West Virginia routs Clemson 70-33 in Orange Bowl

MIAMI (AP)—The West Virginia Mountaineers were tough to slow down, and only the Orange Bowl mascot could stop Darwin Cook.

Geno Smith tied the record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes, and the No. 23-ranked Mountaineers set a bowl scoring record Wednesday night with their high-powered offense. But safety Cook made the pivotal play by returning a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown to break the game open and help rout No. 14Clemson 70-33.

Cook collided comically with mascot Obie after scoring one of the Mountaineers’ five TDs in the second quarter, including three in the final 2:29 for a 49-20 lead. It was the highest-scoring half by a team in a bowl game.

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1.5.12

Holgorsen survives one crazy ride

The quiet of the spring was shattered at a casino one night.

It was then that everything changed for West Virginia.

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Charles LeClaire/US PresswireAfter a rocky start, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen excelled this season, leading his team to a conference title.

Dana Holgorsen would go from admonished coach to Big East champion, from the butt of jokes to unprecedented success in his first year guiding the Mountaineers.

All of that seemed improbable in late May, when Holgorsen admitted to inappropriate behavior at a casino in Cross Lanes, W. Va. But even more improbably, that night began a series of events that elevated him from coach-in-waiting to head coach a year earlier than anybody anticipated.

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12.29.11

West Virginia negotiating buyout with Stewart