Published: November 20, 2009 03:09 am      

HERTZEL COLUMN: Nearly a Panther, Sands thriving as Mountaineer 

MORGANTOWN — This is about perspective.

Considering the passion that is involved in the Backyard Brawl, perspective often is lost.

You are for West Virginia, then all about Pitt is bad.

You are for Pitt, then all about West Virginia is bad.

There is no middle ground, nobody saying “Gosh, I just hope it’s a good game and the best team wins.”

Then there’s Robert Sands, the tower of strength at safety for West Virginia.

He comes at the game from a slightly different perspective, for he once committed to Pitt.

In fact, when Pitt upset West Virginia, 13-9, two years ago, he was leaning toward going to Pitt and committed shortly later.

Of course, that obviously didn’t work out, and there is quite a tale to tell about the way the Mountaineers landed this prize who leads them in interceptions with four and maybe in touchdown saving tackles with a hundred, or so it seems.

He played at Miami Carol City High, which is something of a feeding ground for college football, perhaps the most impressive graduate being Santana Moss, the former University of Miami star now with the Washington Redskins.

When he was there Florida was recruiting him heavily, but had not given him an offer.

“If one guy doesn’t sign, we’ll sign you,” they had told him.

Sands didn’t like that.

“I felt I should have been the guy,” he said, never having learned who Florida had on its list ahead of him or if he ever went there or not.

He certainly couldn’t close his recruitment and hope Florida offered, so Pitt inserted itself heavily in the mix.

“They ran the same defense we ran in high school, so I figured it wouldn’t be that hard to learn,” he said.

When West Virginia and Pitt played, he was all but committed to the Panthers. Still, he admits, he was impressed with the WVU offense, with Patrick White and Steve Slaton.

“I thought it was unfortunate West Virginia lost,” he admits.

Around the same time, a couple of things took place that would push Sands toward WVU.

First there was a leadership convention held in Orlando, and Sands attended along with the vice-principal from Miami Carol City.

His name is Lorenzo Styles.

You might remember it. He was captain of the Mountaineers’ 1992 team, an offensive lineman.

And while they were there, he was selling WVU and what better sales pitch than how they burn couches in Morgantown?

That, at least, was the most memorable thing Sands took out of the time, something that certainly caught his attention.

Oh, yeah, they teach English, too.

Anyway, at that same time the coaching staff changed at WVU and Doc Holliday, a one-time WVU assistant who had moved on and was at Florida recruiting Sands, came back home to the Mountaineers.

He went after Sands.

When it comes to Florida kids that Doc Holliday wants, he usually gets them.

And it doesn’t take burning couches, either.

Being an intelligent, entertaining youngster, Sands did some fast figuring. Pitt’s defense has two safeties. West Virginia uses three safeties.

“I felt I could get on the field faster at West Virginia,” Sands said.

And so it was he came to West Virginia, played as true freshman, now is becoming a star as a sophomore.

The problem is, he hasn’t enjoyed a victory over Pitt.

“I’m glad we’re playing them,” he said of the Nov. 27 Backyard Brawl. “We finally have a chance to get back at them.”

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