To limit West Virginia to its lowest rushing output in seven years and 90 games, Cincinnati utilized the same line-crowding defensive schemes that Pitt and South Florida employed in upsetting the 2007 Mountaineers.

That defense was precisely what new coach Bill Stewart tried to pattern the Mountaineers' tweaked passing offense to solve this season, but it failed Saturday in what he called a "tough, heartbreaking loss" in overtime to visiting Cincinnati, 26-23.

"They did to us what South Florida and Pitt did to us last year, that's what they did," said Stewart, whose offense collected 2.3 yards per carry and 98 yards net, compiling 27 yards in losses mostly because of sacks that NCAA statistics count against a team's rushing totals.

It marked their lowest rushing output since Oct. 6, 2001, when Virginia Tech held the Mountaineers to 33 yards, after 52 yards lost mostly because of sacks. "Their defense won that football game. They had 10 seniors. They were slanting and moving. They played low. They leveraged us. They tackled well. And they played well in the secondary. ... You have to block them."

Quarterback Patrick White, yesterday named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and Noel Devine combined for 39 carries for 99 yards -- their lowest this fall.

"I will say that clearly one of the things we did in the spring was spend a little more time at West Virginia," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said. "We got a chance to look at [films of] South Florida and, in part, Pitt. So, clearly, we did steal some things. The win for our kids wasn't so much about scheme, but playing with determination and passion. If you look at the South Florida and Pittsburgh games, if you want to put a percentage on it, it was 75 percent kids refusing to play anything but great defense and 25 percent scheme."

To counteract such tactics, Stewart vowed the Mountaineers would throw more often. White did that Saturday, tossing a career-high 38 attempts. Before the furious, final-minute rally required downfield throws, little more than half (18) of White's first 32 passes went beyond the line of scrimmage and the rest (14) were screens into the teeth of Cincinnati's NFL-prospect cornerbacks.

Devine, the tailback, was his leading receiver with six and the intended target on his lone interception. Three passes were dropped.

Told that receiver Dorrell Jalloh, like the Steelers' Hines Ward years ago, sounded ready to volunteer for kickoff-coverage duty, Stewart said: "[He] needs to worry about blocking and receiving. [He] doesn't need to be worrying about the kickoff team." ... The coach said center Mike Dent's neck injury, which caused him to sit out Saturday after 21 starts in a row, is "week to week." ... Quarterback Jarrett Brown and his missing third-down package plus starting tight end-fullback Will Johnson were deemed unavailable because of thigh injuries but could return this off week and for Louisville Nov. 22, Stewart said. ... Cincinnati improved to 5-2 vs. ranked teams under Kelly and scored its second such win in a row a week after beating then-No. 24 South Florida; the program was 4-58 in those kind of games before Kelly. ... Stewart said four Mountaineers got their hands on Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard on his 100-yard kickoff return and two of those players missed tackles for the worst kickoff-coverage team in Division I-A, and he plans to make further personnel alterations. "I'm changing more people. That's going to be rectified," said Stewart. ... West Virginia's next game, Nov. 22 at Louisville, will start at noon on ESPN.