DEBATE: Who is the G.O.A.T? Pat White or Major Harris?
West Virginia football has a deep, rich history of talented quarterbacks and two of the best to ever do it nearly secured the Mountaineers' first ever national championship.
The debate will forever live on as who was the best quarterback to dawn the old gold and blue, but what is not up for debate is the fact that both Pat White and Major Harris are both Mountaineer legends.
Due to a lack of sports and an extended offseason, I figured it would be a great time to discuss who was actually the better quarterback.
Major Harris lined up under center for the first time in his collegiate career in 1987 and led the team to a 6-6 overall record. The Mountaineers had a brutal schedule that year having to face No. 5 Ohio State, No. 18 Penn State, No. 6 Syracuse, and No. 11 Oklahoma State. All on the road, all resulting in losses. The Mountaineers also fell to Maryland and Pitt in back-to-back weeks by a combined total of eight points. It's safe to say this was a team that was still finding their way and developing through a grueling schedule. That schedule, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise at it set them up for success the following year.
This is where Major really popped onto the scene.
In 1988, the Mountaineers had virtually no shot of being a national championship contender. There was an abundance of talent on that roster, but no one expected them to be a serious threat to make a title run. Well, there was one individual who thought West Virginia would exceed expectations, ESPN's Beano Cook.
Prior to the start of the season, Beano made a prediction that West Virginia would make it to the national championship game vs Notre Dame. Everyone thought he was crazy, but it turns out, he was right on the money.
Harris led West Virginia to an undefeated regular season and the school's first-ever national championship appearance. During that season, he tossed for 1,915 yards and 14 touchdowns, while running for 610 yards and six touchdowns. The numbers may seem like they come from just the ordinary, "average joe" quarterback, but for his time, he was way ahead of the game. Being a dual-threat quarterback is the norm nowadays, but not back in 1988. That right there was what made Major Harris so special, he brought something to the game that had never really been seen before. It was challenging for defenses to prepare and gameplan because he was such a unique talent.
He finished his career with a 25-10-1 record and amassed over 5,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards throughout his three years in Morgantown with 59 total touchdowns.
Fast-forward roughly 20 years later and West Virginia once again has another elite quarterback in Pat White. In the years leading up to the Pat White era, West Virginia won games, but were never a legit threat in the Big East. That however, all changed upon his arrival.
White's legacy all started back in 2005 in a home game vs the Louisville Cardinals. That night seemed like it was scripted right out of a movie. The Mountaineers were trailing 24-7 with 11 minutes remaining in the game and starting quarterback Adam Bednarik went down with an injury and would not be able to return, insert Pat White.
Although White didn't necessarily put up astronomical numbers in those eleven minutes and also failed to reach the end zone, he was a big part of the team's 17-point comeback win over the 19th ranked Cardinals. Had Bednarik not gone down with an injury, who knows what would've happened. Would Pat White ever have won the job? One would think, but the coaching staff didn't see that throughout the first seven weeks of the season, so it's hard to tell.
White put West Virginia on the map once again and turned the Mountaineers back into a perennial power, leading the team to a 5-0 record down the stretch in 2005, including a win in the Sugar Bowl over No. 8 Georgia. He led West Virginia to three consecutive 11-win seasons and also started and won all four bowl games - something no other college quarterback has been able to do. He would go on to finish his career with a 36-8 overall record as the Mountaineers' starting quarterback.
So, now I ask: who was the best quarterback in West Virginia football history? I'll leave that up for you to debate down below in the comment section. Both are huge parts in the success of the program during two different eras, and have brought West Virginia oh so close to that prized national title.
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