MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Although West Virginia coach Bill Stewart normally likes to use his weekly media gathering to address the Mountaineers' upcoming opponent -- in this case, Rutgers in the regular-season finale Saturday -- he wanted to revisit something yesterday from his team's 19-16 victory Friday against Pitt.

Twice in the second quarter, Stewart eschewed a field-goal attempt and kept his offense on the field instead. Both times, the offense was stopped and turned the ball over on downs.

One field-goal attempt would have been from 18 yards; the other would have been a from 45 yards. Both would have come with the score tied, 0-0.

History played a large part. In the 13-9 loss to Pitt in 2007, then-West Virginia kicker Pat McAfee, now the punter with the Indianapolis Colts, missed two first-half field goals -- from 20 yards and 32 yards -- even though he had been named the Big East Conference special teams player of the week three times that season.

How much did McAfee's failures in that game weigh into Stewart's Friday night choices?

"Big time," said Stewart, who was a special teams coach under then-head coach Rich Rodriguez in that 2007 loss to Pitt. "I told the team, before we went onto the field [Friday], we were not playing it close to the vest. We are bringing out the holsters and pulling both pistols at one time. ... lightning would have had to hit me [to kick a field goal].

"I wanted our football team to say, 'The old man is going for it; he's going for the jugular.' And, I wanted the Pitt defensive staff to know that they were playing a different opponent [than in 2007]. ... When we missed those field goals two years ago, it just deflated us."

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano -- a defensive coach by trade -- has spent his coaching career devising game plans to stop, or at least limit, very good skill-position players. Before he became head coach with the Scarlet Knights in 2000 and just before he was defensive coordinator at the University of Miami, Schiano spent three seasons on the defensive staff with the Chicago Bears.

During that time, Schiano coached against a certain Detroit Lions running back who reminds him of West Virginia running back Noel Devine.

"[Devine] is a big-play back, there is no doubt about it and reminds me very much of Barry Sanders," Schiano said. "When I was in Chicago, that was the heyday of Barry Sanders. Barry led the league in negative plays because he was so quick and so confident in his cutting ability and speed that he would make some cuts where I am sure the [offensive line] coach would say, 'What are you doing?' After a while, you stop saying that because every eighth one he pops it."

Schiano understands drawing a comparison to Sanders, who gained more than 15,000 yards in his NFL career, is something not to be taken lightly. Nonetheless, he thinks it fits with Devine.

"[Comparing someone] to Barry Sanders doesn't happen much," he said. "But Noel Devine does it the same way. He bangs it in there and he is strong. His weight-room numbers and speed are legendary."

An ESPN.com report yesterday indicated that West Virginia could get a bid to play in the Jan. 1 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., with Florida State (6-6) as the opponent. It would be the final game for Florida State's retiring coach, Bobby Bowden, who was West Virginia's head coach from 1970-75.

West Virginia's director of football communications, Mike Montoro said he was aware of the report but would not confirm or deny it.

Next

• Game: No. 24 West Virginia (8-3, 4-2 Big East) at Rutgers (8-3, 3-3).

• When: Noon, Saturday.

• TV: ESPN.

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