MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia avoided the worst-case scenario with wide receivers Sean Ryan and Sam James, though there remains a chance that the Mountaineers will be without both when they host Iowa State on Saturday.
Coach Neal Brown confirmed that Ryan underwent surgery on Tuesday morning, but he does not expect it to be the season-ending variety.
“Sean Ryan had surgery this AM. Upper-body injury. Obviously, he’ll be out the next couple games,” Brown said. “He’ll be able to play sometime this season.”
Brown said James is questionable against the Cyclones, and that he will have a better idea on whether the redshirt freshman can play by the time his Thursday night radio show airs.
James has quickly established himself as the go-to player on West Virginia’s offense. He leads the team with 32 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns.
Ryan, a sophomore in his first year with the program after transferring from Temple, has 15 catches for 168 yards.
“When somebody goes down, we feel really bad for that. We hate for that,” Brown said. “But it does provide an opportunity. Now, the opportunity is what you make of it. I thought Bryce Wheaton did a great job making two big plays [against Texas] to set himself up to be a guy for us moving forward this year.”
Wheaton, a redshirt freshman, caught two passes for 43 yards against Texas, including a 12-yard touchdown.