MORGANTOWN -West Virginia University football coach Bill Stewart deflected any praise from being named to the Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coach of the Year watch list with a laugh, saying the committee must have been looking at another similarly named coach out west

somewhere.

He heard all of the talk last year, a 9-4 season capped off by a bowl win over North Carolina, that the move was a step backward for the Mountaineer program, even though he had started his tenure at WVU with one of the greatest victories in the team's history when it upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl just days after Rich Rodriguez bolted for Michigan in a storm of controversy.

The Mountaineers got off to a 1-2 start in 2008 before righting the ship the rest of the way. The Mountaineers were searching for their identity at the time after losing eight starters, including running backs Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt.

"Everybody else can lose eight starters, but we're not allowed to" he said during his weekly press conference Tuesday.

Fast forward to this season, and Stewart has become the fastest coach to 16 wins in the WVU's history. He has done so in just 21 games, and he would have done it a game sooner had not a plethora of turnovers derailed the Mountaineers in the final moments against Auburn.

Still, Stewart sidestepped the honor with his usual down-home style and instead said the nomination is a tribute to the coaching staff he has surrounding him.

"We have the best sideline adjustment staff anywhere," he said. "We would not be as successful as we have been in the second half without that coaching staff. Our players at West Virginia rally around each other and believe in the coaches. This is nothing but a testimony to our staff and to the young men who have to play in that arena."

Stewart is joined on the watch list by fellow Big East Conference coaches Brian Kelly of Cincinnati and Dave Wannstedt of Pitt. The award is sponsored by the American Heart Association honors excellence in coaching while raising funds to fight heart disease and stroke.

The winner will be announced in December and honored at a January dinner in Houston.

That staff, those players and their beliefs will be tested at 8 p.m. Friday in Tampa, Fla., when the Mountaineers take on South Florida before a nationally televised audience and a sold-out stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

The Bulls, 5-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big East, are coming off back-to-back losses to nationally ranked Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. WVU, 6-1 and 2-0 and ranked 21st, is the third straight ranked opponent on South Florida's schedule.

"South Florida's going to get in a bowl," Stewart said. "They're not out of the hunt. Our players better know that before they get on that plane."

WVU's potent offensive attack has traditionally struggled in the four previous meetings of these two schools, and this game promises to be no different as the Bulls are led by standout defensive ends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul.

There's also defensive lineman Craig Marshall, who rotates between tackle and end and is among the conference leaders in sacking the quarterback.

"We cannot play on our heels," Stewart said. "We need to be aggressive, and we need to go at them. You have to call plays that are secure plays and get the ball out there quick."