GAME THREAD: NCAAF: CONNECTICUT (9-2) at WEST VIRGINIA (9-1)

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">NCAAF CONNECTICUT (20) 14
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 59 8:04 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">NCAAF TD WEST VIRGINIA
ED COLLINGTON 5 YD RUN
(PAT MCAFEE KICK)

CONNECTICUT (20) 14
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 66 7:47 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">NCAAF CONNECTICUT (20) 14
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 66 7:02 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">NCAAF CONNECTICUT (20) 14
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 66 4:34 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">NCAAF TD CONNECTICUT
ANTHONY DAVIS 4 YD RUN
(TONY CIARAVINO KICK)

CONNECTICUT (20) 21
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 66 1:29 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CONNECTICUT (20) 7 7 0 7 21
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 14 10 21 21 66 FINAL

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER: CONNECTICUT - TD, BRAD KANUCH 3 YD PASS FROM
TYLER LORENZEN (TONY CIARAVINO
KICK), 3:00. CONNECTICUT 7-0
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, PAT WHITE 3 YD RUN (PAT MCAFEE
KICK), 4:52. CONNECTICUT 7-7
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, DARIUS REYNAUD 14 YD FUMBLE
RETURN (PAT MCAFEE KICK),
7:59. WEST VIRGINIA 14-7
2ND QUARTER: WEST VIRGINIA - FG, PAT MCAFEE 46 YD, 4:28. WEST
VIRGINIA 17-7
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, STEVE SLATON 31 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 11:16. WEST
VIRGINIA 24-7
CONNECTICUT - TD, DONALD BROWN 2 YD RUN (TONY
CIARAVINO KICK), 14:41. WEST
VIRGINIA 24-14
3RD QUARTER: WEST VIRGINIA - TD, PAT WHITE 66 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 3:17. WEST
VIRGINIA 31-14
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, NOEL DEVINE 25 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 8:25. WEST
VIRGINIA 38-14
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, REED WILLIAMS 0 YD FUMBLE
RETURN (PAT MCAFEE KICK),
11:27. WEST VIRGINIA 45-14
4TH QUARTER: WEST VIRGINIA - TD, STEVE SLATON 3 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 0:05. WEST
VIRGINIA 52-14
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, JOCK SANDERS 1 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 3:24. WEST
VIRGINIA 59-14
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, ED COLLINGTON 5 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 7:13. WEST
VIRGINIA 66-14
CONNECTICUT - TD, ANTHONY DAVIS 4 YD RUN (TONY
CIARAVINO KICK), 13:31. WEST
VIRGINIA 66-21</div>

 

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (Ticker) -- Pat White and WestVirginia raced past Connecticut to clinch the Big EastConference title.


White rushed for a season-high 186 yards and two touchdownsSaturday as the fourth-ranked Mountaineers rolled to astunningly easy 66-21 rout of No. 20 UConn.


West Virginia (10-1, 5-1 Big East) secured its second conferencechampionship in the last three years and locked up a BCS bowlbid in dominant fashion, rushing for a season-high 528 yardsagainst the Big East's No. 1 defense.


The catalyst for the Mountaineers' relentless attack was White,who recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performanceand his fifth this season. The junior quarterback also keptthe Huskies honest with his arm, completing 9-of-13 passes for107 yards and a TD.


Freshman sensation Noel Devine rushed for 118 yards and a scoreon just 11 carries while Steve Slaton also ran for a pair ofscores for the Mountaineers, who captured their fourth Big Easttitle under coach Rich Rodriguez and their fifth all-time.

The Mountaineers close out their regular season here nextSaturday against rival Pittsburgh.


With a win over the Panthers in the "Backyard Brawl," WestVirginia almost certainly would lock up a berth in the BCS titlegame.


Ranked third in the BCS standings entering this week, theMountaineers figure to climb at least as high as No. 2 followingtop-ranked Louisiana State's triple-overtime loss to Arkansason Friday.


West Virginia looked as if it also would have a fight on itshands in this one, as UConn (9-3, 5-2) scored on the game'sopening drive.


But the Huskies' vaunted defense was completely overmatchedagainst White, who ran for a game-tying three-yard score on theensuing possession. The southpaw gave West Virginia the leadfor good with his 14-yard scoring strike to Darius Reynaudmidway through the opening quarter.


Slaton sped to a 31-yard TD in the second quarter and Whitescrambled for a 24-yard score on the opening possession of thethird quarter to make it 31-14.


Devine also dashed for a 25-yard score in the third, pushing theadvantage to 38-14 and essentially sealing the win.

It was a disappointing end to what had been a magical regularseason for the Huskies, who completed just their sixth campaignas a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly DivisionI-A).


Donald Brown rushed for 129 yards and a TD for UConn, which wentjust 4-8 last season.

 

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NCAAF
CONNECTICUT (20) 21
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 66 FINAL</div>

 

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CONNECTICUT (20) 7 7 0 7 21
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 14 10 21 21 66 FINAL

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER: CONNECTICUT - TD, BRAD KANUCH 6 YD PASS FROM
TYLER LORENZEN (TONY CIARAVINO
KICK), 3:00. CONNECTICUT 7-0
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, PAT WHITE 3 YD RUN (PAT MCAFEE
KICK), 4:52. CONNECTICUT 7-7
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, DARIUS REYNAUD 14 YD PASS FROM
PAT WHITE (PAT MCAFEE KICK),
7:59. WEST VIRGINIA 14-7
2ND QUARTER: WEST VIRGINIA - FG, PAT MCAFEE 46 YD, 4:04. WEST
VIRGINIA 17-7
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, STEVE SLATON 31 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 11:16. WEST
VIRGINIA 24-7
CONNECTICUT - TD, DONALD BROWN 2 YD RUN (TONY
CIARAVINO KICK), 14:40. WEST
VIRGINIA 24-14
3RD QUARTER: WEST VIRGINIA - TD, PAT WHITE 24 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 3:17. WEST
VIRGINIA 31-14
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, NOEL DEVINE 25 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 8:25. WEST
VIRGINIA 38-14
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, REED WILLIAMS 0 YD FUMBLE
RETURN (PAT MCAFEE KICK),
11:27. WEST VIRGINIA 45-14
4TH QUARTER: WEST VIRGINIA - TD, STEVE SLATON 3 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 0:05. WEST
VIRGINIA 52-14
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, JOCK SANDERS 1 YD RUN (PAT
MCAFEE KICK), 3:24. WEST
VIRGINIA 59-14
WEST VIRGINIA - TD, ED COLLINGTON 1 YD RUN (CHRIS
GLENN KICK), 7:13. WEST
VIRGINIA 66-14
CONNECTICUT - TD, ANTHONY DAVIS 2 YD PASS FROM
DENNIS BROWN (TONY CIARAVINO
KICK), 13:31. WEST VIRGINIA
66-21</div>

 

NCAAF: CONNECTICUT at WEST VIRGINIA

<div class="pre">NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CONNECTICUT (20) 7 7 0 7 21
WEST VIRGINIA (4) 14 10 21 21 66 FINAL

CONNECTICUT-TD, B Kanuch 6 YD PASS FROM T Lorenzen (T
Ciaravino KICK) 3:00 1st Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, P White 3 YD RUN (P McAfee KICK) 4:52 1st Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, D Reynaud 14 YD PASS FROM P White (P McAfee
KICK) 7:59 1st Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-FG, P McAfee 46 YD 4:04 2nd Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, S Slaton 31 YD RUN (P McAfee KICK) 11:16 2nd
Qtr
CONNECTICUT-TD, D Brown 2 YD RUN (T Ciaravino KICK) 14:40 2nd
Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, P White 24 YD RUN (P McAfee KICK) 3:17 3rd
Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, N Devine 25 YD RUN (P McAfee KICK) 8:25 3rd
Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, R Williams 0 YD FUMBLE RETURN (P McAfee KICK)
11:27 3rd Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, S Slaton 3 YD RUN (P McAfee KICK) 0:05 4th
Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, J Sanders 1 YD RUN (P McAfee KICK) 3:24 4th
Qtr
WEST VIRGINIA-TD, E Collington 1 YD RUN (C Glenn KICK) 7:13 4th
Qtr
CONNECTICUT-TD, A Davis 2 YD PASS FROM D Brown (T Ciaravino
KICK) 13:31 4th Qtr


CONNECTICUT WEST VIRGINIA
First downs 22 26
Rushed-yards 50-203 52-517
Passing yards 189 107
Sacked-yards lost 5-38 1-2
Return yards 12 77
Passes 18-34-0 9-13-1
Punts 9-30.9 3-49.3
Fumbles-lost 3-3 1-0
Penalties-yards 5-42 4-35
Time of possession 34:19 25:41


Individual Statistics

RUSHING: CONNECTICUT-Donald Brown 22-129, Andre Dixon 15-67, Tyler
Lorenzen 12-4, Anthony Sherman 1-3. WEST VIRGINIA-Pat White 16-186,
Noel Devine 11-118, Jarrett Brown 3-61, Jock Sanders 3-58, Steve
Slaton 10-54, Ed Collington 8-36, Owen Schmitt 1-4.

PASSING: CONNECTICUT-Tyler Lorenzen 14-28-151- 0, Dennis Brown 4-6-38-
0. WEST VIRGINIA-Pat White 9-13-107- 1.

RECEIVING: CONNECTICUT-Brad Kanuch 3-63, Terence Jeffers 3-49, Larry
Taylor 2-24, Donald Brown 3-24, Steve Brouse 2-22, Andre Dixon 2-4,
Anthony Davis 1-2, Anthony Sherman 1-2, D.J. Hernandez 1-MINUS 1. WEST
VIRGINIA-Darius Reynaud 5-76, Wes Lyons 1-16, Steve Slaton 2-11,
Dorrell Jalloh 1-4.


Att: 59,701</div>

 

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (Ticker) -- Pat White and WestVirginia raced past Connecticut to clinch the Big EastConference title.


White rushed for a season-high 186 yards and two touchdownsSaturday as the fourth-ranked Mountaineers rolled to astunningly easy 66-21 rout of No. 20 UConn.


West Virginia (10-1, 5-1 Big East) secured its second conferencechampionship in the last three years and locked up a BCS bowlbid in dominant fashion, rushing for a season-high 517 yardsagainst the Big East's No. 1 defense.


It was the Mountaineers' best single-game rushing performancesince a 536-yard outing in a 37-17 victory over East Carolina onSeptember 28, 2002.


"We have explosiveness, and that was neat to see," West Virginiacoach Rich Rodriguez said. "In the second half, we kept thegas peddle on."


"They're athletic and they've got speed," UConn coach RandyEdsall added. "They've got guys tha make plays and they are asolid team. It's an outstanding program, and Rich has done atremendous job."


The catalyst for the Mountaineers' relentless attack was White,who recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performanceand his fifth this season. The junior quarterback also keptthe Huskies honest with his arm, completing 9-of-13 passes for107 yards and a TD.


"I'm biased - I think (White) is the best football player in thecountry," Rodriguez said. "Pat has done it his entire career.I'm glad he's in the blue and gold."


Freshman sensation Noel Devine rushed for 118 yards and a scoreon just 11 carries while Steve Slaton also ran for a pair ofscores for the Mountaineers, who captured their fourth Big Easttitle under coach Rich Rodriguez and their fifth all-time.

The Mountaineers close out their regular season here nextSaturday against rival Pittsburgh.


With a win over the Panthers in the "Backyard Brawl," WestVirginia almost certainly would lock up a berth in the BCS titlegame.


"There is always another team challenging for the championship,and our guys responded to that," Rodriguez said. "We want tofinish the deal next week in the big rivalry game."

Ranked third in the BCS standings entering this week, theMountaineers figure to climb at least as high as No. 2 followingtop-ranked Louisiana State's triple-overtime loss to Arkansason Friday.


West Virginia's national title aspirations appeared to be dashedafter a 21-13 loss to South Florida on September 28.

But the Mountaineers have won their last six contests and havebenefited from a bevy of upsets suffered by teams above them inthe rankings.


"The thing I was proud of after USF was that there wasn't muchtalk (about us)," Rodriguez said. "But there wasn't a change inour mentality, and they never stopped playing. We're not doneyet, I hope.


"I think we could chart our own destiny, but you have to run it.That is easier said than done."


West Virginia looked as if it also would have a fight on itshands in this one, as UConn (9-3, 5-2) scored on the game'sopening drive.


But the Huskies' vaunted defense was completely overmatchedagainst White, who ran for a game-tying three-yard score on theensuing possession. The southpaw gave West Virginia the leadfor good with his 14-yard scoring strike to Darius Reynaudmidway through the opening quarter.


"I'm not sure if there is one better than (White)," Edsall said."He's got my vote. He's a tremendous athlete. I told him Ithink he should come out (to the NFL) after this year. But Ihaven't seen anyone better than him."


Slaton sped to a 31-yard TD in the second quarter and Whitescrambled for a 24-yard score on the opening possession of thethird quarter to make it 31-14.


Devine also dashed for a 25-yard score in the third, pushing theadvantage to 38-14 and essentially sealing the win.

It was a disappointing end to what had been a magical regularseason for the Huskies, who completed just their sixth campaignas a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly DivisionI-A).


Donald Brown rushed for 129 yards and a TD for UConn, which wentjust 4-8 last season.


"These kids worked their tails off to get to this position,"Edsall said. "I couldn't be more proud of our players andcoaches.


"We won't let this put a damper on the season. Back in August,no one thought we'd stand where we are now."