W.Va.'s Devine, Brown Should be Ready for Cincy

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia coach Bill Stewart says sore ankles shouldn't keep running back Noel Devine and quarterback Jarrett Brown from playing at unbeaten Cincinnati.

Devine touched the ball once in the second half in Saturday's 17-9 win over Louisville after getting hurt just before halftime. Brown was injured in the fourth quarter but left the game for only one play.

Both will need to be healthy if the Mountaineers (7-2, 3-1 Big East) are to keep up with the potent offense of the Bearcats (9-0, 5-0) on Friday night.

West Virginia must shrug off its worst offensive performance of the season and win its remaining games against No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 8 Pittsburgh and Rutgers to have a shot at its third Bowl Championship Series berth in five seasons.

The Mountaineers were held to a season-low 273 yards of offense against Louisville.

"We're trying to right that ship," Stewart said Monday.

The way to do that against Cincinnati is to run the ball, if the Bearcats' 47-45 win over Connecticut on Saturday is any indication. UConn's Jordan Todman romped for 162 yards and four touchdowns and Cincinnati surrendered a season high for points.

But West Virginia's offensive flow is different from Connecticut's.

"We are not a big, physical, grind-it-out team. That's not our strong suit," Stewart said. "We are more of a balanced, spread-the-wealth football team. I don't know if our offensive line can go up and down the field on them. We are going to have to do what we do, try to spread the wealth and get the ball out on the screen, try the short passing game with a deep pass every now and then and do our very best running the football."

It would help to have Devine not only available but back to his old self. After surpassing 100 yards rushing in five of his first seven games, he has a combined 98 yards in his last two with no touchdowns scored.

"He's gotten nicked up a little bit. He'll be OK," Stewart said. "If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

Cincinnati lost 10 defensive starters from the team that held Devine to 58 yards on 19 carries last season. WVU's 98 rushing yards as a team against the Bearcats were its worst showing of the year.

Stewart is preparing in the event that Devine's playing time is diminished. That means more practice at running back for slot receiver Jock Sanders, who had a career-high 12 carries for 66 yards against Louisville.

Stewart also plans to have Tavon Austin, who had a 9-yard TD run against the Cardinals, and fullback Ryan Clarke ready for more work.

Brown has thrown for two touchdowns in three games since returning from a mild concussion and he's averaging just 150 passing yards per game over that span.

Stewart points toward Brown's teammates for perhaps not helping him out enough, including a young offensive line that continues to be shuffled around.

"The first thing you have to do when you pass the ball is pass block," he said. "Then you have to run precise routes."