123	9.5	0	0	129.8
	Totals		122	193	63.2	1398	7.2	12	7	137.3

Rushing
#	Player	Pos	Att	Yds	Y/A	Long	TD
10	Steve Slaton	RB	205	1128	5.5	52	17
5	Pat White	QB	131	952	7.3	76	7
35	Owen Schmitt	FB	48	380	7.9	54	2
30	Pernell Williams	RB	67	197	2.9	19	2
14	Jason Gwaltney	RB	45	186	4.1	24	3
11	Adam Bednarik	QB	56	170	3.0	27	1
24	Jason Colson	RB	43	120	2.8	11	1
2	Darius Reynaud	WR	9	86	9.6	27	1
34	Arlen Dorsey	RB	7	29	4.1	10	0
12	J.R. House	QB	2	16	8.0	13	0
38	Phil Brady	P	1	10	10.0	10	0
28	Jeremy Bruce	WR	1	9	9.0	9	0
19	Vaughn Rivers	CB	2	8	4.0	4	0
	Totals		625	3269	5.2	76	34