MORGANTOWN —
West Virginia may have to go into its opening game against Coastal Carolina without its injured starting linebacker Pat Lazear but outside linebacker J.T. Thomas, who has battled a neck problem all through pre-season drills, has been cleared to play.
Lazear was leg whipped in his knee during a play a week ago and is still being treated for it.
Coach Bill Stewart evaded a question as to whether Lazear has been practicing, saying only “he’s getting treatment” and he would not predict whether he would be out for the game.
The Big East this year has instigated a new policy for injury reporting. Coaches will release on Monday players who are out for the year or undergoing surgery and on Thursday will report on players’ conditions for the coming week’s game, listing them as out, doubtful or probable.
If Lazear can’t play, redshirt freshman Branko Busick out of Steubenville, Ohio, would be his replacement. It would also mean that Najee Goode would probably get some time at the position.
While Thomas has been cleared to play, it’s almost a play-to-play thing with him.
“The doctors say he needs to play to see how he reacts,” Stewart said. “He’ll get in there and bang and we’ll see how he does.”
According to Stewart, Thomas’ neck injury is not severe and he has undergone and MRI and been cleared to play.
Lazear and Thomas were last year’s two leading tacklers, Lazear with 78 tackles and Thomas with 76.
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Stewart still refuses to say how he will use his two freshmen backup quarterbacks, Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson. Both are freshmen and have never played a down of college ball.
Stewart maintains he doesn’t know if he will redshirt one or the other or play both of them this year to get them some experience.
He also faces a decision in this game, should it get out of hand as expected, whether or not to take starter Geno Smith out. Smith needs playing time but you’d hate to see your only experienced QB injured if the Mountaineers have a big lead.
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This Friday and all Friday’s throughout the season have been dubbed National College Colors Day and Stewart is urging all fans to wear the WVU old gold and blue not on Saturday for the game, but on Friday’s.
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Four days before kickoff the right side of the offensive line remains unsettled, Stewart hoping out of having too much talent rather than too little.
He is leaning at present toward starting veteran Eric Jobe at right guard and Jeff Braun at right tackle with redshirt freshman Cole Bowers backing up both positions.
“We have eight linemen ready to play and Bowers is in that eight,” Stewart said.
There is a chance, too, that Stewart will look at Jobe back at center at times. The starting job there belongs to Joey Madsen.
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Stewart has settled on three different to do the three different kicking jobs.
Tyler Bitancurt, the hero of last year’s Pitt victory, will be the placekicker with Corey Smith kicking off and Greg Pugnetti punting.
Smith and Pugnetti both showed they could punt in pre-season campe and that was a hard-fought battle.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.
Bob Herzel
WVU’s Thomas cleared to play, Lazear may be out
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