MORGANTOWN, W.VA. ? Pat White ran for 220 yards on 23 carries to break the West Virginia rushing record for a quarterback Thursday night, leading the No. 12 Mountaineers to a 45-13 victory over Pittsburgh.

With the victory in swirling snow flurries and a 7-degree wind chill, West Virginia (9-1, 6-0) clinched at least a tie for the Big East title and avenged a 16-13 loss to Pitt last year in the Backyard Brawl.

White, who broke the quarterback rushing record of 205 yards set by Ted Anderson in a 1953 game against VMI, also threw for 41 yards. He accounted for three touchdowns.

Steve Slaton rushed for 179 yards on 34 carries to help the Mountaineers finish with 451 total yards on the ground. Slaton ran for two TDs and caught a scoring pass.

Tyler Palko threw two early touchdown passes to Greg Lee for Pitt (5-6, 4-3), which struggled to get into scoring position and ended up with its first losing season since 1999.

White led West Virginia to a 21-13 halftime lead, despite passing only six times. He gained 151 yards on 15 carries in the half, including two short scoring runs.

West Virginia quarterback Pat White (5) breaks a tackle by Pittsburgh linebacker Scott McKillop on Thursday in Morgantown, W.Va. White rushed for two touchdowns and 220 yards and passed for 41 yards in 12th-ranked the Mountaineers' 45-13 victory against the Panthers.

White ran for 80 yards on the Mountaineers’ second drive of the game – including a 47-yard draw. He ultimately hit Slaton with 16-yard touchdown pass.

On the first drive of the second half, West Virginia recovered the ball on the Pitt 40 after Jay Henry knocked the ball out of Erik Gill’s hands. Pat McAfee hit a 29-yard field goal.

Fullback Owen Schmitt got in on the West Virginia’s running attack early in the fourth quarter with a 44-yard run to the Pitt 21. Slaton scored on a 6-yard run to complete the drive.

Pitt couldn’t close the gap late in the third quarter when kicker Josh Cummings slipped on a 44-yard field goal attempt that fell well short. Palko’s fourth-down pass in the fourth quarter was broken up in the end zone by Dee McCann.

Jamihle Addae wrapped up the scoring for the Mountaineers with a 41-yard interception return with 2:03 remaining.

Even with the Mountaineers’ win, South Florida (6-3, 4-1) can still force a conference tie by beating Connecticut on Saturday and West Virginia on Dec. 2.

Pitt leads the Backyard Brawl series 59-36-3.