Willis Edwards wants West Virginia's past to become his future. Edwards knows the Mountaineers have played in 21 bowl games and are less than a decade removed from playing for a national championship. Although WVU has struggled recently, the school still earns national recognition in the Big East Conference.

        “West Virginia, people know the name,” said Edwards, a senior linebacker for the University of Cincinnati. “That's the main thing we want to do. Go out here and get a win and put our name out there.”

        The Bearcats (1-0) face the Mountaineers (1-1) at 7 p.m. today at Nippert Stadium. UC is 0-10-1 all-time against WVU.

        This might be the Bearcats' best chance to beat the Mountaineers, who are coming off their worst season since 1978. First-year coach Rich Rodriguez led WVU to a 3-8 record in 2001.

        Just eight years ago, the Mountaineers played Florida in the Sugar Bowl. WVU participated in five bowl games in the 1990s, and its last postseason appearance came in the 2000 Music City Bowl.

        “This is a football team coming in here hungry, searching for itself a little bit,” UC head coach Rick Minter said.

        The Mountaineers dismantled Division I-AA Tennessee-Chattanooga 56-7 in their Aug.31 opener. Led by quarterback Rasheed Marshall, WVU scored on its first four offensive series.

        Last week, it was the exact opposite in a 34-17 loss at Wisconsin. The Badgers outscored the Mountaineers 27-3 in the second quarter.

        Many of WVU's problems were on defense.

        “We gave up a lot of passes to receivers,” Rodriguez said. “We had no pressure on the quarterback. We've got to get a better pass rush.”

        On Sept.2, UC won its season opener against TCU, 36-29 in overtime, after rallying from a 15-point deficit.

        The Bearcats haven't been so fortunate against WVU. UC's losing streak against the Mountaineers dates to 1921. The last time the Bearcats played WVU was a 28-20 road loss in 1990 - four years before Minter arrived.

        “It would be a great victory to get that (first) win against them,” Bearcats receiver LaDaris Vann said. “I guess you have to start somewhere, so we'll start this year.”

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