SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Eric Wicks returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown and Pat McAfee kicked two field goals to lead West Virginia to a 15-7 victory over Syracuse on Sunday, spoiling the coaching debut of the Orange's Greg Robinson.
McAfee's first field goal, a 33-yarder late in the third quarter, gave the Mountaineers (1-0) a 10-7 lead. Midway through the fourth quarter, West Virginia added a safety when Ernest Hunter sacked Perry Patterson in the end zone and McAfee then added a 26-yard field goal.
The win was the fourth straight for the Mountaineers over the Orange (0-1). The game was the first league matchup in the newly aligned Big East, which lost Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami to the ACC and picked up Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida.
The game was far from a thriller, with 11 punts in the first half as the short passing game clicked for both teams but produced little yardage. The half ended at 7-7, and the teams combined to complete 18 of 29 passes for just 82 yards.
In the lone sustained scoring drive, WVU went 55 yards on 10 plays, with quarterback Adam Bednarik's 21-yard pass to Brandon Myles setting up McAfee's decisive field goal with 5:53 left in the third quarter.
West Virginia moved deep into Syracuse territory early in the fourth. Jason Colson caught a 19-yard pass to the 11, but lost his third fumble of the game on the next play. After Hunter produced a safety, McAfee's final field goal came with 3:26 left.
Even though the Orange defense forced five turnovers, their longest drive in the first half was 22 yards. Patterson was 15 of 31 for 85 yards and two interceptions.
The Orange gained a 7-0 lead early in the second after a personal foul on the Mountaineers gave them the ball at the West Virginia 18. Damien Rhodes scored in two plays, gaining 13 yards off tackle and scoring on a 5-yard run at 14:07.
The Mountaineers, who also effectively used speedy rookie quarterback Pat White, tied it 7-7 less than two minutes later. After Syracuse forced them to punt, Wicks intercepted a sideline pass by Patterson and returned it untouched down the right side for a touchdown at 12:24.
Bednarik was 14 of 21 for 104 yards and one interception and White went 3 of 6 for 63 yards.
