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MORGANTOWN - Nate Sowers holds the unique distinction of being one of the very few players in Mountaineer history to throw, catch and intercept a pass.

While that combination may have been more common in the earliest days of collegiate competition during the days when teams fielded only a handful of players who were forced to play on both sides of the ball, it is highly uncommon these days.

But then again, so is the journey taken by the former Martinsburg High School star to get his his final home game in his senior season.

Sowers came to WVU as a quarterback after being named the state's top high school player in his senior season. A red-shirt season saw him named the scout team's Player of the Year, and he was all set to compete for a chance to be under center for the Mountaineers. But he was switched to wide receiver, a move done to get his athletic ability on the field. But that experiment gave way to another, and Sowers found himself playing defensive back midway through his sophomore season.

"I'm just a guy who stayed the course," he said. "I had a lot of things thrown my way, but I stuck it out. Now I'm a starter as a senior."

That "long trip," as he often refers to his collegiate career, will culminate in his last chance at running through the smoky tunnel as his name is announced to the thousands that will be on hand at 7 p.m. Friday when the Mountaineers, 7-3, tangle with Pitt, 9-1, in Morgantown and before an ESPN2 television audience.

"I was so pleased the day Nate decided to become a Mountaineer," WVU coach Bill Stewart said. "He's a wonderful young man who loves the gold and blue. He's a guy you want your daughter to marry. He's a guy you would want in your business. That's why he's playing. I love what he brings to the Mountaineers."

Sowers said it was his love of the game that kept him going through the tough times.

"Sometimes we forget that when we're out there," he said. "This is not a job. It's a privilege."

Sowers and the other 22 seniors would love nothing more than to close out the home portion of their careers with a victory over arch-rival Pitt. After all, it was the Panthers who spoiled WVU's shot at a national championship two years ago on that very field in Morgantown.

"This is going to be one of those colorful, oomph (pre-game speeches)," Stewart said. "Pitt's not a top 10 team because the voters like them. They are a good football team. They're ninth in the country for a reason."

Senior defensive back Kent Richardson said this type of game is why players want to play college football.

"If you need to get fired up for this game, you must be dead," he said.

Throw out the records and forget about strategies in this heated contest, said linebacker J.T. Thomas.

"They buckle up their chin straps, put the foot on the gas pedal and try to mow you down," he said. "This will not be an X's and O's game. This is a Jims and Joes game. We have to go out and beat their players."