MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The concern relates to the central-New York state of mind.

After losing nine of its past 10 games and 20 of its past 24, after its athletic director went public that "it isn't working out" with fourth-year coach Greg Robinson, what is Syracuse's psyche for today's noon date with West Virginia, which has clubbed it by 96-31 the past two seasons? Where is the collective Orange head?

"Everybody's focused on playing well and getting this thing turned around," said Syracuse place-kicker Patrick Shadle, a native who has played at Mountaineer Field with the Orange and with Morgantown High. "Our level of play so far hasn't been up to the standard that it needs to be. We are playing good football. Obviously, our record doesn't show that. We played a good game against Pittsburgh, then they went down and beat South Florida. That kind of makes us sick."

"We have confidence in coach Robinson," quarterback Cam Dantley said. "In terms of all those rumors, we don't really try to think about all that."

Athletic director Darryl Gross didn't seem to help matters much in the days before the Pitt game, as quoted by ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel: "Everyone wanted [Robinson's] head last year. I said I didn't want Syracuse to become one of those three-years-and-out schools. I said, 'Let's calm down and we'll get the first pick of the draft [of coaching candidates] next year.' That's where we are."

The Orange (1-4, 0-1 Big East) are at the bottom of the league and near the Division I-A cellar. Nationally, the offense ranks 110th, the defense 114th and the winning percentage since 2005 sixth-to-last of the 119 teams playing major-college football. The team had two weeks to mull over the fourth-and-one chance at the Pitt 38 it passed up early, the leads of 14-3 and 24-13 it blew before yielding 18 fourth-quarter points.

"Sometimes, you got to go for that fourth," Mountaineers cornerback Brandon Hogan said.

"They had Pitt on the ropes. They had Pitt there for the taking and it just kind of slipped through their grasp there in the fourth quarter," Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart added. "Have they lost their swagger? I don't think so. Syracuse has a storied past, and I think those kids will play their hearts out."

West Virginia (3-2, 1-0), with or without an ailing Patrick White at quarterback, aims for more than last week's 24-17 survival of Rutgers in what Stewart said "wasn't a very convincing win to the eye of the beholder." He talked of not looking back or looking over Syracuse: "We forgot to tell East Carolina we were supposed to win, right? Y'all saw that. We don't care about being 3-2 ... 2-0 is our goal in this league."

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NOTE: -- On the eve of the Syracuse-West Virginia game, West Virginia University officials yesterday released a 12-paragraph statement denouncing the portrayal of the state and Mountaineers fans in the new movie "The Express," about late Orange star Ernie Davis. Officials described as "inaccurate and unfair" scenes in which the 1959 meeting -- actually played in Syracuse -- depicted fans in Morgantown aiming racial slurs and objects at Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, and his teammates.

Matchup: West Virginia (3-2, 1-0 Big East) vs. Syracuse (1-4, 0-1), noon, Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, W.Va. Mountaineers are favored by 23¹/₂.

TV/Radio: ESPNU; WWVA-AM (1170) and Mountaineer Sports Network, www.MSNsportsnet.com; Sirius Channel 122.

Syracuse: Has lost past six meetings with Mountaineers but leads series, 30-25. ... RB Curtis Brinkley has had two 100-yard rushing games in a row. ... RB Delone Carter (hamstring), pictured, due to return after rushing for 133 yards on 18 carries in first two games.

West Virginia: QB Patrick White is ready, says coach Bill Stewart, despite being "dinged" vs. Rutgers. ... C Mike Dent and DL Pat Liebig, who sat out past two games, missed practice time this week with concussion issues.

Hidden stat: Not since 1994 have Mountaineers gone five games into a season without once scoring at least 30 points against a Division I-A team.