By Dave Morrison
In the end, West Virginia got exactly what it deserves. A Jan. 1 bowl, as Bill Stewart and his team accepted a bid to the Gator Bowl after Saturday’s 24-21 win at Rutgers.
Coupled with Cincinnati’s 45-44 win over Pitt, the Mountaineers finished second in the Big East.
And it took an unbeaten Cincinnati squad — which pulled off its own 24-21 win over West Virginia, which included a very questionable call that turned a potential Mountaineer takeaway into a Bearcats’ touchdown — to do it.
All things considered, Stewart should probably earn mention on the numerous coach of the year awards that are out there.
A possible 10-win season?
A New Year’s Day bowl?
A Top 20 team?
Even the most ardent Stewbirds, in a moment of clarity, would have to admit that what Stewart and company have done with this team is remarkable, just this side of magical.
Oh, there will always be detractors.
Have you seen the offensive line this season?
At times workable, but at other times, well, offensive.
Have you seen the kickoff portion of special teams?
Nothing special there.
Running back Noel Devine has been dinged up. Ditto QB Jarrett Brown. Linebacker Reed Williams. The entire defensive line save standout Julian Miller. All have spent time on the injury report.
Yet the team held it together.
Sure, they should, most of the players are on scholarship.
But the team suffered only one questionable loss, and that was at South Florida. Fluke? Off night?
Remember, Rutgers clobbered USF 31-0 after WVU fell to the Bulls.
Auburn? What team could overcome six turnovers and still be in the game until a late pick-six made it 41-30.
And Cincinnati? A couple questionable calls will be long remembered. And hey, the Bearcats are undefeated.
What WVU did down the stretch — with three straight games decided by a field goal, two of them wins — shows just what kind of moxie this team has.
And if the losses start at the top, then so did the nine wins.
West Virginia got the Gator offer not 10 minutes after the Mountaineers held on to beat Rutgers.
“The Gator Bowl has a great tradition and relationship with West Virginia University,” said Gator Bowl Selection Chairman Brian Goin, a WVU alum. “It’s just been a super year for West Virginia.”
The timing leads you to believe that West Virginia had the deal sealed regardless of how Saturday played out.
And you know Goin and the Gator Bowl folks would love to have Bobby Bowden and Florida State in the game. It will be Bowden’s final game, having announced his retirement last week in the face of pressure from the FSU administration.
It would also be a rematch of the 1982 and 2005 Gator Bowls, both won by FSU.
It would give the former Mountaineer coach a chance to coach against his old team in his last game at his last coaching stop.
That is one of many storylines.
West Virginia will be playing in its fourth Gator Bowl in the last seven seasons. It lost to Maryland 41-7 in 2004 but beat Georgia Tech 38-35 in 2007.
A great Gator tradition.
And a great job by the West Virginia team of getting exactly what it deserves.
