AP News, October 20th, 2007
Pat White threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in the first half, leading No. 9 West Virginia to a 38-13 win over Mississippi State on Saturday. Steve Slaton rushed for 127 yards and a score for the Mountaineers (6-1).
West Virginia scored on its first five possessions and wasn't threatened. The Mountaineers now enter the heart of the Big East schedule with a showdown next Saturday at Rutgers.
Playing at home for the first time in a month, West Virginia put together its best first quarter of the season following an open week on the schedule. After jumping ahead 31-0 early in the second, the Mountaineers managed just two first downs and no points on their next five possessions.
Given multiple chances to close the gap, freshman Wesley Carroll could only temporarily rally Mississippi State (4-4), which lost to a ranked opponent for the fourth time this season. The Bulldogs were limited to 12 first downs and 214 yards.
White's playing status was in question after indicating earlier in the week he wasn't recovered from a hit to his non-throwing (right) shoulder two weeks ago at Syracuse. He played in that game despite a bruised thigh from a loss to South Florida the week before.
White started against Mississippi State and the Bulldogs could barely touch him early.
On the first play from scrimmage, White faked a handoff to Slaton, darted up the middle and went 64 yards untouched for a touchdown, his longest run of the season and tied for the fourth longest of his career.
White flirted with the 100-yard rushing mark only seven minutes into the game, and he capped West Virginia's second series with a screen pass fullback Owen Schmitt turned into a 12-yard score.
The Bulldogs' Anthony Dixon fumbled near midfield on the next series, West Virginia's Marc Magro caught the ball in midair and ran 39 yards to the Mississippi State 17. Three plays later White hit a wide open Darius Reynaud for a 12-yard TD and a 21-0 lead.
White sat out the second half. He finished with 89 rushing yards and completed 8 of 12 passes for 61 yards.
Slaton rebounded from a poor two-game stretch in which he was held under 70 yards. He scored his 43rd career rushing TD late in the first quarter, breaking the school record shared by Avon Cobourne and Ira Errett Rodgers.
After Slaton scored from 26 yards out, his first touchdown in three games, Carroll fumbled the snap and West Virginia's Mortty Ivy took the fumble 45 yards for an apparent touchdown. But the Mountaineers were penalized for a block in the back and had to settle for Pat McAfee's 42-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter and a 31-0 lead.
West Virginia didn't score again until Jarrett Brown hit Reynaud with a 13-yard TD toss early in the fourth.
Mississippi State's only signs of life came on either side of halftime.
Carroll's second completion went for 22 yards to Jamayel Smith and Dixon eventually scored from 1 yard out to cut the deficit to 31-7. Christian Ducre had a 3-yard TD run early in the third. Carroll went 18-of-34 for 169 yards.
