White, West Virginia Race Past Connecticut

Pat White ran for 102 yards and a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass and Steve Slaton rushed for 128 yards to help No. 4 West Virginia extend its winning streak to 14 with a 37-11 victory over Connecticut on Friday night.

White led the Mountaineers, 7-0 overall, 2-0 in the Big East Conference, by running 45 yards for a touchdown in the first half and throwing a 52-yard scoring pass to Rayshawn Bolden in the third quarter.

White, who had 15 carries, completed nine of 14 passes for 156 yards. Slaton scored on a 56-yard run with 5:26 left.

Connecticut (3-4, 0-2), which started six freshmen, including three on the offensive line, trailed, 6-3, midway through the second quarter.

But a holding penalty and a 30-yard punt into a stiff wind gave West Virginia the ball on the Huskies’ 45. On the next play, White kept the ball on an option and sprinted up the middle for a touchdown.

He had a 30-yard run on the Mountaineers’ next drive, which went 74 yards in 11 plays. Owen Schmitt ran the ball in from a yard out with 20 seconds left in the half to give West Virginia a 20-3 lead.

Connecticut quarterback Matt Bonislawski completed eight of 20 passes for 58 yards.

He was replaced late in the third quarter by sophomore D.J. Hernandez, who scored the Huskies’ touchdown on a five-yard run with 7:22 left. Terry Caulley ran for the two-point conversion. Caulley, who was averaging 98 yards a game, was limited to 35 yards.