Mickey Furfari
FURFARI COLUMN - Thomas follows in father’s footsteps
MORGANTOWN — J.T. Thomas is having a very good season as West Virginia University’s weak side linebacker.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is following the footsteps of his father, J.T. Thomas Sr. He was an outstanding linebacker himself on WVU teams of 1994-95.
“My dad is doing really good,” young J.T. said. “We talk more about life now than we do about football. But he keeps close tabs on our team.
“Yeah, I’m having a pretty good year. Of course, I expect a lot more out of myself, as does the rest of the team. Everybody is trying to do better. I think things are going pretty well.”
Thomas doesn’t think anyone is trying too hard. He noted that a couple bad breaks and some breakdowns and that sometimes that can cost you a game.
“Sometimes, you just have to turn things around,” he added.
Thomas said the Mountaineers put the loss at South Florida behind them, as they should have.
“You don’t want that last loss to cost you another game,” he said. “That can happen in college football.
“We’re OK. Everyone knows how important the three remaining games are. Our goal is still out there. But we’ve got to take ’em one game at a time.”
In the first eight games, Thomas logged 46 tackles, including 18 unassisted. He also had 2 1/2 tackles for lost yardage, four pass breakups, one pass interception and a fumble recovery.
As a sophomore starter in 2008, Thomas made 65 tackles, 23 solo stops, three interceptions, 10 tackles for lost yardage, three sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered one.
Coach Bill Stewart and defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, who coaches the linebackers, have praised Thomas for his leadership as well as his performances.
“You never know how you might play in a college game, but you want to give it your best shot always,” Thomas said. “If we keep working hard, we can achieve our goal.”
He said WVU always tries to stop an opponent’s rushing attack first. “You want to come in and win the early downs,” he explained. “We have a good idea when they’re going to pass the ball, third–and–9, third–and-8 and situations like that.”
His teammates twice voted him “Iron Mountaineer” for his excellent work during past offseason sessions.
The elder Thomas played only two years of Mountaineer football. But he was a hard hitter and he was highly productive.
For his two years at WVU, he had a total of 222 tackles, 139 solo stops, 12 tackles for lost yardage totaling 41 yards, six quarterback sacks, six pass breakups, one interception and he forced two fumbles and recovered one.
- Mickey Furfari
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FURFARI COLUMN - Huggins: Decision is ‘totally’ up to Ebanks
Speculation continues to circulate on whether West Virginia sophomore Devin Ebanks will return next season or turn professional.
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FURFARI COLUMN - Interest in WVU basketball is at peak pitch
Interest in men’s basketball was never higher than it has been this year.
So it certainly is not surprising that the Mountaineers, 24-6 for the regular season and nationally ranked in the Top 10, set an all-time attendance record at the Coliseum turnstiles.
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FURFARI COLUMN - Huggins isn’t for old late-game foul rule
There was a rule in men’s basketball many years ago giving a team fouled during the final two minutes of the game the choice to shoot free throws or take the ball out of bounds.
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FURFARI COLUMN - Miles has dream of WVU Final Four
If the West Virginia University women’s basketball team reaches the NCAA Final Four this year, it would be a “dream come true” for Sarah Miles.
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FURFARI COLUMN - Fred Schaus was ‘One in a million’
The late Adolph Rupp, legendary basketball coach at Kentucky, told West Virginia University superstar Jerry West “son, you’re one in a million,” some years ago.
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FURFARI COLUMN - WVU football cashes in on TV revenue
West Virginia University will receive slightly more than $3.5 million from the Big East Conference for football television revenue in the 2009 season.
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FURFARI COLUMN - WVU’s Bryant stepping up of late
Darryl “Truck” Bryant has been one of the most consistent performers on the nationally 11th-ranked West Virginia University men’s basketball team (15-3) recently.
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FURFARI COLUMN:Jones developing nicely for WVU
Kevin Jones, a sparkling 6-8, 250-pound sophomore, possesses all anyone could ask in one of the “Big Three” of the West Virginia University men’s basketball team.
The Mount Vernon, N.Y., native is second in both scoring (15.8 points) and rebounding (7.9 rebounds) per game.
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FURFARI COLUMN: Gentleman Gene Corum will be missed
Most folks called him Gentleman Gene Corum.
No other description could have been more appropriate for West Virginia University’s head football coach from 1960-65. I cannot think of anyone being more gentle in my 65 years of sports coverage.
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FURFARI COLUMN - WVU men have world of potential
It is downright difficult to compare athletic teams of different eras.
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FURFARI COLUMN - Huggins: Decision is ‘totally’ up to Ebanks
