ESPN College Football

	AP Photo/Bob Child
	West Virginia quarterback Pat White (5) is congratulated after a touchdown run in the Mountaineers' 35-13 win over UConn.

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Pat White said he played the worst first half of his life. Scooter Berry predicts a loss is coming if West Virginia doesn't change its ways. Coach Bill Stewart used words like "we're not very good" and "I'm frustrated" in his post-game news conferences.

The Mountaineers are not happy with themselves. And this is not a good development if you root for another team in the Big East.

If West Virginia can feel dissatisfied after stomping Connecticut 35-13, after pushing away a highly-motivated Huskies team on their field, then the rest of the league could be in trouble. The Mountaineers already looked like the class of the Big East (again) after their 34-17 win over Auburn in Morgantown. But they feel like this is just the beginning.

"We're not at the point where we're supposed to be," wideout/running back Jock Sanders said. "We feel like we've got a whole 'nother level we can show."

For starters, well, they're not very good starters. West Virginia was behind 10-0 after the first quarter on Saturday and trailed 13-7 at halftime. That marked the third straight delayed reaction by the Mountaineers, who were down 17-3 in the second quarter against Auburn and led only 7-6 at halftime against Syracuse.

Stewart talked to his team all week about "setting their alarms" for this game. He warned against sluggishness with the noon kickoff. But that didn't help as West Virginia mustered one good drive in the first half, cashing in when White glided in for a touchdown on third-and-goal from the 24.

"I don't know what it is, but we've got to get rid of it and get rid of it fast," defensive lineman Scooter Berry said. "If we can't figure this out, sooner or later, it will come back to hurt us."

The defense missed some tackles early, but the offense really struggled to get going. White completed just four of his nine passes in the first half and at one point missed Sanders on a post route for what would have been a walk-in touchdown.

"I had receivers wide open and I wasn't getting them the ball," White said. "I was underthrowing it, missing behind, missing short. I'm just glad they kept giving me a chance."

Everything changed in the second half for the team and for the quarterback Stewart calls "the greatest winner in college football." West Virginia had been reluctant to let White run the ball much since he suffered a head injury against Rutgers. Against Auburn, though, White drive-blocked a defender into the sidelines during a Noel Devine cutback run. Stewart grabbed White's arm and asked what he was doing. His answer: "I'm playing football."

So Stewart figured he might as well let White loose against UConn, and he finished with 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. It was just his second 100-yard rushing game of the season and first since the Colorado game. White had 200 yards of total offense for the first time this season against an FBS opponent. He went over 5,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards for his career on Saturday.

Sanders also scored three second-half touchdowns, two of them coming out of the increasingly-effective I-formation that West Virginia has employed in recent weeks.

"I'm so small, how can you see me?" the 5-foot-8 Sanders said. "That's just the advantage I have over defenders. They can't see me back there, and if anybody comes in I can bounce it outside, or if they spread it out I can go inside."

West Virginia, which reeled off the game's final 31 points against Auburn, outscored UConn 35-3 after the first quarter Saturday. The defense created four of their five turnovers in the second half. If only it didn't take a quarter or two to flip the switch, this team could reach the potential that caused people to rank them No. 8 in the preseason.

"We've got to figure out a way to come out of the blocks and smoke this thing," Stewart said. "I'm frustrated about that. We're so close."

Close is good enough now for the Mountaineers to be 3-0 and sitting alone on top the conference standings with only two road games left. The rest of the Big East doesn't want to see them get any closer.

"At times we look like one of the best teams in college football, then at other times we look like one of the worst," White said. "We haven't clicked on all cylinders all year. I think when we do, it's going to be an amazing show."