"Their guy throws the ball at one of our players, and we get three of our guys thrown out and only one of their guys," Nehlen said, "while the guy who threw the ball gets to stay in."

Mike Jacobs, the Mountaineers' offensive coordinator said: "I don't regard it as a loss but as a steal. Graves started the whole fiasco."

Graves said afterward: "I'm sorry I lost my composure. I'm a football player, not a fighter."

Nehlen also contended that the pass-interference penalty was unjustified because Graves's pass, intended for Gedney, was "uncatchable."

That usually precludes a penalty being called by an official. Gedney Gives Credit

Gedney, who became a hero with 51 seconds left to play, was generous. He said: "The West Virginia defense was great. They deserved to win as much as we did. They played their hearts out."

The Mountaineer defensive players, led by Briggs and linebacker Tim Brown, were at their best when Graves tried to drive into the Mountaineer end zone on fourth down from 6 inches away in the third quarter and failed.

The Mountaineers gave up territory generously -- 417 yards to Syracuse, the team with the fourth-best offense in Division I-A in terms of yards per game -- but few points. The home team, losing for the first time this season after three victories and two ties, led at the half, 10-3. The score was tied, 10-10, after three quarters; Syracuse went ahead, 13-10, for the first time on John Biskup's 26-yard field goal in the first minute of the fourth quarter, and then fell behind, 17-13, when West Virginia drove 67 yards for a touchdown.

For Syracuse, which has key Big East games in November with Boston College and Miami to wrap up its regular season, this triumph was the fifth against the one loss.