GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Patrick White has made so many opponents miss in three consecutive bowl victories, it seems his elusiveness would be the reason

"No, that's not it," West Virginia interim Coach Bill Stewart said of the junior quarterback. "It's his toughness. You have no idea what he takes out there on the field, hit, after hit, after hit, after hit."

OK, so it was hit-and-miss again Wednesday night, as White was named the Fiesta Bowl's offensive player of the game as No. 11 WVU (11-2) impressively staked its claim for a third straight top-10 poll finish with a 48-28 romp over third-ranked Oklahoma.

White finished with 150 yards on 20 rushes, including a 42-yarder that was one of six Mountaineer plays from scrimmage of 30 or more yards. He also was 10-of-19 passing, including a WVU bowl-record 79-yarder to Tito Gonzales.

That rocket burned the Sooners (11-3) on the first play after Oklahoma had cut WVU's lead to 13 points early in the fourth quarter. But it was White's ground game that again showed why he is a special talent.

"I was kind of concerned early about my passing," said the southpaw from Daphne, Ala., who finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting this season. "It wasn't that I was having trouble gripping the ball. I was just making bad throws."

While too many of White's early throws were sailing, so was he -- on the ground.

"This was a lot more fun for me than last year at the Gator Bowl," he said. "Tonight, I felt good. Last year, I was hurting bad, bruised, beaten up."

That said, White ran for 145 yards on 22 carries in that victory a year ago in Jacksonville, Fla., against Georgia Tech. Former WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez basically called White's number on most every play down the stretch in that 38-35 decision, and the lithe QB was the game's MVP.

Like last year, White had next to no help from star backfield teammate Steve Slaton, who popped a hamstring early against the Sooners, just as he left the Gator win after only three carries last year.

"We had a lot of guys step up," White said. "We got some long plays tonight again, which we needed. Those really can break a team.

"(Fullback) Owen Schmitt really started us out. I don't know if Oklahoma was surprised by our speed, but I do know when Owen can outrun their whole team (on a 57-yard run for WVU's first touchdown), it gets everyone really excited."

Two years ago in the Sugar Bowl, as WVU downed Georgia 38-35 for the Mountaineers' first Bowl Championship Series win, it was apparent as West Virginia rolled to a 28-0 lead that the offensive speed stunned the Bulldogs.

Oklahoma had trouble coping with WVU, particularly on the edge, in the Sooners' fourth straight BCS defeat.

"He's an excellent player," Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops said of White. "Very impressed. I was coming in ... He did a great job of seeing what was there.

"We had some -- it's like in the second half and we had him on third-and-5 -- and we just had somebody that was supposed to be outside but came inside. (White) is the kind of guy who if you do that, he will see it and avoid the whole rush and picks up a first down. I think they scored on the next play."

Oklahoma has given up more than the 48 WVU pout on the university of Phoenix Stadium scoreboard only once in Stoops' nine years - a 55-19 Orange Bowl loss the USC Trojans for the 2004 national championship.

White was the primary reason for WVU's point production. Stoops had an inkling about that, it seemed.

"They all (the WVU backs) have great speed," Stoops said on the Fiesta Bowl eve. "The element that's there, again, is they run their quarterback more than any team we play.

"Their willingness to use that dimension can lead to a numbers mismatch."

It was 48-28.

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Pat White comes up with another big time game for the Mountaineers
W.Va. defeats Oklahoma 48-28 in Fiesta Bowl
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Oklahoma, West Virginia Earn Fiesta Bowl
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