MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Debilitating as it may seem, the indefinite suspension of top cornerback Daryl Worley isn’t creating panic within the West Virginia defense.
“Because our depth is so good, it’s no different than if any kind of injury that happens,” coach Dana Holgorsen said Tuesday. “It’s the next guy up. And the next guy needs to get in there and play at a high level.”
While the Mountaineers feel better about the cornerbacks rotation that includes Terrell Chestnut, Travis Bell and the previously suspended Icky Banks, the loss of Worley creates a ripple effect throughout the secondary as it gears to battle No.4 Oklahoma. Worley shadowed Alabama’s Amari Cooper in the opener and likely would have been assigned to the Sooners’ top receiver Sterling Shepard.
Asked if there was any possibility Worley could be reinstated in time to face the the Sooners, Holgorsen declined to clarify.
“Right now he’s just indefinitely suspended. We’re just going to leave it at that,” he said. “I don’t have any comments other than that.”
Banks back: While serving an academics-related suspension for the first three games, Banks repped with the scout-team defense, presumably keeping him in condition to jump back into the rotation against Oklahoma.
“His attitude’s been great,” Holgorsen said. “He’s been on our scout team for the last three weeks. He’s done everything that was supposed to have been done. He’s given our offense great looks on our scout-team defense.”
Banks started all 12 games in 2013, working opposite Worley the second half of the season.
Napoleon out for year: Reserve sophomore cornerback Brandon Napoleon is out for the year following knee surgery Tuesday.
“He has been rehabbing a knee and it hasn’t been getting any better, so we went ahead and cut in him,” Holgorsen said.
Napoleon previously utilized a redshirt season in 2012.
Two other injured cornerbacks—junior Keishawn Richardson and sophomore Nana Kyeremeh—were healthy enough to return to scout-team duties last week and would be available in a pinch against the Sooners.
Different offense: West Virginia piled up 387 yards in last season’s 16-7 loss at Oklahoma, only to be undone by four turnovers and a 3-of-13 conversion rate on third downs.
“We’re clearly better on offense than a year ago when we went to Norman, but they’re probably better on all three sides of the ball as well,” Holgorsen said.