MORGANTOWN - West Virginia University football coach Bill Stewart knows his Mountaineers will be facing a challenge when they take their first road trip Saturday night to battle Auburn on its home field in front of 80,000-plus rabid fans.

But just what kind of challenge depends on what frame of mind Stewart is in when describing the upcoming nationally televised contest. First of all, he knows the Southeastern Conference is chock full of speed.

"I see a track meet," he said. "It's going to be very, very difficult to contain the Auburn Tigers. They go, and they run a lot of plays. It's fun to watch when you're not playing them.

"It will be a tremendous challenge for our guys."

Another view the Mountaineer mentor takes is one of which team can be the dominant force on either side of the ball. His team, he said, is starting to show signs of that aggression.

"It's going to be a slugfest," Stewart said. "When you can run on defense, it becomes a fast game and you have to be able to block them.

"Bradley Starks is turning into a tiger," the coach noted of his wide receiver's blocking. "He used to run from it, and now he's in there whacking - sometimes too aggressive."

Then Stewart changes pace and said he sees the game as one of attrition.

"It's going to a game of field position," he said. "They'll volley, and then we'll volley. I just hope we can return them.

"I don't want to be backed up all day. If we can stay out of our back yard and get into their front yard, we'll have a chance to be successful."

The kick-off for the contest is slated for 7:45 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2. The two teams met last year in Morgantown, and the

Mountaineers came away with a come-from-behind 34-17 victory. The Mountaineers trailed 17-10 at the half, and then out and held the Tigers scoreless the remainder of the contest.

Noel Devine ran for 207 yards and a touchdown, while Pat White threw two scoring passes to Dorrell Jalloh.