MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- You knew crazy things -- unbelievable things -- had to happen last night for Pitt to beat a West Virginia team that had its bags all but packed for the national championship game. And they did.

You also knew it would take a supreme effort from the Pitt players, who were 28¹/₂-point underdogs and given absolutely no chance by anyone to shock the world. They gave that and more.

But if the numbers hadn't been there in the bright lights on the Milan Puskar Stadium scoreboard at the end of this fascinating night, you still wouldn't believe it.

PITT 13, WEST VIRGINIA 9.

A few thoughts immediately come to mind:

• This had to be the greatest upset in Pitt history, a game that should make everyone look ahead to the 2008 season with a completely different perspective.

• No one will be complaining about Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt's three-year contract extension this morning.

• The West Virginia players will have a hard time living with this the rest of their lives.

After a desperation fourth-down pass from West Virginia quarterback Pat White fell incomplete in the final two minutes and all of the air rushed out of the big stadium, they immediately started pointing fingers and blaming the West Virginia team for gagging away one of the big games in school history. They'll be doing it for a long, long time.

They'll point to Pat McAfee's two short missed field-goal attempts in the first half. They'll point to the three fumbles. And they'll point to linebacker Reed Williams' unconscionable personal foul penalty late in the second quarter that led to a Pitt field goal.

Of course, there also will be excuses. West Virginia lost White -- a Heisman Trophy contender -- late in the first half with a dislocated right (non-passing) thumb. He didn't come back until midway through the fourth quarter and, when he did, he was ineffective.

But don't let all of that fool you. Don't let it diminish the brilliance of this Pitt performance. The Panthers deserved this one. It almost was enough to make 'em start burning couches in Oakland.

"This was more about heart than anything," Pitt defensive tackle Tommie Duhart said. "This was a passion game for us. We wanted it more than they did."

The Pitt defense -- so ridiculed earlier in the season after blowout losses to Connecticut, Virginia and a crushing overtime defeat to Navy -- held a West Virginia offense to a mere touchdown, the same offense that had averaged 41.6 points this season.

"No way," Wannstedt said when asked if he could have imagined single digits for the Mountaineers. "Not when I sat there and watched tape of the past two years [when West Virginia beat Pitt by a combined 90-40 score and put up more than 1,100 yards of total offense]."

Sure, White's injury might have been a factor. He rushed for 220 yards against Pitt each of the past two seasons. But it was hard to shake the feeling that the two teams could have played all night -- with or without White -- and West Virginia wouldn't score again. That's how much this Pitt defense improved as the season went on. That's how much more talented it is.

White -- quicker than just about every defense he faces -- wasn't quicker than the Pitt kids in this game. He finished with 41 yards on 14 carries. West Virginia running back Steve Slaton -- who sliced Pitt for a total of 384 rushing yards the past two seasons -- gained a puny 11 yards on nine carries.

You really did have to see it to believe it.

And here's another thing:

The final score should have been more lopsided for Pitt.

But the Pitt defense did what it did all night. It stiffened and shut down that powerful offense.

For Wannstedt, finishing his third season, it finally was a signature win, just about the best he could have imagined. Last week, former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen came out in a Post-Gazette story and did a thorough job of tracing the Pitt program. He all but said Pitt had no chance.

There also isn't a lot of love between Wannstedt and West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. It was just two years ago that Wannstedt dismissed West Virginia as a recruiting threat. A chafed Rodriguez replied, rather cattily, that the Pitt coaches should be able to recruit considering they had no bowl game in which to prepare.

Well, Wannstedt and Pitt (5-7) still aren't going to a bowl game; this will be the third consecutive year Pitt sat out the postseason. West Virginia, meanwhile, still is headed to a BCS game as Big East co-champions, just not the one they had in mind.

It's awfully hard to say this morning who's going to have the more enjoyable offseason.