Posted on 01/02/2008 9:28:45 PM PST by Paleo Conservative
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Rich who?
The West Virginia Mountaineers didn't need coach Rich Rodriguez. They had Pat White, and their elusive quarterback led them to a surprising 48-28 romp over Oklahoma (No. 4 BCS, No. 3 AP) in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday night.
White ran for 150 yards and threw for 176 and two touchdowns for the Mountaineers (No. 9 BCS, No. 11 AP), who rushed for 349 yards, most allowed by Oklahoma in a bowl game.
Since arriving in the desert last week, the Mountaineers (11-2) said they had bonded behind interim coach Bill Stewart, who took over when Rodriguez bolted for Michigan in mid-December. And they vowed to rebound from a 13-9 loss to Pitt that knocked them out of the Bowl Championship Series title game.
The Mountaineers were right on both counts, turning in an emotional effort and overcoming the loss of star tailback Steve Slaton to a first-quarter leg injury. Noel Devine replaced Slaton and ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns -- a 17-yarder and a 65-yarder that clinched the game in the fourth quarter.
The Mountaineers became the first of six teams to win under an interim coach in this bowl season. They improved to 2-0 in the Bowl Championship Series.
Oklahoma (11-3) endured another disappointment on the same field where the Sooners lost a classic Fiesta Bowl to Boise State one year ago. The Sooners have dropped four straight BCS games.
The Sooners had no answer for White, whose 79-yard touchdown pass to Tito Gonzales in the fourth quarter was the longest in Mountaineers bowl history.
The Mountaineers' fourth-rated defense limited the potent Sooners to well below their scoring average of 43.4 points per game, third in the nation.
The Mountaineers harassed Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, sacking the nation's top-rated passer four times and intercepting him in the end zone. Bradford completed 21 of 33 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
Now that’s funny.
Good job, Mountaineers!
Funny photo.....
Congrats to WVU on a big win. Need to make Stewart the head coach....great job in getting this team ready after RichRod bolted to Michigan and after the loss to Pitt
“Country road...take me home...”
OU played poorly on the road all year, they continued their suckiness tonight.
WV needs to do something about their offense. They took too little time off the clock on their touchdown drives.
oklahoma’s defense looked like they were standing still all night.
Congrats to the Mountaineers!!! Those kids showed alot of heart tonite. Anybody else offended (and I’m not even in WV) by the comment at the end ‘if you stick your nose in the air just right, you can smell the cushions burning in Morgantown...’ Tacky statement...hope he gets heck for it.
WV needs to do something about their offense. They took too little time off the clock on their touchdown drives.
LOL....if the defense doesnt tackle you...whaddya do? I bet Owen Schmitt never felt so alone (with few people to run over) on his long TD run
Stewart for Coach. Pat White wants him, that good enough for me!
Congrats to the Mountaineers!
PS: Don’t burn any leather couches—they stink.
I absolutely love seeing Oklahoma get their butts kicked...up yours Stoops.....this was almost as good as watching little Boise State kick their ass last year....
how do you turn over a car that is on cinder blocks in the front yard of a double-wide?
Give’em hell, give’em hell, OU (still) sucks!
HOOK”EM HORNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any chance Bill Stewart will be given the head coaching position? Coach Stewart was there when his team needed him.
Watch Noel Devine’s incredible clips from high school. http://youtube.com/watch?v=L6CqA7hEzw8
I understand that he lost both of his parents to AIDS.
Dynamite? Right?
Stewart for Coach.
I’m hoping just that will happen, but I have my doubts. I played for Coach Stew at VMI, and I love the man! He has a gift for motivating and getting the most out of young people, and what’s more rare in sports today he’s a man of integrity! He came into my home when I was 18, sat down with myself and my parents. He made no promises of playing time or winning championships as many do. He promised my father that he and VMI would make a man of his (very immature at the time) son, and that’s just what they did LOL If not for Coach Stew, I probably would have ended up like many college athletes, without a degree and who knows what future. As is, I’m a successful engineer, and a responsible contributor to society. To me, that is what the man does best, he produces winners in LIFE!
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