MORGANTOWN - Walking into Milan Puskar Stadium Saturday, one had to wonder.

How many of the 55,334 in attendance were there to watch Louisville and West Virginia play football?

Or were more of the home fans there seeking a little hope? A little hope, that is, their Mountaineers could stick with and, perhaps, upset No. 4 Cincinnati on the road this Friday.

It was almost a certainty WVU, now 7-2, would defeat the U of L Saturday. Within the eight-team Big East, the now 3-5 Cardinals came into the game ranked eighth in the league in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and total offense.

After a 17-9 Mountaineer home victory, though, WVU fans have to be wondering if their team is wandering - toward the Land of Connecticut and Rutgers.

In the last four games, the West Virginia offense has sputtered, scoring 24 against Marshall, 28 against Connecticut, 19 against South Florida and, shockingly, 17 against Louisville. If the unit was a car, it would have the "check engine'' light on.

Same with the team as a whole.

Cincy and Pittsburgh drubbed South Florida. West Virginia lost to USF by 30-19. Louisville got smacked around by Cincy and Pitt and lost to Connecticut. Yet, at home, WVU defeated the Cards by eight.

It wasn't exactly the setup many were expecting for the West Virginia-Cincinnati game.

U of L linebacker Jon Dempsey was asked after Saturday's contest which previous opponent most closely resembled the Mountaineers.

"I believe Arkansas State, the team we played last week,'' he said. "I believe it was them.''

Earlier, Dempsey said WVU was "probably the quickest team we've played,'' so take the former quote with a grain of proverbial salt. But he said Arkansas State. Not Cincy. Not Pitt. Not Utah. Not even Kentucky. He said Arkansas State, a team Louisville nudged - by eight.

Yes, West Virginia had injuries with which to deal. Nose tackle Chris Neild, one of the team's best players, went down and was replaced by 250-pound defensive end Larry Ford. Star tailback Noel Devine left the game. But Louisville's team hasn't exactly been the portrait of health. The Cards' star back, Victor Anderson, has been out. The team was playing its third-string QB, walk-on freshman Will Stein. The team's secondary has been hammered by injuries.

In short, the injuries evened out.

So now the pressure is on WVU coach Bill Stewart. He has a team with the athletes to contend for a Big East title.

He has a team that scored at least 30 points in its first five games, including a loss to Auburn. Now, though, with the meat of the schedule here, the team is struggling.

You could see and hear the pressure on Stewart in his post-game press conference. He postured. He lashed out against fans who criticize. He lashed out against the media.

"I know I'm not going to please you,'' he said to media. "All you want is sensationalism and I don't blame you because if I was a writer I would as well. But it's a Big East win.''

How many of the 55,334 in attendance were there to watch Louisville and West Virginia play football?

Or were more of the home fans there seeking a little hope? A little hope, that is, their Mountaineers could stick with and, perhaps, upset No. 4 Cincinnati on the road this Friday.

It was almost a certainty WVU, now 7-2, would defeat the U of L Saturday. Within the eight-team Big East, the now 3-5 Cardinals came into the game ranked eighth in the league in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and total offense.

After a 17-9 Mountaineer home victory, though, WVU fans have to be wondering if their team is wandering - toward the Land of Connecticut and Rutgers.

In the last four games, the West Virginia offense has sputtered, scoring 24 against Marshall, 28 against Connecticut, 19 against South Florida and, shockingly, 17 against Louisville. If the unit was a car, it would have the "check engine'' light on.

Same with the team as a whole.

Cincy and Pittsburgh drubbed South Florida. West Virginia lost to USF by 30-19. Louisville got smacked around by Cincy and Pitt and lost to Connecticut. Yet, at home, WVU defeated the Cards by eight.

It wasn't exactly the setup many were expecting for the West Virginia-Cincinnati game.

U of L linebacker Jon Dempsey was asked after Saturday's contest which previous opponent most closely resembled the Mountaineers.

"I believe Arkansas State, the team we played last week,'' he said. "I believe it was them.''

Earlier, Dempsey said WVU was "probably the quickest team we've played,'' so take the former quote with a grain of proverbial salt. But he said Arkansas State. Not Cincy. Not Pitt. Not Utah. Not even Kentucky. He said Arkansas State, a team Louisville nudged - by eight.

Yes, West Virginia had injuries with which to deal. Nose tackle Chris Neild, one of the team's best players, went down and was replaced by 250-pound defensive end Larry Ford. Star tailback Noel Devine left the game. But Louisville's team hasn't exactly been the portrait of health. The Cards' star back, Victor Anderson, has been out. The team was playing its third-string QB, walk-on freshman Will Stein. The team's secondary has been hammered by injuries.

In short, the injuries evened out.

So now the pressure is on WVU coach Bill Stewart. He has a team with the athletes to contend for a Big East title.

He has a team that scored at least 30 points in its first five games, including a loss to Auburn. Now, though, with the meat of the schedule here, the team is struggling.

You could see and hear the pressure on Stewart in his post-game press conference. He postured. He lashed out against fans who criticize. He lashed out against the media.

"I know I'm not going to please you,'' he said to media. "All you want is sensationalism and I don't blame you because if I was a writer I would as well. But it's a Big East win.''

He seemed proud to recount how he told a talk show caller to buy tickets to a team "down south.''

While Stewart, however, seems to be showing signs of strain, his quarterback, Jarrett Brown, remains even-keeled.

"It's execution,'' Brown said with a sigh. "We have to come out and execute the game plan. Simple as that.''

He added the offensive problems have come because of "tempo'' and that Louisville "came out with a lot more intensity. ... We've just got to keep on building. Keep on pushing.''

Brown has a wealth of athletic ability, but hasn't played well of late. On Saturday, he completed 9-of-17 passes for a pedestrian 94 yards. Many were calling for backup Geno Smith to enter and, perhaps, provide a spark.

"Sometimes I'm critical of myself,'' Brown said. "But I'm doing OK, getting better every game, every practice. It's growing pains. You're going to go through those. All you can do is keep going.''

Now, though, he and his team are staring at the nation's No. 4 team. This Friday. In Cincy.

"There's not too much I can say about [the game] now,'' Brown said.

In addition, there's not much confidence WVU fans can take from the Louisville game. WVU's Jock Sanders, though, offered to show his team's fans some light.

"We have so many weapons,'' Sanders said. "For us, we just have to get started early. If we get started early, it's going to be a long day for the Bearcats.

"They have a great defense and a great offense, but the things we're capable of doing, we can blow these 'Cats out of the water. But that comes with a lot of preparation this week.

"I'm not taking anything away from Cincinnati. They're a great team. But I feel we're a great team too.''

"We win,'' said WVU safety Robert Sands, "by not giving up the big play, by staying disciplined. We stay disciplined on that field, we'll be good. Our offense has to come to play. As long as they get their timing down, we should be good.''

"Coach Stew had us, at the end of the last game, hold hands and promise him to give a little more,'' said Mountaineer defensive end Julian Miller. "We know last week we could have had a win had we given a little more. Today, we got this win because, at the end, we gave a little more. Next week, no matter what, we have to give a little more.''

"We still have everything to play for,'' Brown said. "Big East football. I'm looking forward to it. Friday night. You couldn't ask for more.''

Except, in the hearts of WVU fans, a little more hope.

Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or follow him at http://twitter.com/MitchVingle.