BIG EAST WVU fans 'celebrate' a little less vigorously

Firefighters responeded to 49 fires after the 52-31 win over Pitt.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- It may have toned down a bit, but West Virginia football fans have not gotten their penchant for starting small post-game fires under control.
Firefighters had responded to 49 calls for rubbish fires by 7:40 a.m. Sunday, said Capt. Rick Hill of the Morgantown Fire Department. Some cars were also vandalized -- one was set on fire, he said.
"We were hoping for a little bit more of an adult approach to [the] celebration," Hill said of West Virginia's 52-31 win over No. 16 Pittsburgh Saturday night. But "It wasn't as bad as after the Virginia Tech game.
"The fires were smaller and spread out more."
Couches, chairs, debris, household garbage and parts of houses were burned in the fires, Hill said. He added that those involved in such post-game incidents are not just WVU students, but also former students, local residents and visitors to the area.
No injuries reported
No fire-related injuries were reported after the Pitt game.
"I think the worst anybody will be feeling today is a hangover," Hill said.
Officials reported only minor incidents immediately after West Virginia's big Backyard Brawl victory.
Officials earlier this week had collected combustible trash from city streets and ordered residents to remove flammable furniture from outside their homes.
Mountaineer Field's turf was surrounded by state police troopers and other uniformed security personnel. Most of the 67,715 fans stayed put after the game, cheering wildly but never threatening to run onto the field. It was the fifth-largest crowd in the stadium's 24 seasons.
The only apparent incident of misbehavior occurred late in the game, when an official removed a water bottle reportedly thrown onto the field.
It was a stark contrast to the scene Oct. 22, when authorities used pepper spray to turn back students who poured onto the field following the Mountaineers' 28-7 win over Virginia Tech.
"We kind of got a bad rap a little bit," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said. The fans "were tremendous during the [Pitt] game, and they were tremendous after the game. We were really pleased."
Five students were expelled for participating in fires following West Virginia's win over Virginia Tech. More than 100 blazes were reported, but authorities said most were doused within minutes.
Two were expelled for post-game partying after West Virginia's 22-20 loss to Miami on Oct. 2.
"I can't see taking a chance of ruining the rest of my life or being injured to set something on fire that I'm probably going to have go replace in the next three days," Hill said. "That's like burning your clothes in the middle of the Arctic."