Business as usual: No. 6 WVU pounds No. 25 Rutgers, 31-3

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- No. 6 West Virginia kept its BCS hopes alive with yet another win over Rutgers.

Steve Slaton ran for three touchdowns and quarterback Pat White rushed for 156 yards and a score as the Mountaineers beat the No. 25 Scarlet Knights 31-3 on Saturday, their 13th straight victory in the series.

Slaton went from sideline to sideline on a spectacular 38-yard run that gave West Virginia (7-1, 2-1 Big East) the early lead, and he scored on second-half runs of 1 and 6 yards to bury Rutgers (5-3, 2-2).

White, who missed last year's wild 41-39 triple overtime win over Rutgers with an ankle injury, scored on a 1-yard run. He drove Scarlet Knights defenders crazy with an elusiveness that had to excite the seven bowl representatives at the game. He also threw for 144 yards, highlighted by a 51-yard screen pass to Slaton to set up a touchdown.

Pat McAfee added a 42-yard field goal into the wind on the final play of the first half, and he also helped out when one of his punts hit off the foot of a Rutgers player and was recovered at the Scarlet Knights 31. That set up White's score.

Jeremy Ito kicked a 39-yard field goal for Rutgers, which was hurt by missed tackles and dropped passes. The Scarlet Knights saw their chances of a first BSC berth ended by the Mountaineers for the second straight year.

Had Rutgers beaten West Virginia last December, it would have won the conference title and the BCS berth.

The Mountaineers handed Rutgers its worst loss since a 56-5 drubbing by Louisville on Nov. 11, 2005.


SOURCE: NCAAFOOTBALL; PHOTO CREDIT: SEC SPORTS