The Way I "See" It: The Sports Perspective From A Blind WVU Student

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The WVU football team crushed Coastal Carolina in the opening game of the 2010 football season. Sophomore Geno Smith got his first collegiate start as the Mountaineers new quarterback. The Mountaineers got the ball to start the game. They scored on that first possession as Smith threw a four-yard touchdown pass to J. D. Woods. The score was Wood’s first collegiate touchdown catch. That gave the Mountaineers the early 7-0 lead to start the game. The next score did not come until the second quarter. Jock Sanders had a 41-yard run that put the Mountaineers at the six-yard line. Unable to score a touchdown, sophomore kicker Tyler Bitankurt kicked a 21-yard field goal to give the Mountaineers a 10-0 lead. With 1:13 left in the first half, the Mountaineers got the ball back. But, Smith turned the ball over and threw an interception giving the ball back to Coastal Carolina. On their first pass attempt however, Brandon Hogan re-intercepts the ball in the back of the endzone. The Mountaineers get the ball again with 67 seconds in the half, but are unable to score giving them a 10-0 lead going into halftime. The Mountaineers next score comes in the third quarter, when Smith throws a 17-yard touchdown pass, his second, to Sanders to make the lead 17-0. Coastal Carolina had a chance to score but missed a 47-yard field goal. Running back Noel Devine fumbled the ball on WVU’s next possession after the field goal. This gives the ball back to Coastal Carolina, and they have another chance to score but miss another field goal. The mountaineers next score comes near the end of the third quarter. Tavon Austin has a 33-yard run that sets up Ryan Clarke’s 1-yard touchdown run. This makes the score 24-0. The Mountaineers score one more time. Devine has another big run, this time 39 yards. This sets up another touchdown from four yards out. The Mountaineers win with a final score of 31-0. Four Mountaineers scored in the game. Robert Sands, Coal Bowers, and Austin all were injured in the game. Getting his first collegiate start, Smith finished with two touchdown passes, passes for 216 yards, and is 20 of 27 passing. Devine has another game rushing for over 100 yards. He rushes for a total of 111, and scores a touchdown. The Mountaineers are now 1-0. They have a short week, returning to action this Friday as they play state-rival Marshall on the road. Gametime is scheduled for 7 PM. Coverage on WAJR AM begins at 3 PM with the Big East Today.

The Morgantown High Mohigans and University High Hawks had no trouble scoring Friday night as they both rolled to dominating victories. The Mohigans defeated the Elkins Tigers at home 62-12. They improve their record to 2-0. Meanwhile, the Hawks downed East Fairmont winning 59-28.

Two former Mountaineer football players have been cut from NFL rosters. Teams have until 4 PM Saturday to trim their rosters to 53 players. Former quarterback Jarrett Brown was cut by the San Francisco 49ers, and former wide receiver Alric Arnett was cut by the Denver Broncos. Brown will likely find a place on the practice squad. He lost the third string quarterback position to Nate Davis. Alex Smith is the starter, while David Carr is his backup. Arnett was the only wide receiver released by the Broncos. He also hopes to land a spot on the practice squad. He caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in the Broncos preseason finale. Denver will keep eight wide receivers on their roster including Brandon Lloyd, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, Jabar Gaffney, Britt Davis, and Matthew Willis. Former WVU wide receiver Darius Reynaud was not cut Friday, but traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the New York Giants as part of a package deal. Reynaud was a  return man and running back for the Vikings. Last season, Reynaud was the Vikings main punt returner averaging 10.5 yards per return. He also returned four kickoffs for an average 22.5 yards per return. Another former Mountaineer whose fate is in the balance is quarterback Pat White. He is on the bubble with the Miami Dolphins but will have to wait until Saturday to find out whether he will be cut or not. Currently, he is the Dolphins fourth quarterback. White missed the first day of training camp to deal with personal issues and played sparingly in the Dolphins preseason. He did not play at all in the first or fourth games.