RB Respect Month, Day 23: LeSean McCoy vs. West Virginia (2008)

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Welcome to day 23 of Running Back Respect Month™️! Yesterday, Emmitt Smith set the Florida single-game rushing record at Alabama in 1987. Here's where we're at today, and how the rest of the month looks:

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Today: LeSean McCoy vs. West Virginia (2008)

LeSean McCoy was a revelation as a freshman in 2007. His 1,328 yards rushing and 14 total touchdowns earned him First Team All-Big East, Big East Rookie of the Year and unanimous Freshman All-American honors. Pitt was a disappointing 5-7 that season, but no one remembers or cares, because they ended it with one of the most monumental rivalry wins in college football history. The Panthers' stunning 13-9 upset of West Virginia thwarted the Mountaineers' National Title hopes, threw the 2007 season into further chaos, and provided a simple, yet iron-clad, piece of shit-talking for Panthers fans that lives on to this day:

McCoy's 148 yards rushing were a major factor in the win, and didn't even include an ankle-breaking touchdown called back on a fraudulent holding penalty: