West Virginia's football team is doing what anyone else would do in a tough situation - hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
In this case, that concerns playing without quarterback Jarrett Brown for possibly another week.
Coach Bill Stewart on Sunday said he couldn't update Brown's medical condition. The fifth-year senior quarterback was knocked out of West Virginia's 24-7 win over Marshall on Saturday when he suffered a concussion on the game's fourth play.
"I don't know anything about Jarrett other than [Sunday] we met with [trainer] Dave Kerns,'' Stewart said. "We seem to think ... well, it'll be day to day. I don't know if he'll play this week or not. We'll just have to wait and see.
"I know that he's not going to practice today and we're just going out in helmets and vests, so what's that tell you? That's not good.''
West Virginia is scheduled to play Connecticut on Saturday. The noon game at Mountaineer Field will be televised by ESPNU.
Fortunately, West Virginia's worst-case scenario - relying on an untested true freshman quarterback to lead the offense - no longer seems quite as daunting a task. After taking a while to acclimate - and for the coaching staff to return to its wide-open offensive principles - Geno Smith settled down and hand an outstanding performance in his first pressure situation.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Miramar, Fla., completed 15 of 21 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in the win over Marshall. At the most crucial stretch of the game he led scoring drives on four of six possessions as the Mountaineers overcame a 7-0 deficit to beat the Herd for the ninth time in as many meetings.
"That's what happens in college football. Players get hurt,'' said Stewart, who noted that during most practices the second team gets at least three reps for every five given to the first team in order to prepare for just such an emergency. "You just have to pick up the saber and march on.''
---
Brown isn't the only Mountaineer with health questions. Defensive tackle Scooter Berry injured a leg on Saturday and his status for the UConn game is in doubt.
"We have treatments at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. [on Sundays] and he was here for both,'' Stewart said of Berry. "I just don't know.''
Berry was making his most extensive appearance in more than a month when he was injured against Marshall. The junior had missed 21/2 games with a shoulder injury and returned only for a handful of plays in a win at Syracuse. Against Marshall he did not start, but was far more active.
In fact, on the play on which he was injured, Berry nearly sacked Marshall quarterback Brian Anderson. After Anderson escaped and dumped the ball off to running back Darius Marshall, Berry tracked down Marshall and made the tackle. But in doing so he was hit in the leg.
As for fullback Ryan Clarke, who did not play against Marshall because of a pinched nerve, Stewart said he should be fine for UConn.
---
Stewart refused to answer a question Sunday about what he saw on the hit that injured Brown.
On the play, the 6-foot-3, 223-pound quarterback scrambled into the open field and gained 15 yards before being sandwiched by Marshall defensive backs Ahmed Shakoor and Ashton Hall.
The helmets of all three players met and Stewart was asked if he felt there should have been a penalty for a helmet-to-helmet hit by one or both of the defenders.
He didn't answer, but seemed to indicate that the issue was probably being forwarded to the Big East.
"That's something that's going to be discussed in other venues,'' he said.
---
BRIEFLY: Noel Devine rushed for 103 yards against Marshall and slipped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the nation in rushing. His averaged dipped from 126.2 yards to 122.3. He also fell behind Pitt freshman Dion Lewis (131.1) in the Big East.
Jock Sanders is tied for seventh in receptions per game (7.5) and is 26th in punt returns. West Virginia moved up to No. 7 in rushing defense and No. 20 in total defense.
And punter Scott Kozlowski, thanks to six punts on Saturday, now has just enough to qualify for a ranking. His 46.3-yard average is fourth in the nation.
In this case, that concerns playing without quarterback Jarrett Brown for possibly another week.
Coach Bill Stewart on Sunday said he couldn't update Brown's medical condition. The fifth-year senior quarterback was knocked out of West Virginia's 24-7 win over Marshall on Saturday when he suffered a concussion on the game's fourth play.
"I don't know anything about Jarrett other than [Sunday] we met with [trainer] Dave Kerns,'' Stewart said. "We seem to think ... well, it'll be day to day. I don't know if he'll play this week or not. We'll just have to wait and see.
"I know that he's not going to practice today and we're just going out in helmets and vests, so what's that tell you? That's not good.''
West Virginia is scheduled to play Connecticut on Saturday. The noon game at Mountaineer Field will be televised by ESPNU.
Fortunately, West Virginia's worst-case scenario - relying on an untested true freshman quarterback to lead the offense - no longer seems quite as daunting a task. After taking a while to acclimate - and for the coaching staff to return to its wide-open offensive principles - Geno Smith settled down and hand an outstanding performance in his first pressure situation.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Miramar, Fla., completed 15 of 21 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in the win over Marshall. At the most crucial stretch of the game he led scoring drives on four of six possessions as the Mountaineers overcame a 7-0 deficit to beat the Herd for the ninth time in as many meetings.
"That's what happens in college football. Players get hurt,'' said Stewart, who noted that during most practices the second team gets at least three reps for every five given to the first team in order to prepare for just such an emergency. "You just have to pick up the saber and march on.''
---
Brown isn't the only Mountaineer with health questions. Defensive tackle Scooter Berry injured a leg on Saturday and his status for the UConn game is in doubt.
"We have treatments at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. [on Sundays] and he was here for both,'' Stewart said of Berry. "I just don't know.''
Berry was making his most extensive appearance in more than a month when he was injured against Marshall. The junior had missed 21/2 games with a shoulder injury and returned only for a handful of plays in a win at Syracuse. Against Marshall he did not start, but was far more active.
In fact, on the play on which he was injured, Berry nearly sacked Marshall quarterback Brian Anderson. After Anderson escaped and dumped the ball off to running back Darius Marshall, Berry tracked down Marshall and made the tackle. But in doing so he was hit in the leg.
As for fullback Ryan Clarke, who did not play against Marshall because of a pinched nerve, Stewart said he should be fine for UConn.
---
Stewart refused to answer a question Sunday about what he saw on the hit that injured Brown.
On the play, the 6-foot-3, 223-pound quarterback scrambled into the open field and gained 15 yards before being sandwiched by Marshall defensive backs Ahmed Shakoor and Ashton Hall.
The helmets of all three players met and Stewart was asked if he felt there should have been a penalty for a helmet-to-helmet hit by one or both of the defenders.
He didn't answer, but seemed to indicate that the issue was probably being forwarded to the Big East.
"That's something that's going to be discussed in other venues,'' he said.
---
BRIEFLY: Noel Devine rushed for 103 yards against Marshall and slipped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the nation in rushing. His averaged dipped from 126.2 yards to 122.3. He also fell behind Pitt freshman Dion Lewis (131.1) in the Big East.
Jock Sanders is tied for seventh in receptions per game (7.5) and is 26th in punt returns. West Virginia moved up to No. 7 in rushing defense and No. 20 in total defense.
And punter Scott Kozlowski, thanks to six punts on Saturday, now has just enough to qualify for a ranking. His 46.3-yard average is fourth in the nation.
