MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Though a second-series injury against Towson meant a short night for West Virginia linebacker Wes Tonkery, he made his brief stint count.
“He played nine snaps and had five tackles, a sack and a TFL,” said defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. “That’s pretty productive in nine snaps.”
In racing to a 54-0 victory, the Mountaineers (1-1) didn’t need Tonkery to slow down Towson, but coaches are optimistic the fifth-year senior will be cleared for Saturday’s crucial game at Maryland (2-0).
If not, 19-game starter Isaiah Bruce will return to the lineup at the Sam spot after being overtaken by Tonkery in preseason camp. A then-freshman standout on the defense two seasons ago, Bruce hasn’t pouted about his diminished role.
“He loves West Virginia and he’s all-in,” Gibson said. “He’s a kid that understands our scheme and plays smart. I don’t worry about Isaiah at all, because he’s going to do what you ask him to do.”
Another redshirt junior, Shaq Petteway, has been added to the nickel package after making a sack against Towson and creating havoc on other pass-rushing downs. He was selected by coaches as the defensive champion after the blowout.
“He played better in what seems like the first time in three years,” said a half-joking Dana Holgorsen. “He will get more opportunities to get out there and play.”
Harper gets ‘home’ game: Just as Jarrod Harper’s role appears to be expanding in the WVU secondary, he’s heading back to Maryland to face the home-state program that didn’t put much effort into recruiting him.
“They started talking to me late, pretty much right after West Virginia offered,” he said Tuesday. “But I didn’t really pay attention to them, because I was always a West Virginia fan.”
You’ll recall Harper committed to West Virginia in February 2011, becoming the first pledge for he 2012 class. By that point, the kid from Frostburg had been attending Mountaineers games for some five years.
Now a redshirt sophomore, Harper is earning reps in the nickel package, and in a strange seven-DB look that West Virginia unveiled on a third-and-long against Towson. He’d be seeing the field more if not for being stuck behind All-Big 12 pick Karl Joseph at boundary safety.
“Maybe in any other year that I’ve been coaching, that kid is good enough to start,” Gibson said. “He fits the mold of what we want at that position. He’s a good blitzer and he can cover people.”
Harper made his first career sack against Towson.
Faster than you can say Nwachukwu: Among the more curious plays from the Towson game was 265-pound defensive end Noble Nwachukwu keeping pace with Tigers quarterback Connor Frazier on a scramble.
“Yeah, it was a 1-yard gain,” said Gibson, who watched from the sideline and thought Frazier had an angle to turn the edge for much more yardage. “When the kid broke out, I said ‘Uh-oh!’ on the head sets but the guys upstairs said ‘Noble’s there—we’re good.’ I was surprised, because that quarterback can run.”
Redshirts report: Players who did not see the field in Week 2 were conspicuous by their absence and are unlikely to play this season.
Gibson said the staff intends to use a redshirt on sophomore Marvin Gross, essentially regaining a developmental year after he was forced into 11 games at linebacker last season. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder, who played at the same Baltimore high school as William Crest, is listed as a safety this season.
A redshirt also could be in store for sophomore nose guard Darrien Howard, who was a four-game contributor in 2013 after injuries thinned the defensive line.