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West Virginia's two-headed rushing attack too much for Maryland

Sep 14, 2007 - 5:35 AM COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (Ticker) -- Steve Slaton rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns Thursday, leading fourth-ranked West Virginia to a 31-14 victory over Maryland.

The nation's active career TD leader with 46, Slaton scored each of West Virginia's final three touchdowns in the second and third quarters, breaking loose for a 22-yard score in the second period to snap a 7-7 tie.

He found the end zone twice more from a yard out in the third quarter to extend a 14-7 halftime advantage to 28-7.

"We were disappointed at halftime with the execution offensively," Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez said. "Since we had the ball first (in the second half), we knew that we had to get that first drive in there and, fortunately, we were able to do that. We didn't have a lot of possessions, only two in the first quarter. Our guys hung in there and we made a few big plays."

Slaton recorded his 18th 100-yard rushing performance in 23 starts for the Mountaineers (3-0), who improved to 17-1 when he rushes for at least 100 yards.

The three TDs allowed Slaton to pass Amos Zereoue for sole possession of third place on the school's all-time list with 41 rushing scores and marked the 11th time in his career he has scored at least twice in the same game.

It was also the second time in as many seasons that the 2006 Sugar Bowl MVP haunted the team that initially recruited him in 2004 then withdrew their offer, leading the speedster to eventually sign with West Virginia.

"It's intense for me, coming in here after what has happened in the past," Slaton said. "I figure I'm in the right place now, so I should thank them (Maryland)."

True freshman Noel Devine, who was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country after collecting 6,894 rushing yards during his high school career in Florida, also surpassed the century mark on his first two carries, finishing with the game with 136 yards on just five rushing attempts.

"He's an amazing athlete," left tackle Ryan Stancheck said. "Everybody has seen his highlights. He is the real deal. What makes him even better than that is that he's a great person, too. He's the total package."

Devine's first carry of 31 yards set up Slaton's initial 1-yard score, and his 77-yard run on his next rush set up Slaton's third and final touchdown.

The stellar performances from Slaton and Devine made for an easy evening for West Virginia's other Heisman Trophy hopeful, Pat White, who went 7-for-12 with 94 yards. White did not throw for a touchdown or an interception in what seemed to be an up-and-down performance.

"Pat wasn't as sharp as he normally is," Rodriguez said. "He was almost trying to do too much in the first half. He calmed down in the second half and let the offense flow."

Maryland (2-1) started the contest much the same way they played in the 45-28 loss to West Virginia last season, when it committed five turnovers.

Quarterback Jordan Steffy fumbled the snap on the Terrapins' first play from scrimmage, which White capitalized on two plays later when he ran in to the end zone virtually untouched from 22 yards out to give the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the game.

Unlike last season's meeting in which it trailed, 28-0, after one quarter, Maryland answered on the ensuing drive when running back Keon Lattimore capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 4-yard TD run to knot the contest at 7-7.

The Terrapins did not score again until Steffy found receiver Danny Oquendo for a 22-yard score midway through the fourth quarter for the game's final score.

Steffy finished 16-of-23 for 180 yards with one TD and two interceptions.