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West Virginia out to avenge loss to Pittsburgh

Nov 25, 2008 - 3:38 PM Pittsburgh (7-3) at (25) West Virginia (7-3), 12:00 pm EST

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- West Virginia has waited an entire year to make amends for an inexplicable loss.

The 25th-ranked Mountaineers will finally get that opportunity on Friday when they visit Pittsburgh in the "Backyard Brawl."

Last season, West Virginia needed only to beat a mediocre Pittsburgh team at home to clinch a berth in the BCS national championship game.

However, the Mountaineers turned in a flat performance, suffering a 13-9 defeat to the rival Panthers. West Virginia quarterback Pat White was held to 92 yards of total offense in the contest.

Conversely, LeSean McCoy was a workhorse for Pittsburgh, carrying 38 times for 148 yards.

If West Virginia (7-3, 4-1 Big East) wins its final two games, it will do no worse than share the Big East title with Cincinnati.

However, to secure the automatic BCS berth, the Mountaineers need the Bearcats to lose to lowly Syracuse this week. Cincinnati owns the tiebreaker edge based on its 26-23 overtime victory at West Virginia on November 8.

Pittsburgh's Big East hopes ended last week with a 28-21 loss at Cincinnati. The Panthers (7-3, 3-2) allowed Bearcats quarterback Tony Pike to pass for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

Picked as the preseason Big East favorite, West Virginia has endured an up and season in which it has been in and out of the coaches' poll.

The Mountaineers rebounded from their loss to Cincinnati to defeat Louisville, 35-21, last week.

White ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns to break Brad Smith's NCAA record for career rushing yards by a quarterback.

Saturday's contest features two of the top three rushers in the Big East in McCoy and West Virginia's Noel Devine.

McCoy has rushed for 1,125 yards, trailing only Connecticut's Donald Brown - the second-leading runner in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 1,633 yards.

Devine has rushed for 1,121 yards while becoming the featured back in West Virginia's attack this season.