MORGANTOWN - Would West Virginia offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen want to take a kid like Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus, who was playing basketball at Duke the last four years, and get him ready to run his offense in four months?

No.

''That's a tremendous credit to their coaching staff and to Paulus himself,'' Mullen said. ''That would be very difficult to do, and he's playing pretty well.''

Paulus has completed 103 of 160 passes (68.4 percent) for 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns, while working with the Big East's top receiver in Mike Williams. Both are on pace for record book-type seasons for the Orange.

Fortunately for Mullen, he doesn't necessarily have to worry about Paulus or Williams. Then again, he and his offensive staff have to find a way to penetrate a stingy Syracuse defense that ranks 15th nationally against the run and has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season.

That will be a welcome challenge for West Virginia's Noel Devine, the nation's third-leading rusher 135 yards per game who has been given a heap of praise this week by the coaching staff because his leadership skills are starting to rival his cutback ability.

''They pack the box so we've got to be able get north, find some seams and hit those things full speed,'' WVU running backs coach Chris Beatty said. ''And we've got to be able to throw them out of it a little bit. Any time anybody is packing the box full of guys, you've got to be able to go up top some. I think we'll do a good job of working on some of the things they do because they're unorthodox in some of their defensive deals.''

Because of a leaky pass defense that yields 290 yards per game, Syracuse actually ranks last in the Big East in team defense. Things were so bad, rookie coach Doug Marrone moved junior Da'Mon Merkerson to defensive back last week. Merkerson played receiver the first four games of the season.

Mullen thinks they'll get it figured out - they're too good not too.

''The first thing you notice about Syracuse is that they play hard,'' he said. ''They run to the ball, they attack the ball. The second thing you think when you watch Syracuse is multiple. They're getting in even fronts, odd fronts, a lot of different coverage looks, lot of different pressure packages. So they present problems both schematically and in how hard they play.''

The leader of the Orange defense is pro prospect nose tackle Arthur Jones, who stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 291 pounds.

''He's one of the better players we'll play this year,'' Mullen said. ''He plays real hard, he rushes the passer, plays with his hands, attacks the ball, plays with leverage, all of those things that you look for in a good defensive player. He's going to be difficult to block.''

That seems to have been something of a problem for the Mountaineers at times this season, as they've broken in an almost entirely new offensive line.

But Mullen says there's more than meets the eye on that one.

''Whenever it's pass protection, the natural thing is to go and point fingers at the offensive line,'' he said. ''But to be a good throw football team, it takes the quarterback to know when there's an extra hat and he has to get rid of the ball, it takes a running back to be able to scan both sides of the line. There's a lot that goes into it.''

Meanwhile slowing Paulus, Williams and running back Delone Carter, who is seventh in the Big East at 65 yards per game, is the responsibility of Paden City's Jeff Casteel and his defenders.

''Mike Williams is a great player,'' Casteel said. ''We better have an idea where Mike Williams is because that's where the ball will be a lot of the time. We have to make sure we're aware and account for Mike. I think everybody that's played them has done that and he still comes up with eight or nine catches a game.''

Williams has 41 receptions for 623 yards, an average of 15.2 yards per catch, and has scored five touchdowns.

''They're hanging their hat on their ability to throw the ball to Mike Williams right now and why not? It's worked,'' Casteel said. ''I think their coaches have a good handle on what they do best.''

Kickoff is noon Saturday at the Carrier Dome.

Jim Elliott can be reached via e-mail at: elliott@theintelligencer.net