Posted at 6:14 p.m., Saturday, December 1, 2007
CFB: Pittsburgh shocks No. 2 West Virginia, 13-9
Advertiser Staff
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The curse of No. 2 claimed another victim.West Virginia is out of the national title race. Ohio State is in.
In a season defined by upsets, Pittsburgh came up with an enormous one, beating the second-ranked Mounatineers 13-9 tonight to throw another curveball at the BCS.
A win away from playing for the national championship, the Moutaineers were expected to roll over rival Pittsburgh (5-7) on their way to New Orleans for the Bowl Championship Series title game.
No way. Not in this unpredictable season, when nothing has gone according to plan and upsets have become so frequent the word itself has almost lost its meaning.
No. 2 had already lost six times this, five times to unranked teams. In a year when Appalachian State beats Michigan and 41-point underdog Stanford beats Southern California, West Virginia (10-2) losing the 100th Backyard Brawl as a four-touchdown favorite shouldn't be all that shocking.
Especially after the Mountaineers lost Heisman Trophy contender Pat White to a disloacted thumb in the second quarter. White tried to play in the fourth quarter, but he couldn't conjure a comeback.
When Pitt punter Dave Brytus ran out of the end zone for a safety on the final clock-killing play, West Virginia, a program that has won more games then any other in major college football without winning a national title, was done.
