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For more on this game, see the Postgame Stats

West Virginia managed to overcome the sudden departure of coach Rich Rodriguez to cap its 2007 season with a blowout win in the Fiesta Bowl.

After Rodriguez's messy divorce from the team lingered through much of the offseason, the Mountaineers hope to again put the distraction behind them as they start their first full season under coach Bill Stewart.

Stewart and returning Heisman Trophy candidate Pat White hope to help the eighth-ranked Mountaineers keep showing they will not miss the program's former leader as they open the season by hosting Villanova on Saturday.

Rodriguez took the head coaching job at Michigan in mid-December, beginning what would become a bitter end to his seven-season tenure in Morgantown. The university sued Rodriguez for breach of contract later that month, and the issue wasn't resolved until Rodriguez and Michigan agreed July 9 to pay a $4 million buyout.

The controversy surrounding Rodriguez's departure nearly overshadowed Stewart's smooth transition to his new position. Stewart, an assistant coach with the team for the last eight seasons, took over for Rodriguez on an interim basis for the Fiesta Bowl and helped the then-No. 9 Mountaineers deliver a 48-28 rout of fourth-ranked Oklahoma.

After that game, which capped West Virginia's third straight 11-win season, White said Stewart deserved the head coaching job for 2008. Hours later, he got it, signing a five-year contract.

Stewart, whose only previous head coaching experience was a three-year stint with Division I-AA VMI from 1994-96, told the team's official Web site he isn't worried about debuting under his new title.

"I'm going to be me," he said. "I'm the same guy as the head coach as I was as an assistant coach. I've just switched offices, and if I change, shame on me."

White's return should go a long way toward easing the pressure on Stewart. White led all quarterbacks in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 1,335 rushing yards last season and ran for 14 touchdowns. He also threw for 1,724 yards and 14 more TDs to lead a West Virginia offense that ranked ninth in the FBS with 39.6 points per game.

White, who's 26-4 as a starter, expects to throw more under Stewart than he did under Rodriguez in an attempt to diversify an offense that attempted only 265 passes last season - third-fewest in the FBS.

"It's my last year of college football," White said. "I guess I want to make the most of it. So I'm going to do whatever I can to make that happen. I'm just trying to win whatever way possible."

Though White will be relying more heavily on the passing game and top tailback Steve Slaton left for the NFL, the Mountaineers could challenge to lead the Big East in rushing for the fourth straight season with Noel Devine returning. The 5-foot-8, 173-pound Devine ranked third in the FBS with 8.6 yards per carry last season, and should benefit with all five starters on the offensive line also coming back for 2008.

The defense wasn't quite as lucky with only four starters returning from a unit that ranked eighth in scoring defense by holding opponents to 18.1 points per game in 2007.

It doesn't help that one of those starters, linebacker Reed Williams, expects to miss Saturday's game because he's still recovering from shoulder surgery. Williams, who led the team with 107 tackles last season, underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder in January and in his left shoulder in March. He could be back for the second game of the season.

That may not be soon enough for Stewart, who acknowledges he's concerned about facing Villanova. The Wildcats went 7-4 last year to improve to 13-6 since Sept. 23, 2006, and quarterback Antwon Young is fully healthy after a torn ACL cut his 2007 season short.

"I, like all coaches, am very leery and scared of the opening game," Stewart said. "We respect the Villanova Wildcats and coach Andy Talley. ... They were 7-4 (in 2007), and I'm a little jumpy about that."

Villanova hadn't won in five games against West Virginia before a 41-36 victory in the teams' last meeting Oct. 29, 1977 in Morgantown.