Bill Stewart has a standard against which the Fiesta Bowl and any of his other coaching thrills forever will be judged.

Stewart, who will serve as West Virginia's interim coach Jan. 2 against Oklahoma, was the head coach at VMI in 1994 when the Keydets visited an Appalachian State team that was on the brink of a Southern Conference championship.

The Keydets, who had lost 15 consecutive Southern Conference games and 18 straight road games, took an 0-10 record into Boone, N.C., that day and emerged with a 26-23 victory.

"That was one of the greatest days of my life," said Stewart, who coached at VMI from 1994-1996. "I'm trying to formulate the same kind of mindset that we had that day, that those men from VMI had bought into.

"You cannot hit Oklahoma in the head with a hammer. We've got to chip away and chip away, stay close, hope that they'll panic a little bit and then finish down the stretch. We have the ability to do that just like we did that day in Boone."

The selection of Stewart as interim WVU coach came two days after the Dec. 16 announcement that former Mountaineers' head coach Rich Rodriguez had been hired as head coach at Michigan.

"It's a great honor," said Stewart, a native of a New Martinsville, W.Va., and a graduate of Fairmont State, just several exits to the south of Morgantown on Interstate 79. "Number one, this is my home state. These are my guys. These are our guys. I have to do my best to keep my emotions in check when I hit that field in Tempe."

Stewart has served in a variety of roles in eight seasons at WVU, including associate head coach for the past season.

He had resigned at VMI following the 1996 season for what the school described as "personal reasons" that resulted only partly from an 8-25 three-year record.

Court papers dealing with Stewart's contract revealed that he had used a racially insensitive expression in an exchange with a player, though not with any derogatory intent, according to Stewart. There is no record of any issues of that sort before or since his VMI tenure.

"My three years at VMI were the greatest three years of my life," said Stewart, who doesn't talk about his departure. "I mean that. I was on top of the world."

He's returned there with his latest gig.

With Rodriguez no longer enjoying favorite-son status, Stewart, 54, is seen as keeper of the Mountaineers' flame.

"If that's how people look at me, I'm very proud of that as well," he said.

One post on a West Virginia fan's site carried the headline, "Stew's the Glue."

Stewart already has endeared himself to the WVU players by letting them go home one day earlier than scheduled for Christmas break.

"I didn't want it to be a grind," he said in a Dec 22 phone interview. "When we've met, it's been for 45 minutes. We've practiced no longer than an hour and a half. I started off with not a lot of banging, banged the fire out of them in the middle of the week, then backed off Thursday and Friday."

All the while, Stewart tried to shield the players from the furor that has surrounded Rodriguez's departure.

"I had Coach [Don] Nehlen come in and talk to the team about distractions and how to handle the limelight," Stewart said. "Joe Manchin, the governor, came by Thursday and let the players know that the whole state is behind them."

One assistant, Tony Gibson, has joined Rodriguez at Michigan. Offensive coordinator Calvin Magee and quarterbacks coach Rod Smith will handle the playcalling, in which Rodriguez was involved heavily.

"I'll be assisting," said Stewart, a quarterbacks coach for part of his WVU tenure. "Heck, I may get so nervous, I may take the headset off. I used to do that at VMI every now and then, just start stuttering and tell them to, 'Give the ball to Thomas [Haskins]."

Rodriguez has talked to Stewart about the possibility of joining the Michigan staff, but it is likely that Rodriguez's successor will be advised to keep Stewart at West Virginia.

"I want to stay here," Stewart said. "Who wouldn't? This would be as good as it gets."

The Mountaineer brass has interviewed four coaches with ties to the state or program -- Florida assistant Doc Holliday, Florida State assistant Rick Trickett, former Auburn coach Terry Bowden and Central Michigan coach Butch Jones. Trickett has since removed his name from consideration.

"I've not gotten an interview and please say that that's the furthest thing from my mind," Stewart said. "My mind's on one objective."

The furthest thing from his mind?

"Well, right now, it's not front and center," he said. "I can tell you that. I told them I would not politic for the job."

Others have politicked for him.

"They'd hit a home run with that guy," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe, a native West Virginian, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I know there are a lot of political things that influence those decisions. But as far as football things and leading the program, you can't find a better guy."

Stewart has made no effort to distance himself from Rodriguez, who took over the program after Stewart had worked one year for Nehlen.

"I'm as loyal as I can be to Rich Rodriguez," Stewart said. "You kidding me? He's been nothing but great to me and my family. I'll always be indebted to him for keeping me on.

"I'm not into bashing anybody. I will not let anybody do that. It's the same way if I hear someone say anything about Don Nehlen. I'll forever be loyal to both of them. I'm tickled to have worked under both of those guys."

Stewart is tickled about a lot of things these days, even the VMI years and especially the 2004 trip to Appalachian State.

"I still have the game ball," he said. "Very proudly, let me say that I still have the game ball."

Not that he wouldn't like another one.