MORGANTOWN - If I was in front of a judge, I'd object.

Despite what you may have heard from witnesses to West Virginia's 24-17 victory over Rutgers, there was excitement at Milan Puskar Stadium.

OK, so, overall, there's more electricity in a cell phone charger than there was at Mountaineer Field.

But there was tension. Rutgers had a shot at the end of the game until WVU's Scooter Berry broke up a pass.

There was angst for the home fans, when quarterback/fullback Jarrett Brown was stopped on fourth-and-1 on the Mountaineers' own 45 very late in the game.

And there was honest-to-goodness excitement for the WVU fans when first-year head coach Bill Stewart called a fake punt on fourth-and-2 and converted.

Purported blocker Zac Cooper took the snap and rumbled left for 18 yards to the Rutgers 27.

"I'll bet Weirton is going nuts for that,'' said punter Pat McAfee of Cooper, a Weir High grad. "They couldn't take him down. Did you see that?''

It certainly brought the Mountaineer Field house down.

"It was executed perfectly,'' McAfee said. "Adam [Hughes] made a perfect snap and I did a little acting job. The old, boring punter jump. But everything worked out well. And [Pat] Lazear made a pretty key block.''

The fake led to West Virginia's final score, which proved the difference.

"Sometimes you get a feel,'' said WVU coach Bill Stewart. "I can't tell you why, but I got it and I lived with it. It's not about guts. It's about not taking a chance. Buying a lottery ticket is a chance. We've practiced that and I'll call it again in the future.''

"We were in a defense where we had everyone accounted for, [but] they blocked us,'' said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. "We obviously weren't rushing. We were trying to be in a safe defense. If I could do it again, maybe I'd leave our regular defense out there - which we do sometimes. But you can't live in the past.''

Schiano would certainly love to escape the past. His Rutgers teams are now 0-8 against the Mountaineers. All-time, WVU is 16-0 against the Scarlet Knights in Morgantown.

But back to my point. West Virginia did provide excitement for its fans.

Just not a lot.

Defeating Rutgers (1-4) at home by a touchdown isn't exactly collar grabbing. Not after Fresno State beat the Scarlet Knights by 17 in Piscataway. Not after North Carolina waxed them by 32.

Yes, WVU won a league game. But the spark, the imagination just wasn't there.

Watching West Virginia's offense these days is like sitting in your house after the air conditioning has been shut off. It's like watching baseball - and looking forward to home runs - in the post-steroid era.

If anything, the Mountaineers took a step backward Saturday in regard to innovation.

There was that exciting fake punt. There was Brown playing the part of a glorified fullback.

And, well, that's about it.

Even Brown seemed bored. In the post-game press conference, he almost yawned.

"I think the offense started pretty slow,'' he said.

Later, he added that "nothing changed when I got in, so ...''

With that thought drifting away, he was asked if he'd have liked to have been cut loose - even a little - while at the controls.

"Oh yeah,'' he said. "I've got to get these guys stopped from diving at my legs so much.''

Mountaineer linebacker J.T. Thomas was asked to grade the team's performance.

"If I had to put a letter grade on it, maybe a B,'' he said. "I don't know.''

Stewart, ever the optimist, seemed to disagree.

He called it a "tremendous win for the Mountaineers'' and a "heck of a football game.'' He "thought [offensive coordinator] Jeff Mullen and the offensive staff did a tremendous job.''

I believe, however, most will agree this isn't the WVU team of old. Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel has done a nice job growing his unit, especially considering the Reed Williams situation. First the middle linebacker is out. Then he's in. Then he's out - for the rest of the season.

But the Mountaineer offense still needs to be tuned, and the WVU season is nearing the midpoint.

Looking ahead? Well, West Virginia should beat Syracuse at home next Saturday even if it repeats Saturday's effort.

Then comes the proverbial meat grinder. Auburn at home. Connecticut on the road. Cincinnati. At Louisville. At Pitt. South Florida.

In the not so distant past, Auburn and South Florida would have leaped off that list as serious threats.

Now, though, all seem capable of victory.

Meaning if West Virginia wants to return to its former perch of respectability, it's time to stop plugging along.

And, instead, plug it in.

Reach Mitch Vingle at 348-4827 or mitchvin...@wvgazette.com.