SYRACUSE (AP) -- Jarrett Brown took another step forward. Greg Paulus only wished he had.
Brown played a near-flawless first half, going 14 for 18 for 179 yards in leading West Virginia to a 27-0 lead, and the Mountaineers easily beat mistake-prone Syracuse 34-13 on Saturday.
Brown is 6-1 as the starter dating to last season and getting better with every snap.
"I was just taking what the defense was giving me," Brown said. "What I took from the past four games I was able to bring into this game. Taking care of the ball, just reading the defense."
"He really managed the tempo of the game, the clock, spreading the wealth," West Virginia head coach Bill Stewart said of his quarterback, who completed passes to nine different players. "We had more playmakers than they did."
Paulus had his worst game of the season for Syracuse (2-4, 0-2 Big East), going 5 of 9 for 30 yards and an interception the Mountaineers converted into the first touchdown of the game. He was replaced by backup Ryan Nassib to start the second half.
"One play doesn't determine the outcome of a game, whether it's a pick or a fumble," Paulus said. "With this offense and myself, I know that one play isn't going to do that to us."
As he did when demoted from starting point guard at Duke as a senior last season, Paulus cheered his replacement, who threw for two touchdowns. Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone said emphatically that Paulus would remain the starter.
"As a coach, I had a feeling," Marrone said. "I just felt that it was best to go in a different direction for the rest of the game."
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With scouts from five NFL teams looking on, Paulus faltered badly. A week ago, South Florida scored four touchdowns off seven Syracuse turnovers in a 34-20 win, and the Orange continued to turn the ball over.
Paulus was intercepted five times by the Bulls, including a critical one that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul returned for a TD.
Against the Mountaineers (4-1, 1-0) , Paulus drove the Orange quickly downfield on the game's first possession, then threw an interception on his second attempt. He rolled right on a third-and-2 play from the West Virginia 30, then threw back across the field into the arms of 272-pound nose tackle Josh Taylor.
"I was getting double-teamed on the play and I was stuck there," Taylor said of his first interception at any level of football. "It was a little pass, I just put my hands up and grabbed it."
And when he quickly fumbled, West Virginia linebacker Pat Lazear snatched it and raced 53 yards down the right sideline to the Syracuse 11. Noel Devine scored on a screen pass on the next play and the Mountaineers were off and running.
Syracuse focused on stopping Devine and succeeded somewhat. He had 22 carries for 91 yards, 44 yards below his season average, but he also scored on a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
"That's the great thing in this type of offense," said Brown, who finished 22 of 30 for 244 yards before departing early in the fourth quarter. "You can't take away the run and not give up the pass. That's just keeping a team honest, getting the ball to our playmakers."
Paulus and wideout Mike Williams had morphed into one of the most effective combinations in the country. Williams entered the game averaging eight catches and 124 yards receiving and had five TD receptions. The Mountaineers rendered him invisible for the first half — Williams was only thrown to once, with 6:04 left and the Orange already trailing by 27.
"He's the key to their offense," said Brandon Hogan, who returned a punt 50 yards to set up Jock Sanders' 9-yard scoring run midway through the second. "He's the guy who makes them go. We tried to squeeze the life out of him."
The Orange received boos as they headed for the locker room at halftime. They punted four times, registered just three first downs, and were outgained 218-77 in the first half.
Ryan Clarke also scored on two short runs to help West Virginia to its eighth straight win in the series.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
