Nov 6, 2002 3 min read

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia was glad to become bowl eligible while it had the chance. The Mountaineers (6-3, 3-1 Big East) face a difficult finish with games against Boston College, No. 8 Virginia Tech and No. 22 Pittsburgh, teams with a combined 20-6 record.

“The teams we play the rest of our schedule, they’re going to make plays against us. You hope they don’t make too many, and you hope you don’t get too far behind,” West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said Tuesday.

Boston College (5-3, 0-3) also can become bowl eligible when it plays at West Virginia on Saturday. The Eagles are coming off a stunning 14-7 victory over then-No. 4 Notre Dame.

Yet West Virginia is a 3-point favorite. The Mountaineers, who already have doubled their win total from last year, are looking to get to seven regular-season victories for the first time since 1998.

“How can we be favored on the team that just beat the (fourth) ranked team in the country?” Rodriguez said. “That’s a little bit surprising.”

Maybe not, considering the home team has won the last four meetings, including a 34-10 win by BC in last year’s season opener.

One quarter was all it took to ruin Rodriguez’s Division I-A coaching debut and set the tone for a 3-8 season.

“A not-so memorable opener,” he said. “The first quarter was OK. Beyond that, it was all downhill, from there through the rest of the season.”

After West Virginia took a 10-0 lead, things fell apart quickly. Then-backup quarterback Rasheed Marshall broke a bone in his throwing wrist and four defensive starters missed all or parts of the game with injuries.

Boston College’s physical presence on the offensive line still haunts Rodriguez.

“I’d like to see somebody bigger than them,” he said. “They’re not just big guys, 300 pounders, but they’re 6-7, 6-8. They’re going to dwarf our guys. That’s the biggest challenge because you just simply can’t see where the running back is. That’s the problem we had last year.”

Boston College finished with 351 yards rushing in that game.

This year, West Virginia is the No. 1 rushing team in the country with an average of 297 yards. Avon Cobourne, held to 62 yards last year against BC, is the third-leading rusher in the country this season at 141 yards per game.

The Mountaineers returned to practice Tuesday after being given a day to rest several minor injuries that occurred in a 46-20 victory over Temple.

Rodriguez said Cobourne is being watched after twisting an ankle in practice last week. Against Temple he was held below 100 yards rushing for the first time in seven games.

Rodriguez has lifted the indefinite suspension of wide receiver Travis Garvin, while freshman receiver J.T. Perry remains on suspension. They were disciplined last week for separate violations of team rules.

Defensive lineman Kevin Freeman remains on a personal leave of absence.