Howard Schnellenberger`s return to college coaching wasn`t as glorious as his departure.
Schnellenberger, who left Miami (Fla.) for the United States Football League after the Hurricanes beat Nebraska 31-30 in the 1984 Orange Bowl to win the national championship, came back Saturday as coach of the Louisville Cardinals. But West Virginia didn`t show Schnellenberger any respect, romping to a 52-13 victory in Morgantown, W. Va., before 62,128, the third largest crowd in Mountaineer history.
Schnellenberger said he isn`t concerned that his reputation as something of a miracle-worker might be tarnished at Louisville, which hasn`t had a winning season since 1978.
”If I`d thought about that when I first took the job with George Allen when he went to the Los Angeles Rams (in the 1960s) and they hadn`t won for years and years, I`d have more gray hairs than I do now,” Schnellenberger said. ”When I went to the Miami Dolphins in 1970 with Don Shula, when he first started there and they hadn`t won at all, I`d be bald. If I`d have worried about that before Miami, it (the national championship) never would have happened.
”People who understand the tremendous job we have ahead of us, who know football, will recognize that it will take time. I think the vast majority of people recognize when you`ve had a program as retarded as this one has been that it`s not going to happen overnight. Certainly today was no beginning toward building national prominence.”
”We are not as good as some people may think, and they are not as bad,” said West Virginia coach Don Nehlen. ”I expected to win, but I never expected to score 52 points.”
Navy`s Napoleon McCallum also returned. The fifth-year running back, the first redshirt in academy history, rushed for 77 yards scored twice in a 21-19 loss to North Carolina in Annapolis, Md.
Boston College played its first home game without Doug Flutie, but the Eagles didn`t miss the star quarterback. BC downed Temple 28-25, but it was a costly victory. Troy Stradford, the Eagles` top rusher in each of the last three seasons, hurt his left hamstring late in the game. Tight end Scott Gieselman suffered a bruised shoulder.
TOP GAMES
West Virginia 52, Louisville 13–John Holifield, who rushed for just 311 yards last season, ran for 3 touchdowns and 177 yards on 19 carries. John Talley (13 of 17 for 166 yards) threw three TD passes. The Mountaineers scored four second-quarter TDs to break a 7-7 tie, scoring three times in five minutes. Louisville committed five turnovers; West Virginia had none.
North Carolina 21, Navy 19–The Middies pulled to within two points in the final minutes, but their two-point conversion pass was nullified because of an ineligible man downfield. Brad Lopp scored on a 27-yard with 4:48 for the winning TD. Kevin Anthony threw an 82-yard TD pass to Earl Winfield for Carolina.
Boston College 28, Temple 25–Shawn Halloran (20 of 30 for 250 yards)
threw TD passes on the Eagles` first two second-half drives and BC (1-1)
survived two Owl touchdowns in the last four minutes in Newton, Mass. Halloran had TD passes of 14 yards to Stradford and 11 yards to Darren Flutie. BC built a 28-10 lead on a 2-yard run by John Mihalik midway through the fourth quarter, but Temple scored on a 1-yard run by quarterback Lee Saltz with 3:57 left and an 11-yard pass from Saltz to Chris Chambers with 46 seconds to go. Paul Palmer rushed for 129 yards on 25 carries for the Owls.
Delaware 29, Rhode Island 13–Tony Tolbert rushed for 120 yards and 3 TDs and Bob Norris had 100 yards and a 55-yard TD in Newark, Del.
