Published: November 10, 2009 01:52 am      

Huge game looming for WVU, Cincy

MORGANTOWN — Here’s what we know about the star players in what figures to be the biggest game of the Big East season … at least for West Virginia, unless it wins. Then it becomes the Pitt game, unless the Mountaineers win that. Then it becomes the Rutgers game.

You get the idea. Every game is a big one as long as West Virginia keeps winning, something made quite difficult by playing the second toughest closing schedule in the country, facing teams with a combined 20-3 record against Division I competition.

Now for the big players, as far as West Virginia goes, Noel Devine will be at tailback for the Mountaineers.

Unless he isn’t and Jock Sanders is.

And Tony Pike will be at quarterback for Cincinnati.

Unless he isn’t and Zach Collaros will be at quarterback.

Unless it’s Pike.

Do you think someone is playing mind games?

Certainly West Virginia coach Bill Stewart is as he prepares to bring his once-beaten (in conference play) No. 24-ranked Mountaineers in to face the unbeaten, No. 4 ranked Bearcats. He has let the world know that Devine, his star running back who was just beginning to get some Heisman Trophy hype before South Florida stopped him, has an ankle sprain.

When asked on Monday during the Big East coaches conference call which ankle it was and whether or not Devine had practiced Sunday night and where he stands in his recovery, Stewart said, quite coyly:

“We’ll let our opponent find that out. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.

Gamesmanship at its finest, right? Not that it will do any good.

Like Kelly isn’t going to practice as if Devine is going to play? Like the offense is so terribly different with Jock Sanders at tailback and Tavon Austin in the slot in place of Sanders that Cincinnati would be completely befuddled by the change.

Hardly.

“Not much changes schematically with Sanders at running back,” Kelly said. “They are similar players. They are both big play players.”

Of course, Kelly isn’t doing anyone from West Virginia any favors when it comes to his quarterback situation.

What’s good for the goose will make an opponent gander, perhaps, for Kelly says that Pike will be his quarterback, if he’s ready to play.

After last Saturday’s game, in which backup Zach Collaros, rang up more than 500 total yards and 47 points on Connecticut, Kelly indicated he’d probably play Collaros even if Pike were ready to play, even though Pike had put himself into Heisman contention through his first six games before having the plate that was inserted in his broken arm last year slip.

That, at least we all know, is in his non-throwing or left arm.

Now, Kelly is singing a different tune.

“If Tony is fully healthy, he’s our starter,” Kelly said. “The issue is it’s a daily thing. There’s x-rays. What’s the risk factor? So much is out of my hands. If it is just what Zach did over the last three games and Pike’s total body of work, then Tony is our starter. When he’s 100 percent he’s our starter.”

Why the change now, especially since it doesn’t sound like he’s any more sure that Pike can play than he was on Saturday?

“I re-examined it,” Kelly said. “I thought about the plusses and the minuses. Tony is our guy but we have to make sure he’s at the level we need him to be.”

This decision Kelly is far trickier than the decision that Stewart has to make. If Devine is healthy, he plays. In truth, if Devine is almost healthy, he plays, for Noel Devine limping is probably more dangerous than 90 percent of the nation’s running backs.

But as good as Pike is, as much as he accomplished, he hasn’t played in a month while Collaros has stepped in and become something of an overnight sensation. He has the hot hand, not the hurt hand, so why would Kelly say he’ll play Pike if he’s ready to play?

“He’s 6-6, sees the entire field, has a great arm. He has all the things he showed leading up to the season and I have not forgot about any of that stuff,” Kelly said. “It’s a difficult decision. I had to spend the weekend thinking about it.”

Not that it makes much difference to Stewart which quarterback is in there, either.

“Whoever is in there, we’ll try to play to our strength and call what we think will stop their scheme, not one player,” Stewart said. “We have to go and contain their scheme. No on has been able to do that since, gee, I guess Virginia Tech.”

E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.