ESPN College Football

National signing day is inching ever closer, so it is time to take a look at the biggest recruiting needs for every team in the Big East.

Cincinnati

Defensive line. Cincinnati loses a host of seniors from this position, including Co-Defensive Player of the Year Derek Wolfe, John Hughes, Monte Taylor, and Rob Trigg. Factor in the key contributors for 2012 will be seniors in Dan Giordano, Brandon Mills and Walter Stewart and it is time to reload at this position.

Receiver. There is some promising young talent on the roster, but several guys are going to be leaving in the next few years. The Bearcats really need a guy who can stretch the field and make some big plays to join Anthony McClung and Alex Chisum.

Secondary. The Bearcats are going to take a hit at this position after 2012, losing a ton of seniors-to-be, including Cam Cheatham, Drew Frey, Dominique Battle and Reuben Johnson. Senior safety Wesley Richardson is already gone. The lone four-star commitment the Bearcats have is from a safety, Marcus Foster.

UConn

Quarterback. This need has been addressed in this recruiting cycle, with junior college transfer Chandler Whitmer and Casey Cochran already enrolled in school.

Tight end. With the impending departure of Ryan Griffin and John Delahunt, the Huskies could use another young player to be groomed to take over. Tight end is a critical part of the UConn offense.

Offensive line. UConn is losing its two best linemen in Moe Petrus and Mike Ryan. Of the 16 linemen currently listed on the roster, seven are juniors or seniors. Linemen generally take a redshirt season, so it never hurts to sign more to be able to restock.

Louisville

Linebacker. The Cardinals are losing Dexter Heyman and have a lot of juniors and seniors on their roster at this position. It is no surprise, then, that three of the top players coming in are linebackers -- Keith Brown and James Burgess are already enrolled; four-star recruit Nick Dawson has given a commitment.

Offensive line. Louisville has young players here, but not much depth, as evidenced this season when several true freshmen were forced to play much earlier than anticipated. It never hurts to build depth here, and the Cardinals have gotten a huge commit from four-star guard Abraham Garcia out of Miami.

Running back. This was an area the Cardinals struggled in this season, having to move quarterback Dominique Brown to the position. Victor Anderson is gone, and this team could really used another back to carry the load.

Pitt

Quarterback. This one is pretty self explanatory if you watched Tino Sunseri play. Mark Myers and Trey Anderson are also on the roster, but the Panthers are in definite need here -- which is why so many fans are looking forward to commit Chad Voytik coming to town.

Linebacker. This has been an area of inconsistency for the Panthers, who lose their best player in Max Gruder. There are some young players with talent in Todd Thomas and Ejuan Price, but this position could definitely use an upgrade.

Receiver. The play of the offense was disappointing this season, and that includes the receivers. Pitt could use some players to stretch the field. Ronald Jones was a start this season. But when you consider that Cameron Saddler, Mike Shanahan and Devin Street will all be upperclassmen in 2012, this is a definite area of need.

Rutgers

Receiver. Mohamed Sanu is gone, and Mark Harrison is a senior to be. There is plenty of young talent, but there is a reason Rutgers has commitments from four athletes. This gives the Scarlet Knights the flexibility to try them at receiver or running back, another area of need.

Running back. Once Savon Huggins got hurt this year, Rutgers had Jawan Jamison and Jeremy Deering at running back and that was about it. Depth has to be developed here.

Offensive line. Strides have absolutely been made at this position, but coach Greg Schiano likes to reiterate that the Scarlet Knights aren't going to pull themselves out of the hole they were in overnight. They need another solid draft class at this position to keep building.

USF

Secondary. Injuries and inconsistent play this season showed the Bulls really lacked some depth and need some immediate help in this area, which is why they signed junior college cornerbacks Fidel Montgomery and Josh Brown. One of their top four-star commitments is cornerback Chris Bivins.

Quarterback. Beyond B.J. Daniels, a senior in 2012, the Bulls have Bobby Eveld and Matt Floyd as the two heirs to take over. Eveld has been less than impressive, and we don't know much about Floyd. The Bulls would be served to get another quarterback in as they prepare for the future.

Running back. Darrell Scott is gone, and the Bulls are really in need of a game breaker at this position. Demetris Murray is going to be a senior, and nobody else really has stepped up at the position. Depth has to be built here, because USF goes into spring practice with four running backs on the roster.

Syracuse

Defensive line. The Orange are losing Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich and could really used some difference-makers up front who can help get after the quarterback. Depth is an issue here. One of their big commitments so far has been defensive end Josh Manley out of Georgia.

Secondary. This was one of the weakest parts of the team and now the Orange lose Phillip Thomas and Kevyn Scott, and there was a lack of depth when injuries hit this position in 2011. Brooklyn prep safety Wayne Morgan would be a huge get to add to this unit.

Receiver. Alec Lemon is a senior, Van Chew is gone and who knows what happens with Marcus Sales. The bottom line is the Orange are in major need of a game-changer to turn 15-yard passes into 40-yard receptions.

West Virginia

Quarterback. Geno Smith is a rising senior and after him it is crickets in the form of one player behind him in Paul Millard. So consider this need majorly filled with Ford Childress, ranked No. 139 on the ESPNU 150.

Offensive line. The most inconsistent part of the team in 2011, West Virginia has a major need here. The Mountaineers struggled so badly here they started converted defensive lineman Curtis Feigt late in the season. Don Barclay is gone, and Joe Madsen, Jeff Braun and Josh Jenkins are all upperclassmen.

Defensive line. Julian Miller, Josh Taylor and Bruce Irvin are gone, and there are depth concerns here. West Virginia has four commitments from defensive linemen already.

Let's go to San Diego ... where all the crazy kids go.

• UConn has a commitment from junior college tight end Brannon Green.
• Cincinnati coach Butch Jones made his pitch to fans -- make Paul Brown Stadium feel like home.
• Louisville coach Charlie Strong is looking for a few good leaders.
• Pitt hopes starting offensive lineman Lucas Nix can return to the starting lineup against Louisville.
• Rutgers punter Justin Doerner was an unsung hero in the win over USF.
• The Syracuse football team is sticking together despite two straight losses.
• A handful of plays have made the difference in USF's 0-4 Big East start.
• West Virginia changed the script on second down against Louisville. Guard Josh Jenkins is fighting through rehab.

West Virginia starting left guard Josh Jenkins is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his left knee, the school announced Wednesday.

Jenkins sprained his MCL in the spring game and underwent an extensive rehab program. But following rehab, team doctors felt his kneecap was still unstable, so he underwent surgery on July 5. Jenkins is eligible for a medical hardship waiver and should be back for his senior season in 2012.

Trainer David Kerns said in a statement the surgery was done to "help better track his patella for normal function. Jenkins will remain in a leg brace for six weeks, then will regain strength and slowly regain any residual lost motion due to the immobilization period.

"At the appropriate time, he will begin the back-to-run/play-progression, which all totaled will be six months from surgery until fully healed and strong enough to play football. He should be fully participatory for winter training and then spring football."

This is a big blow for West Virginia. Jenkins, a two-year starter, has been one of its most solid contributors and one of its most experienced players returning. But there was always uncertainty about whether he would be able to play this season. On the post-spring depth chart, coach Dana Holgorsen listed Jeff Braun at left guard. Braun moves over from right tackle, where he started every game last season. Redshirt freshman Quinton Spain would be in the No. 1 spot at right tackle.

Now by popular demand, we begin ranking the positions across the Big East. I know I am a little late to the party on this one, but better late than never, right? I asked on Twitter for suggestions on which position to start with today. There was no consensus. But I did like one suggestion: to work our way up from the line.

So first up is the offensive line. To make these rankings, I considered returning starters, accolades for returning starters, position switches and depth. The truth is, this is not an area of strength for the league as a whole. Most teams have depth concerns and questions at one or more positions.

1. Syracuse. The Orange have four returning starters, including two seniors. You have Justin Pugh, who made second-team All-Big East last year as a freshman. You have a more mature and experienced unit than the one last year, which had to replace four starters. There also is depth to have a nice eight-man rotation. The concern is at center, where Macky MacPherson is undersized. Actually, when you look at the entire group, it is undersized. Andrew Tiller is the only one who tips the scales at more than 300 pounds.

2. West Virginia. The offensive line was an area of strength under Rich Rodriguez, but has struggled the past few years. It was hard to get a gauge on this unit in the spring, with both starting tackles Jeff Braun and Don Barclay out because of injuries. Starting guard Josh Jenkins also got hurt and is still not 100 percent. But the potential is there for this group to be significantly improved.

3. UConn. The strength of this unit is at tackle and center, where the Huskies return first-team All-Big East selection Mike Ryan (20 career starts) and Adam Masters (18 career starts). Moe Petrus, a second-team all-conference pick, has 39 career starts. Their experience should help along the guards -- nobody on the roster has started a game at the position. The good news is that Gary Bardzak does have starting experience, but it came at center.

4. Pittsburgh. The Panthers made so many position shifts during the spring that it is hard tell how this unit is going to shape up come fall. Chris Jacobson moving to center was one of the biggest moves, and Pittsburgh hopes it pays off with more stability there. Jacobson and starting tackles Jordan Gibbs and Lucas Nix have a combined 49 career starts, but Pitt has to make up for losing first-team Big East selection Jason Pinkston.

5. USF. The Bulls are going to be young on the offensive line this season after losing first-team All-Big East center Sampson Genus, along with tackles Jamar Bass and Jake Sims (second team All-Big East). Chaz Hine and Jeremiah Warren are a solid tandem at guard, and Mark Popek at left tackle and Kevin McCaskill at center do have playing experience. But at right tackle, USF plans to go with redshirt freshman Quinterrius Eatmon. He does have loads of potential, but there will be a learning curve. Depth also is an issue, and the Bulls could have true freshmen in the rotation.

6. Cincinnati. The Bearcats had their share of problems last season, ranking second-to-last in the Big East in sacks allowed (31). This year, they have to replace three starters on the offensive line with unproven players. Senior right tackle Alex Hoffman has taken on some leadership responsibility with the loss of Jason Kelce, but players like Austen Bujnoch, Andre Cureton, Sean Hooey and Evan Davis are going to have to step up. Depth could also be an issue here.

7. Louisville. The Cardinals return just one starter in center Mario Benavides, who has been hampered with a knee injury. Ryan Kessling and Alex Kupper have playing experience, but most everybody else is pretty unproven, and that makes for one of the biggest question areas on the team headed into the fall.

8. Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights own the bottom spot until the season starts and we can see how much this unit has improved. It is a well-known fact that they finished last in sacks allowed and were one of the worst rushing teams in the country last season for that reason. They suffered a blow when junior college transfer Dallas Hendrikson went down with a season-ending injury in the spring, but coach Greg Schiano said he saw plenty of improvement from this group. They certainly will have more experience, but how much better will they be?

2010 overall record: 9-4
2010 conference record: 5-2, tied for first in Big East

Returning starters:

Offense: 8. Defense: 4. Punter/kicker: 1.

Top returners:

QB Geno Smith, WR Tavon Austin, DE Bruce Irvin, DE Julian Miller, CB Keith Tandy, OT Don Barclay, WR Brad Starks, S Terence Garvin

Key losses:

RB Noel Devine, WR Jock Sanders, CB Brandon Hogan, DL Chris Neild, S Robert Sands, DL Scooter Berry, S Sidney Glover, LB J.T. Thomas

2010 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Noel Devine (936 yards)
Passing: Geno Smith* (2,763 yards)
Receiving: Tavon Austin* (787 yards)
Tackles: Terence Garvin* (76 tackles)
Sacks: Bruce Irvin* (14 sacks)
Interceptions: Keith Tandy* (6 interceptions)

Spring answers

1. Offensive firepower: Dana Holgorsen's arrival had an immediate effect on the Mountaineers' offense, as witnessed by the 800-plus yards and 87 points put up in the spring game. The offense wasn't quite that crisp the entire spring, but it's clear that West Virginia will be hard to stop in 2011. Quarterback Geno Smith showed no ill effects from his offseason foot surgery, and even without injured players like Shawne Alston, Brad Starks and Ryan Clarke, the offense found ways to move the ball in Holgorsen's schemes this spring.

2. Bruce Almighty: Of course, the offense was helped by the fact that the defense couldn't hit the quarterback. If it could, Bruce Irvin might have injured every signal-caller on the roster. Coming off a 14-sack season, Irvin spent more time in the backfield than most Mountaineer ball carriers this spring. He had an almost unfair advantage since both West Virginia starting tackles were out with injuries. But Irvin also showed he's ready to take on an every-down role this season, and that he's still one of the most fearsome pass-rushers in the country.

3. Urban renewal: Tight end Tyler Urban wondered what his role in the offense would be when Holgorsen brought his spread to town. Urban moved to the slot receiver position and shined there in the spring. He's a matchup nightmare for linebackers at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. The only note of caution: Urban has been hyped in the spring before and has usually become an afterthought by the fall. He and the Mountaineers hope that is different this year.

Fall questions

1. Replacing Neild: Finding someone to fill in for noseguard Chris Neild was one of the toughest jobs facing defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel this spring. Jorge Wright stepped forward and appeared to earn the starting job, but he was arrested on gun and marijuana charges just before the spring game. He has been suspended indefinitely, and though Bill Stewart has shown he will give guys second chances, no one really knows for sure when Wright will be back. That leaves the noseguard position in flux this summer, with Josh Taylor and incoming junior-college transfer Shaq Rowell the best available options.

2. The offensive line: Holgorsen may have one of the brightest offensive minds in the country, but it's hard to move the ball without a good offensive line no matter how smart you are. The Mountaineers didn't have either starting tackle this spring, and starting guard Josh Jenkins hurt his knee in the spring game and could miss significant time if it does not heal this summer. The O-line hasn't been dominant since the Rich Rodriguez era, and depth is lacking. West Virginia needs things to come together there by the fall to reach its full potential.

3. The kicking game: Veteran place-kicker Tyler Bitancurt had all kinds of problems this spring, missing field goal tries and having some blocked. While it's too early to panic over kicking, Bitancurt needs to figure out what's wrong or he'll be out of a job. One solution is to just score more touchdowns, but odds are at least one big game in 2011 will come down to a field goal. The Mountaineers also want to get more explosive in the kick-return game after not doing much there last year.

Reviewing West Virginia's Gold-Blue spring game from Friday night, won by the offense 83-17:

Offensive MVP: Quarterback Geno Smith completed 26 of 37 passes for 388 yards and four touchdowns as Dana Holgorsen's offense was fully unleashed against the Mountaineers' second-string defense. Smith's night included 44- and 67-yard touchdown passes to Stedman Bailey and a 38-yard scoring strike to Tavon Austin. Backup quarterback Paul Millard added 253 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-30 passing. Overall, the offense racked up 838 total yards and 683 in the air on 104 plays.

Defensive MVP: Julian Miller had two sacks and four total tackles, though this was clearly a night set up for the offense.

Costly injury? Starting offensive guard Josh Jenkins suffered an MCL sprain and a strain of another ligament around his kneecap. Jenkins will be put in a brace and go through physical therapy for six to eight weeks to let the MCL sprain heal. The West Virginia medical staff will decide after that time whether Jenkins needs surgery on his knee cap. Not having Jenkins would be a big loss for the Mountaineers.

Running back battle: One of the more intriguing subplots of the spring for the Mountaineers was who would claim the No. 1 tailback spot. It's a battle that probably will continue into the fall. True freshman Vernard Roberts led all rushers with 64 yards on 10 carries Friday. Trey Johnson had 57 yards on nine attempts and the only rushing touchdown. Johnson also had a 65-yard reception for a score.

Other notes: The estimated crowd of 22,000 was the largest for a Big East spring game this year. ... Ryan Nehlen was given the Nickolich Award as the top walk-on of the spring, and he caught five passes for 79 yards in the spring game. ... Defensive lineman Will Clarke, linebacker Najee Goode and cornerback Keith Tandy received the Iron Mountaineer Award, presented to the most outstanding performers in the team's offseason strength and conditioning program.

West Virginia opens practice on Wednesday, and I had a chance to catch up with head coach Bill Stewart on the eve of spring drills. Here's Part I of our conversation. (Note: Stewart offered a thorough, lengthy overview at the start of my interview, so I'm going to divide that up by topic rather than make you wade through several unbroken paragraphs).

You obviously had some great leaders on last year's team. How do you see this year's team replacing that?

Bill Stewart: We've lost seven guys on our defensive side of the ball to graduation and four of those guys went to the NFL combine. That tells you not only the kind of players we had, that tells you about the leadership we had on the 2010 football squad.

This year's team, I see a guy now like Keith Tandy; we're counting on big, big things from Keith. We've got some other young corners in Patrick Miller and Brodrick Jenkins, who have played, so that's kind of exciting. We've got some underclassmen to jump in the mix as well. I'm anxious to see Ishmael Banks, and Brantwon Bowser is ready to go and he has a chance to step up and make plays. We lost some players at safety, and certainly who I feel was the best corner in the league in Brandon Hogan. But I really feel good about our corners. With the inside guys, the spur, free safety and the bandit, we have Terence Garvin back, who gave us great play last year, and I'm looking for a big year out of him. Eain Smith is back, and he had a really good last couple of years. Then it's time for guys like Travis Bell and Mike Dorsey and Darwin Cook, Wes Tonkery, see these guys step up and make plays. That's going to be a fun thing to watch.

[On linebackers]: We lost three great linebackers; everybody knows that. We have Najee Goode back, and he's given us great leadership, as Casey Vance has done. A newcomer coming into the fold is Josh Francis. Man, he's real fast, he's explosive. He's going to be a real force, I think, in there at linebacker. We have Branko Busic, and Doug Rigg is a rising superstar, I really believe that.

[On the defensive line]: We lost Scooter Berry and what I think was the best nose guard in the league in Chris Neild. But we still have Julian Miller and Bruce Irvin, the great sack master. And now we have some young guys like Will Clarke, Jorge Wright, Josh Taylor and J.B. Lageman in there at nose guard. So there are some guys in ready to step up and make plays. Now it's their turn.

[On wide receivers/running backs]: Brad Starks can be as good as there is in this league. Stedman Bailey, what a player he was, and then Tavon Austin, J.D. Woods and Ivan McCartney. So we've got five or six top quality receivers. I'm really anxious to see how they do in this new offense. And then you take our new tight/end fullback type in Tyler Urban, who I think is going to be as good a big back as there is. And then you take Ryan Clarke, Matt Lindamood, Shawne Alston ... these guys have all played and they've done well.

[On the offensive line]: I'm worried about our offensive line, simply because Don Barclay and Jeff Braun, our two starting tackles, are out with shoulder injuries. They're healing up fine. That just makes way for the young guys. Now we'll see what Quinton Spain, the big redshirt freshman, can do with a chance to come into his own. Some other tackles like Nick Kindler and Pat Eger will get a lot of snaps this spring. And I'm really excited about our inside guys. Our center, Joey Madsen, is a great leader, he's the heart of the offensive line. Josh Jenkins has started a bunch of games at left guard. And then we have Cole Bowers, who's probably the most talented lineman we have, he just hasn't played that much. I'm really excited to see those inside guys.

I'm really looking forward to this offensive scheme. We have a lot of speed and we're very very blessed to have tremendous speed at our skill positions. And our offensive line, once Braun and Barclay get back, could be very very formidable

[On special teams]: I worry about our special teams a little bit. We're now on our fourth punter in four years in Corey Smith. Our punting game is still a question mark. Our kicker, Tyler Bitancurt, he's won big games for us, but he missed two there in the [Champs Sports] Bowl, so he's got some work to do. ... What we really need to step up to the plate, to be very honest, is our return men. Our return men we just haven't hit the big play like Tavon did a couple years ago against UConn [in 2009], or like Shawn Terry used to do in the early 2000s. We need to get more productivity on our punt and kickoff retrun. That's one of the big things we'll work hard at this spring.

Who do you have now as your return men?


BS: Tavon Austin and Bradley Starks could be good return men. I really like Brodrick Jenkins with the punt return game; I think he has a chance to catch punts and maybe make a name for himself. Some other skill guys we'll throw back there. That's what spring practice is all about. We'll see who can catch a punt, make a couple of guys miss and give us a couple of first downs on these returns.

Sounds like you hired an interesting special teams coach this week in Daron Roberts.


BS: He's going to help out. I got a nice call from a friend of mine with the Detroit Lions who said, "Boy, he's a great guy, very much a student of the game." He's going to bring some excitement to the game. He's young, and I know our players will rally around him. ... We're going to break it up again -- Steve [Dunlap] will be doing the defensive side of the special teams like kickoff and punt return, punt block, and Daron is going to be heading up kickoff return units and things like that. So there shouldn't be that much change there.

Again, we need more productivity there. We do have the talent, we just haven't done it yet. That's something that has to come back to the arsenal. I know what we're going to do on defense, and I think I know what we're going to do on offense, because we have fast playmakers who make people miss in space, and that's what this new offense is going to be all about. That's going to be exciting, and I can't wait to see it in action. But our return game has to get better.

Can you get a sense, through meetings and workouts, how well the team is picking up the new offense so far?

BS: Oh yeah. It's like anything else. It will look worse before it gets better. That's true no matter what brand of offense or defense you run. We think we have a pretty good deal going with this 3-3 stack. We know it, the coaches know it, the players know it inside and out pretty much. Now we just have to get the new players ... to carry on the tradition. And then offensively, I'm excited about what's on the horizon. We haven't done it yet, we haven't gotten a first down yet, but I think we're going to have a few tricks in the arsenal that's going to make us more explosive, and maybe we can get some of that game-breaking type play that we need to have.

Here is the official injury report for Thursday's game between South Florida and West Virginia:

South Florida

Probable:

Jerrell Young, S, ankle

West Virginia

Probable:

Will Clarke, DE, ankle
Darwin Cook, DB, ankle
Noel Devine, RB, foot
Brandon Hogan, DB, arm
Josh Jenkins, OL, knee

Will Noel Devine play Saturday against UNLV? Should he even play?

The West Virginia star suffered a bone bruise under his right big toe early in the Sept. 25 loss at LSU and was clearly not himself the rest of the game. Head coach Bill Stewart sounded unsure on Monday whether Devine would be ready this weekend, even after a bye week.

Stewart said that by Monday afternoon, Devine had already received three treatments on his foot.

"He wants to get healthy as much as the next guy," Stewart said. "He bounced around a little bit in practice. Hopefully by [Tuesday] or Wednesday, he'll get back on track."

Stewart said he'll know more by Thursday, but that he's already mentioned to his assistants that receivers Jock Sanders and Tavon Austin might need to get ready to play some tailback this week. But the coach likes how freshman Trey Johnson and sophomore Shawne Alston have looked in practice, along with big backs Ryan Clarke and Matt Lindamood.

"I think we have more than enough to get through," he said.

UNLV is just 1-4, but three of its losses are to ranked teams (Wisconsin, Utah and Nevada). The Mountaineers have their Big East opener just five days after facing the Rebels, with a Thursday nighter on tap next week against nemesis South Florida.

So should Stewart simply rest Devine and have him ready to go against the Bulls in a much more important game? He says he's not looking at it that way.

"We're going to run him enough to win the football game," Stewart said. "If he can't go, if God forbid something happens in pregame or early in the game and he gets hurt, we'll just have to go with Plan B. And Plan B, right now. I feel good about."

It might be the opposite situation with starting guard Josh Jenkins. He missed the LSU game after having his leg rolled up on against Maryland. Stewart said Jenkins would likely be medically cleared for Saturday, but that he may want to protect him and save him for the conference opener.

Stewart also said that defensive end Julian Miller (muscle spasms) is improving and he hopes that Miller can play a bigger role than he did against LSU.

Connecticut's Jordan Todman, the leading rusher in the Big East, won't play Saturday against Buffalo, according to the Huskies' official injury report.

Todman injured his arm in the Temple game, though he continued to play. The arm injury might have contributed to a key fumble that was taken in for a touchdown to give the Owls the lead for good in the fourth quarter.

Todman has rushed for 448 yards in three games for the Huskies, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.

West Virginia's injury report is also out, and as expected, offensive lineman Josh Jenkins (leg) won't play against LSU. Defensive end Julian Miller (back) is listed as questionable.

On Monday, I wrote that West Virginia coach Bill Stewart left the door open to a possible return by suspended cornerback Brandon Hogan.

Now it looks like that door has been blown off the hinges. Stewart said today that Hogan is back practicing with the team, and there's even a chance he could play Saturday at LSU.

"Brandon Hogan is in an evaluation period by me," Stewart said Tuesday. "He is going to practice and I will watch him work. Right now, he is undergoing the exact same formula that is set in stone by the student judicial affairs committee for the rest of the student body who gets in trouble.

"I am not trying to make light of it, but he is in evaluation and I don’t know if he will play this weekend and I don’t know if he won’t play this week. If he is to play this week, he will have earned the right to play according to my standards and my standards alone. I will make that determination the day of the game. He will travel this week."

Exactly what those standards are, Stewart didn't say. Certainly, Stewart will face some criticism if he allows Hogan to play after missing just one game following his DUI arrest. And remember that Hogan has had other problems, including a citation for public urination and disorderly conduct this spring.

Hogan would certainly help the team against LSU, giving the Mountaineers an experienced corner instead of having sophomore Pat Miller make his second start.

Stewart also said that starting guard Josh Jenkins had a minor operation on his leg Tuesday morning. Jenkins got his leg rolled up on by a Maryland defender on Saturday. Stewart said he'd make a determination on Jenkins' status by Thursday, but it sounds like West Virginia will have to prepare without him.

On the plus side, linebacker Pat Lazear will try to play this week after missing the first three weeks with a bone bruise. Lazear led the team in tackles last season.

"If he wasn’t as strong as he is, I don’t think he could have recovered as well," Stewart said. "He is not in good shape, but we are going to try to play him this week."

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- There were some surprisingly anxious moments for West Virginia in the second half after the Mountaineers raced out to an 28-14 lead.

Two long passes to Torrey Smith allowed Maryland to cut the lead in half, and the Terrapins had the ball deep in West Virginia territory with a chance to get within seven.

In the end, though, the Mountaineers held on for the 31-17 victory. All in all, it was a solid performance, with a few second-half hiccups that will need to be addressed this week in practice. There's also an injury concern with starting guard Josh Jenkins standing on the sidelines in street clothes for the second half.

But West Virginia notched the first win by the Big East over a BCS auto-bid conference team this season. And with UConn going down at Temple, the Mountaineers have given the league a bright spot in an otherwise dismal first half.

There's an old joke in which a wife walks in on her husband having an affair. The husband, despite being caught in the act, denies it. Who are you going to believe, he says, me or your eyes?

In a weird way, West Virginia's offensive line has been echoing that punch line all week. An outside observer would say the line struggled against Marshall last week, allowing quarterback Geno Smith to get sacked three times and pressured many other occasions, along with four false-start penalties.

But the Mountaineers insist it wasn't as bad as it looked. For one thing, they say, the Thundering Herd -- which is coached by former West Virginia assistant Doc Holliday -- were yelling out the cadences on defense to throw the Mountaineers' offense off. That is supposed to be a penalty, but it was never called.

"They knew our cadence and they knew our personnel," offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen said. "They knew who to run after at times and they knew our scheme and where to penetrate at times. All of those things combined make it look to the naked eye like we were playing uphill.

"But the bottom line is we won a football game with 450 yards of offense. All in all, I thought the line played pretty well."

Yet there's no shaking the feeling that the line isn't performing up to expectations, especially with four starters returning from last year.

Noel Devine is averaging 4.8 yards a carry, which is by no means bad. But Devine has never finished a season averaging less than 6.1 yards per attempt. The right side of the line remains a project, and the Mountaineers struggled to find running room there even in the opener against Coastal Carolina. Things must improve Saturday against a Maryland team that has a physical defense and likes to bring different types of pressure.

"We've made little mistakes here and there and a lot of plays where we keep shooting ourselves in the foot," guard Josh Jenkins said. "Marshall knew certain plays and our cadences, and that makes it hard on an offensive line.

"But at the end of the day, we still have to get the job done. We're definitely a better offensive line than what we've showed."

The Mountaineers took some solace in the way they played at the end of that Marshall game. Smith directed two 90-plus yard drives to tie the game and had plenty of time to throw. Of course, the Thundering Herd also changed its defense, playing back and trying to prevent the big play more than getting after the quarterback. Yet what encouraged the line the most during that stretch was how it played up-tempo and in rhythm.

"That's what we need to do," Jenkins said. "What we're known for is playing fast. We need to continue to do things like that, and I think we will."

Head coach Bill Stewart said West Virginia won't go to an all-out hurry-up -- after all, the team has Devine and some good power backs like Ryan Clarke, so it's good to throw in some power I-formation looks, too. He's not fretting too much about the line play, which has done enough so far for the team to start 2-0.

"They’re not playing poorly," Stewart said. "I wouldn’t say that we’re cement on the line at this point, but they’re a work in progress."

That progress is about to get severely tested against Maryland on Saturday and at LSU next week. After watching those two performances, you should be able to trust your eyes about the West Virginia offensive line.

What was the most impressive thing about Geno Smith's performance last week against Marshall?

Was it that he led West Virginia on two nearly length-of-the field drives in the final eight minutes on the road? Was it his two clutch, touch throws to the back of the end zone for the score and two-point conversion to tie matters with 12 seconds left? Was it the way he barked at offensive linemen on the sideline and asserted his command of the team?

No. The most impressive thing about Smith is that his coaches and teammates totally expected that the true sophomore could do all that in only his second college start.

"People asked me, 'Were you surprised?'" Mountaineers offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen said. "I'm surprised anybody could lead two 90-yard drives in the fourth quarter for the win, because nobody can script or expect that. But I'm not surprised how he handled himself in that situation."

West Virginia has always had faith that Smith would make a great leader because of his uncanny poise. He's a guy who started all four years in high school in an offense similar to the Mountaineers' attack, and his coach even let him call the plays his final two years.

The Mountaineers witnessed his maturity last year, when he had to make his debut on the road at Auburn late in the game, taking over for an injured Jarrett Brown. Then he had to play almost the entire game against Marshall at home after Brown got hurt in the first quarter and led the team to the win. He also played the entire second half of the Gator Bowl against Florida State.

"I've been doing this for years," Smith said. "A lot of credit goes to my high school coach for preparing me for the next level. Then I just had to learn this offense, and I've pretty much mastered it. Now, it's about attacking defenses."

Smith said he never lost his calm in the Marshall game. Well, except for the time late in the game when he demanded better effort from his offensive linemen, who were allowing all sorts of penetration by the Thundering Herd defense much of the night. He even threw his helmet down on the sideline.

"You never want to rub guys the wrong way or make them think you don't believe in them," Smith says. "But when you see guys get down on themselves or losing confidence, you have to let them know it's time to step up and play. I was just trying to get the guys riled up."

Here's another impressive thing about Smith: Despite being sacked three times, despite being hurried and hit several more and despite coughing up a fumble while being sacked in the fourth quarter, he kept his cool. He maintained his focus downfield, bought extra time in the pocket when he needed it and then took what was available on those two long drives instead of anxiously shooting for the home run. There are some senior quarterbacks who can't do all that, especially on the road in a rivalry game.

"The way he was stepping out of the pocket and stepping up and making the throws he did was just incredible for a young quarterback," guard Josh Jenkins said. "We all had a lot of confidence in him already, but seeing him do those things makes us realize how great he really can be."

While Smith is leading the Big East in passing yards and completion percentage (72.2 percent), he's still young. Mullen said there were times in the Marshall game where Smith missed a read or his feet weren't set. Maybe if he makes those plays, the big comeback isn't needed.

"The stats look good and the outcome is fantastic, but there's still a lot of room for improvement," Mullen said. "He's got a long way to go, a long way to perfect his craft."

Still, Mullen calls Smith's poise "a gift," and coach Bill Stewart says his quarterback has got "it," that special quality all of the great ones have. That's illustrated by way Smith viewed others' reactions to his breakout performance.

"It got to the point where my phone was blowing up and Facebook was exploding and everything," he said of the aftermath of last week's win. "I appreciated the love people were showing me. But at the same time, I'm staying humble. I'm just going to work and make myself better."

That may be the most impressive thing of all about Geno Smith.

The post-spring Big East position rankings continue now with a look at the league's offensive lines. Remember, we're looking for both star power and depth.

1. Connecticut: Randy Edsall and offensive line coach Mike Foley somehow keep unearthing gems and developing outstanding linemen. Guard Zach Hurd was a first-team All-Big East performer a year ago, while center Moe Petrus should be among the best at his position this season. Adam Masters and Kevin Friend were pleasant surprises this spring. The Huskies are big, deep and talented up front.

2. Cincinnati: The Bearcats have to replace all-league left tackle Jeff Linkenbach, but they return all-conference performers Alex Hoffman and Jason Kelce on the interior. Tackle C.J. Cobb needs to overcome spring knee surgery, but this unit should be strong enough to keep Cincinnati one of the nation's top-scoring offenses.

3. West Virginia: The Mountaineers' offensive line was spotty last year, but there's reason to hope for improvement. Four starters are back, and the unit played better toward the end of the season. Don Barclay is becoming a leader at left tackle, while Josh Jenkins has the talent to be an all-conference performer. Depth should be much better than it was a year ago, when the starters played virtually every snap.

4. Pittsburgh: There are serious questions at center and right guard, and depth is a major issue. Yet Jason Pinkston is arguable the top left tackle in the league, and Chris Jacobson and Lucas Nix look ready to break out this year. Line coach Tony Wise usually finds a way to get it done.

5. South Florida: The Bulls may lack a lot of household names, but they have as much experience up front as any Big East team. Even with the loss of Zach Hermann to a career-ending neck injury, they still have plenty of veterans like Jake Sims, Mark Popek, Chaz Hine and Sampson Genus, who was a second-team All-Big East center a year ago.

6. Louisville: The Cardinals aren't going to wow you with talent on the offensive line, but four starters are back on a unit that held its own last year. Center Mario Benavides has proved to be a worthy heir to Eric Wood and could push for postseason honors. Greg Tomczyk and Mark Wetterer have played a lot of football in their careers.

7. Syracuse: Ryan Bartholomew, a second-team All-Big East guard last year, has moved to center. Depth is better than a year ago, and former offensive lineman Doug Marrone will whip this group into shape. A lot will depend on how tackles Justin Pugh and Michael Hay develop.

8. Rutgers: Greg Schiano says he's confident this year's O-line will outperform last year's unit for the Scarlet Knights. When center Howard Barbieri and tackle Desmond Wynn return from injuries this summer, the line should look a lot better. But exiting the spring, no team has more question marks and concerns on the offensive front than Rutgers.