MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia’s open week comes at the ideal time for defensive back Derrek Pitts.
Coach Dana Holgorsen said the knee injury Pitts suffered in West Virginia’s 30-14 loss at Iowa State is not a season-ender, though Pitts needs time to recover
Fortunately, they have a scheduled break this week until hosting Baylor on Oct. 25. After that, it’s another 10 days off until going to Texas on Nov. 3.
“Nothing happened in the game that will be long-term,” Holgorsen said. “Derrek will have to work at this a little bit. He tweaked it last year and missed a month. Hopefully he’ll be more mature and aggressive with his rehab. The more aggressive you are, the quicker you get healthy. When [he’ll be] back, I don’t know. Hopefully real quick.”
Pitts missed the final month of last season with a similar injury.
He has moved around the field for the Mountaineers this year. Pitts moved from safety to cornerback in the offseason, then earned the start at strong safety for the injured Toyous Avery against Kansas. Pitts played well enough against the Jayhawks – he finished with eight tackles and three tackles for loss — that he earned the start at Iowa State even with Avery ready to go.
Pitts had six tackles at Iowa State. His most significant contribution came on special teams when he became just the second player in school history to return a blocked field goal for a touchdown.
The sophomore from South Charleston High has 23 tackles (18 solo) and four pass breakups this year. If Pitts is out for an extended amount of time, Avery will be back in his familiar starting role at bandit safety.