MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In this season marked by a perpetual quarterback derby, West Virginia’s starter for the final game could remain a mystery until game time.
Dana Holgorsen said Monday that Clint Trickett has been cleared to practice following a concussion suffered Nov. 9 against Texas. But the coach declined to name a starter for the Mountaineers’ season-ending matchup against Iowa State (2-9, 1-7) on Saturday.
WVU (4-7, 2-6 Big 12) has been eliminated from bowl contention and needs a win over the Cyclones or a loss by Kansas to avoid a last-place finish in the conference.
Trickett was knocked out in the first quarter against Texas and did not dress for West Virginia’s 31-19 loss at Kansas. His replacement, junior Paul Millard—who was benched earlier this season after starting WVU’s first two games—has committed six turnovers in the last seven-plus quarters.
Another option could be redshirt freshman Ford Childress, who hasn’t played since tearing a pectoral muscle during the Sept. 21 loss at Maryland but reportedly resumed throwing drills the past two weeks.
“We’ll see what their mood is, what their mentality is, and how they practice here in the next three, four days,” Holgorsen said.
Because of injuries or spotty performance, WVU’s starting quarterback has been a late-week or gametime revelation seven times this season.
The injury news Monday was nebulous on two veterans hoping to play in Saturday’s “Senior Day” finale. Holgorsen called safety Darwin Cook (groin) and right tackle Curtis Feigt (knee) questionable after both went down in the upset loss at Kansas.
Sophomore linebacker Isaiah Bruce and freshman cornerback Daryl Worley also were listed as questionable for Saturday.