Tailback Noel Devine stole the show for WVU, piling up a career-high 207 yards on only 17 carries to go along with one touchdown. After trailing 17-10 in the first half, the Mountaineers (5-2, 2-0 BIG EAST) dominated all phases in the second half, tallying 259 second-half yards compared to Auburn’s 84 yards.

WVU finished with 445 yards of total offense, while the Tigers (4-4, 2-3 SEC) amassed 260 yards.

Wide receiver Dorrell Jalloh enjoyed a breakthrough performance, scoring two touchdowns and totaling 53 yards on four receptions. Alric Arnett also had a score and caught four passes for 59 yards.

Quarterback Pat White overcame two early first-half interceptions to finish with three touchdown passes and 174 yards passing.

“I’m very blessed to have coached Patrick for three years. He’s a tender-hearted kid, he’s the greatest winner in football today, and he’s a perfectionist,” WVU Head Coach Bill Stewart said.

WVU’s defense made a dramatic turnaround in the second half, swarming elusive quarterback Kodi Burns and stuffing the run. Linebacker Anthony Leonard recorded a team-high 16 tackles, while strong safety Sidney Glover was active across the field with nine tackles, including one tackle-for-loss.

Linebacker J.T. Thomas and lineman Chris Neild each finished with eight wrap-ups.

“Our defense did a great job. I credit them and they played to win. They played aggressive and they played smart,” Stewart said.

The Tigers made the most of playing outside the Southeastern Conference in the first half, creating timely and efficient drives that left the WVU defense winded. Auburn amassed 176 yards, and Burns had 45 rushing yards on seven carries, including a nine-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 17-10 at the break.

The Mountaineers initially began their first drive in style, moving 43 yards downfield to Auburn’s 17-yard line. However, White’s attempt to throw a screen pass to Devine in the red zone resulted in an interception by Tiger linebacker Josh Bynes, ending the threat on WVU’s first possession.

“It was a great call on that screen. It was a zone blitz and we weren’t ready for that, it didn’t work for us,” Stewart said.

The WVU defense stiffened in the red zone, too. Auburn ran 20 plays for 81 yards in a 9:54 span that was capped by Wes Byrum’s 19-yard field goal. The Tigers ran the ball on 16 of their 20 plays, including a string of 11 consecutive plays on the ground. However, Mario Fannin was stuffed on a third-and-one at the two yard line to prevent further damage.

On the second play of WVU’s second drive, White threw his second pick when defensive back Walter McFadden jumped a square in to Alric Arnett. Auburn followed with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Burns to Lester, creating a 10-0 advantage.

Pat McAfee put the Mountaineers on the board with a 23-yard field goal to trim their deficit to 10-3. Devine’s 36-yard pitch from White down the left side helped WVU set up in scoring position before settling for the field goal. WVU continued to drive inside the Auburn five-yard line until White was stopped on a quarterback keeper on third-and-goal from the four-yard line.

After giving up a 69-yard kick return to Fannin, Auburn needed only two plays to reach the Mountaineer end zone when Burns faked a hand-off and spun around on a bootleg out to the left side for a nine-yard score, extending the Auburn lead to 17-3.

West Virginia answered with an important score as White rolled out to his right side and found Arnett for a 44-yard strike. WVU needed only four plays to drive 78 yards, and lessened their deficit to 17-10.

In the third quarter, WVU held the Tigers on their opening possession before coming back with a 42-yard field goal by McAfee, making it 17-13.

WVU took its first lead of the game when Jalloh scored on a two-yard pass in the corner of the end zone from White, giving the Mountaineers a 20-17 lead. After starting on their own seven-yard line, WVU took 11 plays downfield in 4:49, and was keyed by big plays on the ground from tailbacks Mark Rogers and Jock Sanders.

Auburn had a chance to tie the game at the start of the fourth quarter, but Byrum’s 43-yard kick sailed left.

WVU broke the game open when Jalloh caught a pass over the middle and managed to elude two Auburn defenders to scamper in for a 32-yard touchdown. The drive was sparked by another game-breaking carry from Devine, who reeled down the right side of the field for a 35-yard run to put the Mountaineers in Tiger territory.

“They played a lot of man, they had a great scheme, and they have a good defensive coordinator,” Stewart said.

“We used motion and movement. Last week against Syracuse they played us very tough. Motion and movement is a good thing. Are we great at it? No. Are we good at it? Yes.”

Devine broke loose once again on a 30-yard touchdown to with 2:26 left in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Mountaineers.

The Mountaineers now own a five-game winning streak against the SEC, and recorded their first victory in as many tries against Auburn.

WVU returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 1, for a noon matchup at Connecticut. The contest will be televised as the Big East game of the week.