MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez stood silently in front of a lone microphone, puffed his cheeks with a breath of air, and slowly exhaled.
The only sound in the postgame interview room at Mountaineer Field last night was the whooping and hollering of the victorious Pittsburgh players who were celebrating in the adjacent locker room.
“It’s just a nightmare,” said Rodriguez, looking like a man who had just shed some hard tears. “The whole thing’s a nightmare.”
In a season of exhilarating upsets, West Virginia became the seventh No. 2-ranked team to suffer a heartbreaking upset loss, this one 13-9 at the hands of rival Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl.
The Mountaineers (10-2, 5-2 Big East) were guaranteed a spot in the BCS title game with a win. They self-destructed with three lost fumbles, two missed field goals and the loss of quarterback Pat White for much of the game with a dislocated right thumb.
Nightmare.
“It’s gonna be a long month,” said Rodriguez, who shoved his hands into his pockets, bowed his head, and walked back into the despondent West Virginia locker room.
Pittsburgh (5-7, 3-4), a 28-point underdog, with no chance of becoming bowl eligible, held the nation’s eighth highest scoring offense to one touchdown.
The last play was a nightmare in itself. Pittsburgh punter Dave Brytus scampered to the left corner of the end zone and stepped out the back for a safety as the last seconds ticked off the clock.
Even Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt, who signed a three-year contract extension yesterday morning (despite the Panthers’ 16-19 record in his tenure), couldn’t believe what had transpired.
“How’d that happen?” Wannstedt asked The Post. “I did a double take at the clock to make sure it was all zeroes.”
This was the biggest game here since 1988, when West Virginia pummeled Syracuse to advance to the national championship game. Before kickoff, Mountaineers athletic director Ed Pastilong worked his way through the press box like a presidential candidate exuding confidence.
“We want very much to finish this road the way we’re all dreaming it right now,” he said.
It will remain a dream. There were 60,100 fans in Milan Puskar Stadium, almost all wearing blue and gold, but it was so quiet you could hear a beignet frying in the French Quarter in New Orleans, site of the BCS title game, when the game ended.
Now starts the great debate. Who plays for the national championship? Top-ranked Missouri lost 38-17 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, meaning Ohio State (11-1), which was third in the most recent BCS rankings, almost surely will be one team in New Orleans on Jan. 7.
Georgia (10-2) was fourth in the BCS, but did not play yesterday and did not even win the SEC East. Kansas (11-1), ranked fifth, likely will be jumped by Virginia Tech (11-2), which beat Boston College in the ACC title game. But can the Hokies overtake Georgia, too?
And there is the case to made for LSU (11-2), which yesterday beat Tennessee in the SEC title game, routed Virginia Tech 48-7, and suffered both of its losses in triple OT.
All that is certain is that West Virginia’s dream was shattered – as well as Missouri’s. The most unpredictable season in college football history stayed its erratic course.
“Even at the end, I always thought we were going to pull it out,” said Rodriguez.
It never works out that way in a nightmare.