 The Mountaineers put together another strong start in 1997, taking a 7–2 record into the final two weeks of the season.Once again, the Mountaineers faltered as they lost 21–14 at Notre Dame and 41–38 in triple overtime to a 5–5 Pitt team to finish the regular season at 7–4.The late season collapse culminated in another bowl game defeat, this time to Georgia Tech in the Carquest Bowl.