Nov 19, 2003 3 min read

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia’s only Big East football title in 1993 also marked its last win at Syracuse. The Mountaineers want to repeat both those feats a decade later.

To keep its hopes alive for at least a share of the title, West Virginia will have to play well on Saturday at the Carrier Dome, a place that doesn’t conjure up good memories for a team that has scored a combined 30 points in its last four trips.

“It’s loud, you can’t hear anything, and they always seem to play their best against us,” said West Virginia running back Quincy Wilson. “We haven’t won there, and it’d be nice to get one before I graduate.”

No. 25 West Virginia (6-4, 4-1 Big East) is coming off a 52-31 win over then-No. 16 Pittsburgh on Saturday to force a three-way tie for the conference lead with the 21st-ranked Panthers and No. 13 Miami.

The Mountaineers have rebounded nicely from a 1-4 start. But during their current five-game winning streak, four victories have come at home.

Now comes an indoor field; a flatter, harder artificial surface; and a hostile crowd.

“The noise factor is a big difference in the dome,” Wilson said. “The crowd is right on top of you, and you can hear everything they say. Our biggest goal is to jump on them early and take the crowd out of the game. That would be half the battle right there.”

West Virginia grabbed early leads in each of its last two trips to Syracuse, only to see the Orangemen pour on the points.

Some players don’t mind coming to a hostile stadium. It beats the alternative: At Boston College two weeks ago, the Mountaineers nearly blew a two-touchdown lead playing before what some described as a laid-back crowd.

And after nearly beating Miami on the road earlier this season, going to Syracuse may not be so bad.

“It’s not the worst place to play,” said linebacker Grant Wiley. “I’d say Boston College is the worst. They’re too ho-hum there.”

Lately, though, West Virginia hasn’t been all that entertaining at Syracuse, failing to score a touchdown in 1999, while quarterback Rasheed Marshall had the team’s only TD late in a 24-13 loss in 2001.

Marshall said proximity of the stands creates a different perspective when throwing.

“Everything seems so enclosed,” he said.

The indoor surface has no drainage crown, but “you get used to it,” Marshall said. “Switching to flat from a crown is better than the other way.”

Syracuse is 4-1 at home this season, outscoring opponents by an average 34-16.

“There’s a different type of comfort level at home. You can feed off the crowd, and playing on turf in that dome has got to help. A lot of things can go right when you play in your own home,” Wilson said.

He should know. Wilson’s top three rushing performances of the season have come at home in the past month, including 208 yards and four touchdowns Saturday against Pittsburgh.

But he has had only one 100-yard effort on the road.

“It’s going to be quite a challenge,” Wilson said.