GLENDALE, Ariz. — Bill Stewart didn't have to lobby to become West Virginia's next coach.

Led by elusive quarterback Pat White, the 11th-ranked Mountaineers gave him a resounding endorsement in a 48-28 Fiesta Bowl victory over No. 3 Oklahoma on Wednesday night. Stewart served as interim replacement for Rich Rodriguez, who bolted for Michigan last month.

"They gave me my marching orders to get this team ready, and that's what we did," Stewart said.

Stewart will be officially introduced as the new head coach at a news conference today.

His players support the move. White, who ran for 150 yards and threw for 176 and two touchdowns in a 48-28 victory, began stumping for Stewart on the field after the game.

"He deserves it," White said. "A great man. A great coach. All the players respect him and all the players love him. You couldn't ask for a better man to lead us to victory today."

Fullback Owen Schmitt, who scored on a 57-yard run, called Stewart the "glue" that kept the Mountaineers together during a rocky month.

"We're a family," Schmitt said. "That's why we prevailed."

An emotional Stewart relished what he called "a colossal win for our program."

"I never had a Gatorade bath," said Stewart, a native West Virginian who has been an assistant for most of his career. "It was special."

The Mountaineers didn't need Rodriguez. They had White, a relentless defense and a rushing attack that raced for 349 yards, most allowed by Oklahoma in a bowl game.

Since arriving in the desert last week, the Mountaineers (11-2) said they had bonded behind Stewart. And they vowed to rebound from a 13-9 loss to Pitt that knocked them out of the Bowl Championship Series title game.

The Mountaineers were right on both counts, turning in an emotional effort and overcoming the loss of star tailback Steve Slaton to a first-quarter leg injury. Noel Devine replaced Slaton and ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns — a 17-yarder and a 65-yarder that clinched the game in the fourth quarter.

The Mountaineers became the first of six teams to win under an interim coach this bowl season. They improved to 2-0 in the Bowl Championship Series.

"It's a great night to be a Mountaineer," Stewart said as he accepted the Fiesta Bowl trophy while thousands of West Virginia fans celebrated in the grandstand.

Stewart said his players "never, ever quit believing."

Oklahoma (11-3) endured another disappointment on the same field where the Sooners lost a classic Fiesta Bowl to Boise State one year ago. The Sooners have dropped four straight BCS games.

"It's not very positive," said coach Bob Stoops, who led OU to the 2000 national title. "You get to this position, you're obviously doing a lot of things positive and good. But you need to finish out and play well in these games."

The Sooners had no answer for White, whose 79-yard touchdown pass to Tito Gonzales in the fourth quarter was the longest in Mountaineers bowl history.

Meanwhile, West Virginia's fourth-rated defense limited the potent Sooners to well below their scoring average of 43.4 points per game, third in the nation.

"That was very impressive," Stewart said. "Our guys fought hard."