*White propels West Virginia past Oklahoma*

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- No Rich Rodriguez, no problem for West Virginia.

The 11th-ranked Mountaineers rushed for 349 yards and had no problem coming up with big plays on offense en route to a convincing 48-28 victory over No. 3 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday.

Pat White ran for 150 yards on 20 carries and completed 10-of-19 passes for 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns for West Virginia, which picked up the win with interim coach Bill Stewart at the helm.

"Coach Stewart needs that job. He deserves it," White said. "He is a great man, great coach. All the players respect him and love him. You couldn't ask for a better man to lead us."

The Mountaineers (11-2), who struggled in December, squandered a chance at the national title when they lost to Pittsburgh in their regular-season finale. They then lost Rodriguez to the University of Michigan a few weeks later.

"I would cherish the opportunity to be the head coach of West Virginia University," Stewart said. "They gave me my marching orders to get this team ready, and that is what we did. This is a great job, great players and a great future."

With Stewart in charge, West Virginia did what it does best - run.

"When all 11 players are executing and doing their jobs, we make plays happen," White said. "Oklahoma is a great team, but we were a little more hungry."

Against an Oklahoma defense which ranked 11th in the nation against the run, the Mountaineers dominated the line of scrimmage, opening up huge holes for White and freshman tailback Noel Devine.

After starting running back Steve Slaton went down with a right hamstring injury early in the first quarter, Devine took over and finished with 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Devine also had 47 yards receiving and 88 total return yards.

The Sooners (11-3), who were heavy favorites, managed just one yard in the first quarter, while the Mountaineers built a 6-0 lead on 38- and 42-yard field goals by Pat McAfee.

Oklahoma had a chance to get on the board after Allen Patrick returned a kickoff 73 yards to the West Virginia 9, but quarterback Sam Bradford was intercepted in the end zone by Quinton Andrews.

The Mountaineers found their rhythm on offense midway through the second quarter.

After Oklahoma halved the deficit with a 37-yard field goal, West Virginia fullback Owen Schmidt rambled for a career-high and then-Fiesta Bowl record 57-yard touchdown to give the Mountaineers a 13-3 lead with 6:29 left in the quarter.

"Owen Schmidt is the heart and soul of this football team," Stewart said. "I have told the NFL scouts they have to find a spot for this guy."

The Sooners had no problem driving down the field in the opening half, but West Virginia's defense held firm in the red zone, limiting them to a pair of field goals.

White hit Darius Reynaud with a 21-yard pass before the half, enabling the Mountaineers to take a 20-6 advantage into the locker room.

Oklahoma got back in the game by scoring 10 straight points to open the third quarter, then tried an onside kick that failed.

"That was a real big play," nose tackle Keilen Dykes said. "Who knows what the game would have turned out to be if it worked. It was a great play, a heads-up play, and the rest was history."

Devine and Reynaud each rushed for long touchdowns at the end of the third quarter to open a 34-15 lead for West Virginia.

The Mountaineers put their big-play ability on display in the fourth quarter, when White connected with Tito Gonzales for a 79-yard touchdown with 13:02 left in the game.

After Bradford tossed his second touchdown of the fourth quarter, Devine broke Schmidt's short-lived record with a 65-yard scamper into the end zone to finish off the scoring with 9:21 remaining.

"The guys counted on me, so I had to step up," Devine said. "I had to fill Steve's role, so that put me in a big spot, and I did all I could."

Bradford finished 22-of-34 for 245 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Oklahoma, which has lost its last four BCS Bowl games.

"I have to come out better prepared," Bradford said. "In the first half, I just wasn't myself. I wasn't going through the reads, forcing things, didn't make the throws when I had to."

The Sooners lost on this same field last season to Boise State.

"They outplayed us big time. Their defense whipped us," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "It is disappointing to finish out the season like this, and yes, this is our fourth BCS loss. It is not positive. You need to finish out and play well in these games."