LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With thousands of fans on the field, swarming all around Brian Brohm and chanting "BCS! BCS!" after perhaps the biggest win in school history, the Louisville quarterback smiled and took in the whole satisfying scene.
"It's been a dream since I was a kid for Louisville to be on a stage like this," Brohm said.
If Brohm and the fifth-ranked Cardinals keep playing the way they did Thursday night in a 44-34 victory over No. 3 West Virginia, the stakes will only get bigger.
Welcome to the national championship hunt, Louisville.
Brohm threw for 354 yards and a touchdown, and the Cardinals took advantage of key mistakes by West Virginia to earn the signature win they've so desperately sought under coach Bobby Petrino and stake their claim as a serious contender for the Bowl Championship Series title game.
The win will likely lift Louisville (8-0, 3-0 Big East) to at least fourth in next week's BCS poll — it was fifth this week — and could be the springboard the Cardinals need to propel them into the national championship game if they manage to run the table.
"I think we deserve to, but that's out of our hands," Brohm said.
Besides, Brohm knows there's still plenty of work to do before the Cardinals can start thinking about playing in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 8. First, they play at No. 15 Rutgers (8-0, 3-0) next Thursday night.
"Now the biggest game in Louisville history is this Rutgers game coming up," Brohm said.
West Virginia quarterback Pat White ran for 125 yards and four touchdowns and added 222 yards through the air. But he couldn't overcome three WVU turnovers and a relentless Louisville offense that racked up 468 total yards and kept the Mountaineers on their heels all night.
"If you (turn the ball over) against a good football team at their place, you're going to get beat," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said.
The Cardinals avenged last year's triple-overtime loss to West Virginia (7-1, 2-1) by returning a fumble and a punt for touchdowns during a pivotal three-minute stretch in the third quarter. Then, they delivered on their offseason motto to "finish," born during last year's loss to the Mountaineers, a game Louisville led by 17 in the fourth quarter.
"We have been working on that ever since last year, working on that 'finish' attitude and it came through for us," linebacker Malik Jackson said.
Heisman Trophy hopeful Steve Slaton ran for 156 yards and a touchdown for West Virginia, but fumbled on consecutive snaps in the third quarter — apparently bothered by weakness in his left arm. Jackson returned the second one 13 yards for a score that gave the Cardinals a 23-14 lead, and Trent Guy added a 40-yard punt return four plays later, pushing Louisville's advantage to 30-16 with 9:23 left in the third.
And this time, there would be no miracle comeback.