West Virginia spent last week lifting and running with an early morning conditioning session Friday. Today was the team’s first practice since the Rutgers game.

“Today was a very sharp, hard-hitting, physical practice,” said West Virginia coach Bill Stewart. “If you saw that inside drill down and you saw that third down drill you know the Mountaineers are serious about getting ready for this bowl game.

“Our staff was very pleased with what we saw.”

Stewart said the most difficult aspect of this week was the seniors choosing what uniform combination to wear for the Gator Bowl.

“Sorry ladies, but that was worse than a red-tag sale at Macys,” said Stewart.

The team will be idle all week for finals.

“This is a very, very important week for us,” Stewart said. “We need a strong finish academically and then we need to come back here next Saturday and do the exact same practice because the coaches are still out on the road recruiting.

“When we get back Friday evening we are going into camp mode,” Stewart said. “It will be just like preseason camp. We’re going to have them here Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Following Wednesday’s practice on Dec. 23, the team will be excused to go home and spend Christmas with their families before reassembling down in Jacksonville on Dec. 26 for final Gator Bowl preparation.