Taylor Kennedy: Ranking WVU's top 10 football wins since 2000

Some of the Mountaineers' best victories have come in dramatic fashion, and some have been simply thumping their foe.

Here's my take on the top 10 Mountaineers victories since 2000, in no particular order.

2000 vs. Ole Miss (Music City Bowl), 49-38

Don Nehlen's name is embedded behind the west end zone of Milan Puskar Stadium, where all the retired numbers are hung.

The Mountaineers' winningest coach of all time closed his storied career at WVU with a 49-38 victory over the Rebels in Nashville, Tennessee.

WVU scored all 49 of its points in the first three quarters, concluding with a 10-yard touchdown throw from Brad Lewis to Khori Ivy. Lewis went 15 of 21 through the air for 318 yards and five touchdowns.

What better way for a coaching icon to leave than with a victory in his final game? And the 49 points were the most by the Mountaineers in a bowl game at the time.

2002 at No. 13 Virginia Tech, 21-18

Coach Rich Rodriguez was in his second season with the Mountaineers, coming off a 3-8 2001 campaign.

Rodriguez and company were trying to find a win to spark the young coach's tenure in Morgantown. The Mountaineers found that in Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Nov. 20, 2002.

WVU's lead stretched to 21-10 on a 42-yard run by Quincy Wilson in the third quarter. However, the Hokies countered with a 6-yard scoring pass from Bryan Randall to Keith Willis on the ensuing drive.

The Mountaineers stood strong throughout the fourth quarter, despite the offense not scoring in the final frame. WVU's Grant Wiley made a diving tackle on Lee Scuggs on fourth-and-goal with 3:51 left on the WVU 1-yard line.

Virginia Tech ran it three straight times from inside the 1-yard line, leading to Wiley's leaping tackle on fourth down. The Hokies' final drive ended when Brian King intercepted Randall in the end zone from 11 yards away with 12 seconds left.

2005 vs. No. 19 Louisville, 46-44 (3 OT)

The 2005 contest against the Cardinals sparked the beginning of the Pat White and Steve Slaton era.

White entered the game after then-quarterback Adam Bednarik went down with an injury.

WVU found itself down 17 points, 24-7, late in the third quarter after a Michael Bush touchdown for Louisville. However, Slaton scored two of his five rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, along with a Pat McAfee field goal, tying the game at 24.

Slaton got the go-ahead score in the third overtime as he rushed in from a yard out. A two-point conversion gave the Mountaineers a 46-38 advantage. Louisville got one last score from Bush, but the Cardinals' two-point try failed.

Slaton recorded 188 rushing yards on 31 carries, scoring five touchdowns. He also had a receiving touchdown. White added 69 yards rushing.

2006 vs. No. 8 Georgia (Sugar Bowl), 38-35

Georgia had cemented itself as one of the nation's top programs, having posted its fourth consecutive 10-win season under Mark Richt.

But WVU jumped out of the gates early, scoring on its first four drives, with Slaton and Darius Reynaud responsible for all four touchdowns.

After that, the Bulldogs outscored the Mountaineers 35-10, but by then, WVU was too far ahead.

The Mountaineers saw just about everything working for them in the Sugar Bowl, including a fake punt by punter Phil Brady, who ran 11 yards for a first down to all but seal it.

Slaton posted another strong performance, rushing 26 times for 204 yards and three touchdowns. White recorded 197 total yards of offense and threw one touchdown.

The three-point win over Georgia was West Virginia's first BCS bowl victory.

2008 vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (Fiesta Bowl), 48-28

On Dec. 1, 2007, West Virginia was a win away from playing for a national title. However, a 13-9 loss against the Pitt Panthers ruined the chance. Sixteen days later, Rodriguez was introduced as the new coach at Michigan.

Rodriguez's departure moved Bill Stewart into the role as the interim coach, with his first game against the No. 3 Sooners and quarterback Sam Bradford.

If you don't know of Stewart's iconic pregame speech ahead of the Fiesta Bowl, please, stop what you're doing and go on YouTube and watch it. "Leave no doubt tonight!"

WVU took a 20-6 lead into halftime before Oklahoma scored nine straight points in the third quarter to close the gap at 20-15. However, the Mountaineers stood strong and outscored the Sooners 28-13 down the stretch, with Noel Devine scoring two of the final four touchdowns.

The Mountaineers outrushed the Sooners 349-177, seeing both Devine and White surpassing 100 yards, with White leading all rushers with 150 yards. The WVU quarterback had 326 total yards of offense.

The 20-point bowl victory over Oklahoma marked the second time since 2000 that WVU had won a bowl game by at least 20 points.

2009 vs. No. 8 Pitt, 19-16

This victory over the Panthers at Milan Puskar Stadium marked the first for the Mountaineers over Pitt since Rodriguez's departure.

It wasn't pretty, as neither side scored a touchdown until the second half. However, WVU got the final laugh as Tyler Bitancurt drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired.

This was the highest-ranked Pitt team WVU has beaten. The Mountaineers topped the Panthers in 1988 and 2003 when Pitt was No. 16.

Devine scored the first touchdown of the game with 4:34 left in the third quarter from 88 yards out. He finished with 17 carries for 134 yards and one score.

Pitt's only touchdown came when Bill Stull found Jon Baldwin for a 50-yard touchdown strike.

2012 vs. No. 14 Clemson (Orange Bowl), 70-33

ESPN's Lisa Salters interviewed Clemson coach Dabo Swinney before the 2012 Orange Bowl and asked, "This ain't going to be a 6-3 game. What kind of game are you expecting tonight?"

Sweeney's response: "I don't think it'll be 6-3. Hopefully, it'll be a defensive game. Hopefully, when this thing is over, people will be talking about the Clemson defense. That's what I'm hoping."

Well, people still remember how that Tigers defense played on South Beach in 2012. Clemson and WVU combined for 1,032 yards of total offense, with 589 coming from the Mountaineers.

Nine bowl records were broken or tied in the Orange Bowl. The Mountaineers broke the bowl record for touchdowns (10), points (70), points in a quarter (35) and points in a half (49).

Quarterback Geno Smith tied Chuck Long's 1984 Freedom Bowl record for passing touchdowns (six).

Smith tied the total touchdowns record with seven, as he rushed in a score. He also tied the individual points record with 42 points. All-around playmaker Tavon Austin became the fourth player to catch four touchdown passes.

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, like 73% of America, thought "Clemson beats West Virginia and destroys them." That didn't go as many thought it would.

2014 vs. No. 4 Baylor, 41-27

It was a scenic fall day in Morgantown as the Mountaineers squared off against the fourth-rated Bears.

The Mountaineers, under fourth-year coach Dana Holgorsen, were trying to find a spark after going 4-8 in 2013.

Baylor entered the Oct. 18 contest against WVU holding opponents to 20 points per game. The Bears had their sights set on the newly introduced College Football Playoff with quarterback Bryce Petty under center and Shock Linwood in the backfield.

The Bears scored 20 of their 27 points in the first half and led 20-14 with 8:25 left. However, the Mountaineers outscored Baylor 27-7 down the stretch.

The final two West Virginia scores came as Clint Trickett connected with Kevin White from 12 yards out for a one-handed grab and Mario Alford outran everyone for a 39-yard touchdown.

Trickett posted 322 passing yards and three touchdown passes, with two going to White, who reeled in 132 receiving yards.

2018 at No. 15 Texas, 42-41

I had to include the "Horns Down" game. I can hear Gus Johnson yelling, "Snaps it anyway. [Will] Grier lobs it in the air... What a catch, Gary Jennings. Touchdown, West Virginia."

I was a freshman at WVU at the time of this game. Three of my friends from high school and I watched this game at Stalnaker Hall behind the Mountain Lair.

I remember jumping, screaming and yelling from not only my group, but everyone else in Stalnaker Hall. It was pure pandemonium. Then, Grier got the two-point conversion, then threw the "Horns Down" signal.

The amount of "Horns Down" signals that were thrown at the television during the final seconds were unmatched.

Grier went 28 of 42 through the air for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Martell Pettaway also had an explosive game, carrying the ball nine times for 121 yards and two scores.

Then there's wideout David Sills V. Sills caught six passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard touchdown, which led to -- what else? -- a "Horns Down signal. That led to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

2022 vs. Oklahoma, 23-20

This was the first time that the Mountaineers had beaten the Sooners since joining the Big 12 Conference.

The Sooners were the only conference school, at the time, that WVU hadn't gotten a win against since 2012. The 2022 Mountaineers didn't have the sexiest record at this point, going 3-6.

However, the game against Oklahoma drew in a crowd of 50,281 during a day that rained from sunup to sundown. Yet, more than 50,000 Mountaineers backers were there at Milan Puskar Stadium for history to be written.

The Mountaineers found themselves down, 20-13, heading into the fourth quarter. However, an 11-yard run by Garrett Greene tied the game at 20 with 11:20 remaining.

The Sooners had an opportunity with 6:24 left in the fourth, but kicker Zach Schmit missed a 46-yard field goal. The Mountaineers bled the clock out, leading to a 25-yard field goal attempt from Casey Legg with four seconds left.

Legg drilled the kick through the uprights, giving WVU the victory over Oklahoma.