MORGANTOWN — It was the kind of scare West Virginia University fans didn’t need, not now, just weeks before heading into 2012 football season, but head coach Dana Holgorsen wasn’t going to do anything to ease the fears.

WVU practiced on Thursday without its starting quarterback Geno Smith, on whose right arm the entire season rests, and if anything was wrong with him … well, you would think he would want to get that out as quickly as possible to ease the faithful.

Instead, he simply kept his public relations people from making any comment and simply said he should be asked about it two and a half hours later at his 7:30 p.m. press briefing.

Certainly, the media put out the word that Smith was absent and that Holgorsen was being coy, not knowing that his absence was due to the death of a grandmother that had him returning home to Florida for a few days.

When asked why he just didn’t announce what the problem was, leaving the media to put out word only that he was absent, his response was this:

“Damn that social media, right. I didn’t invent it.”

He said it with a laugh, then added:

“Usually everyone would know what happened here once practice was over, but social media … I could always take your-alls phones when you come in here and not allow you to use it, but you’d get all fired up about that.”

Probably not, but the major point was that there was nothing to hide with Smith’s absence, and Holgorsen just could have gathered the media before practice or have his public relations people gather them and tell them the situation.

As it was, the public relations people didn’t even know which grandmother of Smith’s had died or what her name was.

Certainly, West Virginians everywhere offer nothing but condolences to Smith and his family.



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With Smith gone, backups Paul Millard, a redshirt freshman, and Ford Childress, a true freshman, took the snaps in practice.

“They’ve been getting a lot of reps,” Holgorsen said. “Geno takes 50 percent, and they split the others. Now they are getting 50 percent of the reps each, which means they will get better.”

Certainly, they are not yet ready to play.

“They look like young, inexperienced quarterbacks out there. Heaven forbid ever being in situation to have to put them as first team. Geno clearly makes everyone around him better. Paul and Ford don’t necessarily make everyone else around them better, while it’s clear No. 12 does.”



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The thing about football

recruiting is that you never know where you are going to find your talent.

Take Devonte Robinson, a West Virginia freshman receiver who has a big chance to play this season.

He comes out of a perennial WVU hotbed of recruits — Florida.

But they didn’t get him from some big-time high school. Village Academy High in Delray Beach went just 17-13 in his three years, but in Palm Beach County the competition is stiff, especially if you are as small a school as is Village Academy.

“Our senior class was like 32 people,” Robinson admitted.

That is a far cry from winding up at WVU, where your English class probably has more than 32 people.

“It was a big culture shock,” he admitted.

Fortunately, football hasn’t been a culture shock.

“It’s just playing faster, that’s all,” he said.

And speed is Robinson’s game.

At 6-1, 170 he is hardly built for power football, but they don’t play a whole lot of power football at West Virginia.

Speed, running routes and catching the ball is what it all comes down to and Robinson can do that.

He led Palm Beach County with 950 receiving yards on 31 receptions and 30.6 yards per catch, while ranking No. 4 in touchdown receptions with 10 in 2011.

That is what the Dana Holgorsen offense looks for.

So what if there were only 30 or so players on the football team, the one Holgorsen got is a keeper.

And this isn’t one of those future picks.

Robinson can help WVU right now and is eager to do so.

“I’m trying to get in with the ones and be the best I can be,” he said. “I’m just showing I can compete, out there with the ones, twos, anything. I want to play immediately. That’s what we all want to do.”

Perhaps the person who has helped him most has been his top competitor for the first team job at Z receiver, senior J.D. Woods. Woods currently is No. 1 at the position. Ryan Nehlen and Ivan McCartney also play the same position, so there is a lot competition.

“He’s like an older brother. He keeps me level headed, keeps me focused throughout the play,” Robinson said of Woods. “He just tells me to zone out, be the best you can be. Play like you know you can play. Play like you are unstoppable.”

And that is the way Robinson has been approaching it.

“I don’t want to redshirt,” he said. “I will do whatever I have to do to help the team … special teams, even if I have to play defense.”

That may sound strange he played safety in high school and had seven interceptions.



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Don’t forget the Norma Rae Huggins Benefit golf scramble at Tygart Lake is coming up on Aug. 24. To sign up call 304-265-3100.

Email Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter@bhertzel.