MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Everybody calls him Stew. He calls himself names belying a silvery middle-aged gent, such as "Billy Stewart," "a Mountain State lad" and "a New Martinsville boy." Rand McNally might be more appropriate. He is an Everyman who has been Everywhere, man.

He has coached at Fairmont State, as his home-state alma mater was known then 32 years ago. He has coached at Sistersville, W.Va., High. He has coached at -- deep breath, proceed -- Salem (W.Va.) College, North Carolina, Marshall, William & Mary, Navy, North Carolina again, Arizona State, Air Force, Virginia Military Institute as head coach, Winnipeg and Montreal of the Canadian Football League, and, finally, at West Virginia University since 2000.

Thing is, West Virginia stayed with Bill Stewart throughout that sojourn.

This is the man whom Mountaineers officials last week handed both a fragile football team, immediately after Rich Rodriguez announced his departure to Michigan Dec. 16 and caused a handful of players to storm off instead of remain for practice, and the burdensome tag of interim head coach:

He wept while attending the 1988 Fiesta Bowl where the Mountaineers lost their bid for a national title.

"I was in a cowboy hat," said the then-Arizona State assistant who was sitting in his home venue that day, Sun Devil Stadium, "but I was crying."

Here he comes again, bringing the 2007 Mountaineers to Phoenix tomorrow to begin practicing to play third-ranked Oklahoma in that same Fiesta Bowl Jan. 2, preparing to shed whatever perspiration, tears and unrestrained optimism necessary.

"That I give you, my bond. I can assure you these guys will play their hardest," Stewart said. "We do have some bullets in our gun. We may not have any land to our left or any land to our right and water behind us, but this is not going to be the [doomed Crimean War] charge of the light brigade.

"I know we're up against a lot of odds. I think we're playing the No. 1 team in the country. I don't buy that [No.] 3 stuff. I believe that with all my heart."

Stewart believes, all right. It's part and parcel of the man who was Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's first boss, back in those 8-25 days at VMI little more than a decade ago. This career coach is a speed-talking, Lord-blessing, cheer-gushing fellow who was a natural to rise to associate head coach last January, when Rick Trickett left that job for the same title at Florida State, and who was a natural to ascend the rickety scaffold that is West Virginia interim head coach.

Yet to Stewart, a man who would love to be considered for Rodriguez's job but says he refuses to engage in open politics for it, this is a dreamy moment. Even if, to others, it might seem a nightmare time: The 13-9 loss to Pitt that cost them a national-championship date, the messy Rodriguez departure, the angry reaction of some players, the coaching search's ups and downs, even a snag over recruiting caused when Rodriguez and outgoing recruiting coordinator Tony Gibson called some high school prospects before leaving.

"I got to pinch myself," Stewart said giddily about his bowl role. "It's my dream job."

"That's Stew. That's him. That's why it would be a feel-good story," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said, wondering what would happen if his friend Stewart were allowed to succeed Rodriguez as head coach. "You get a guy who's not only a great football coach, then you have a guy with a love for the university like nobody else -- that's the thing."

The players have an affinity for Stewart.

"If we can have anybody in charge besides coach Rod, I'm glad to have coach Stew," said cornerback-returner Vaughn Rivers of Perry Traditional Academy.

"I'm always excited to hear what comes out of coach Stew's mouth," said Plum kicker-punter Pat McAfee, a vocal fellow himself whose special teams are coordinated by Stewart.

"The man of many compliments," said Owen Schmitt, who was one of Stewart's tight ends this season. "I love him. His attitude, I think that's the best part about him, his best attribute. It's been a good week [under Stewart]." It apparently flew by so fast, Schmitt momentarily forgot the timing of Rodriguez's exit for Michigan. "When did that happen? Sunday? I think everybody's forgotten about it."

Stewart has not tried to erase his predecessor, either.

"I lost a tremendous friend in Rich Rodriguez," Stewart said. "But things aren't going to change much. Why would I change ... ? Rich did a fantastic job here. We got the same coaches, the same players."

Well, not all the coaches. Rodriguez took Gibson to Michigan (and let assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Calvin Magee return to West Virginia through the bowl), but before they left Dec. 16 they telephoned an unspecified number of recruits on the Sunday starting a "quiet period." It prompted a bit of difficulty within NCAA rules, which prohibit more than one call from coaches to a prospect in that period.

"We're trying to sort it all out right now. We have to watch how many calls we make because there were some calls made, I understand. But I can assure you that ... we are not going to have any infractions," Stewart said. He added that he already heard tales of coaches from other programs using negative recruiting against a seemingly rudderless West Virginia, though Stewart spoke of toiling to "hold this ship afloat."

"They want to go out to the desert and play better than they did in the last game here; that's something our seniors have pledged to do, something they've bonded [together] to do," this interim head coach said. "The last time the Mountaineers played [Dec. 1], the nation did not see us at our best. I just hope we can keep this thing in the right direction and get out in the desert and hit these guys straight on."