WVU’s Sanders taking over for departed Reynaud

Sophomore caught five passes for 71 yards in Saturday scrimmage

By JIM ELLIOTT, Special to The News
MORGANTOWN —Notes from Saturday’s Gold/Blue Scrimmage

? Replacing Reynaud: The bubble screen has been a big part of the West Virginia offense for a while now. For the last three seasons, Darius Reynaud was on the receiving end of most of those, but he’s now preparing for the NFL Draft.

It appears, based on Saturday’s events, that sophomore Jock Sanders will now be on the receiving end of those screen passes, which are designed to get fast players in open spaces and let them show off some speed and moves.

Sanders caught five passes for 71 yards, but he wasn’t the team’s leading pass-catcher.

When was the last time the bubble-screen recipient didn’t lead the team in catches?

Brandon Hogan caught six passes for 49 yards, some of them over the middle. Sanders, too, caught a long pass over the middle, which will almost assuredly be the biggest difference in the team’s offensive look under the new coaching staff.

“We’re going to do more than bubble screens,” Stewart promised. “We’re going to throw it over the linebackers and in front of the safeties. We have not done that; we’re going to do it.”

Sanders wondered why they didn’t think of this sooner?

“When you’ve got Pat White and Noel Devine, everything opens up,” Sanders said. “I’m just going to sit on top of the linebackers and catch some balls.”

? Quarterbacks on the move: Bradley Starks caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. He and Hogan, as did safety Nate Sowers and others, arrived at Morgantown as quarterbacks.

Stewart loves that kind of versatility.

“You cannot recruit enough college quarterbacks,” he said. “They can play anywhere. They’re like fullbacks, you can’t have enough of them. They can play guard, too.”

Stewart added that either Starks or Hogan could be the team’s No. 3 quarterback as well.

Of Hogan, he said: “He’s special. That cat can play.”

Sowers, who started at safety with the first-team defense, had five tackles.

? Fun with the guys: It seemed every West Virginia player who spoke Saturday expressed how much they like the new coaching staff.

“The coaches seem friendlier, happy, relaxed,” Lazear said. “It seems like we’ve got a better coaching staff.”

Said kicker Pat McAfee: “It was a good day. The atmosphere was different. It was happy, positive. Everyone really wants to be here.”

They said this after Stewart tried a bit of a prank with them.

After the scrimmage, the players returned to the locker room where Stewart told them, “that was a great first half.”

He told them they were going to wait until the fans cleared out and go back and run Oklahoma drills and the like.

“That was my April Fool’s joke,” Stewart said. “I’ve told them, ‘if I don’t tell them Cub and Boy Scout’s honor, don’t trust me too much.”

No wonder they all seem a little more enthused.

? Fun with Numbers: Just how dominant was the Gold against the Blue on Saturday? Just consider these numbers: The Gold had 20 first downs; the Blue had none. The Gold had 131 rushing yards to none for the Blue. Total offense Gold: 336 yards. Blue: 0. And on and on and on. If it weren’t for sacks (five) and interceptions (one), this would have been a complete statistical wash for the Blue team.

? Northern Connection: Sophomore linebacker Pat Lazear started on the first-team defense Saturday.

Lazear was one of the highest-rated recruits of the Rich Rodriguez era in what proved to be the coach’s last class.

You also may recall that Lazear arrived at Morgantown via Bethesda, Md.

But this linebacker has all kinds of backers in Brooke County, as part of this particular Lazear family makes its home in Wellsburg, including Lazear’s uncle.

Moved from “Sam” to “Mike” linebacker, Lazear says he likes the new position better. He also likes playing time.

There he was out there Saturday, letting an interception slip through his hands before he “clenched it” with his legs, he said.

“That was the only mistake Pat White made all day,” WVU head coach Bill Stewart said.

Lazear also had four tackles.

He was brought in to Morgantown because of that ability to force others into mistakes and he’s hoping to get plenty of chances to do just that.

“Last year, I wouldn’t have even considered myself part of the defense,” he said. “Last year, I was watching (the spring game). (The scrimmage) was great. Hearing the fans roar, it was like on Saturdays.”