Wayne County High Schools, Middle Schools , MU, WVU

The Wayne County News, 2013 Football Preview, AUGUST 28, 2013, PAGE 313 QBs vie to replace GenoSmith at West VirginiaBy DOUG WALPAssociated PressMORGANTOWN (AP) — Thethree quarterbacks competing tobecome Geno Smith’s heir at WestVirginia have a combined 10 careertouchdown passes.Lack of production aside, coachDana Holgorsen sees plenty of capabletalent to choose from amongFlorida State transfer Clint Trickett,longtime Smith backup Paul Millardand redshirt freshman FordChildress.Holgorsen, whose offenseshave produced 4,000-yard passersin eight straight seasons, hasindicated he’ll take his time inchoosing a starter for the Aug. 31season opener against William &Mary.Trickett grew up in Morgantownwhile his dad, Rick, was the offensiveline coach at West Virginiafrom 2001-06.He also has the most game experienceof the three quarterbackswith two career starts and 17 totalappearances for the Seminoles.He’s completed 66 of 106 attemptsfor 947 yards, seven touchdownsand four interceptions.Trickett graduated from FloridaState in the spring and has two yearsof eligibility remaining.“He’s good, he’s seasoned. Hedoesn’t get nervous,” Holgorsensaid.Millard has three TDs and threeinterceptions in 34 career passattempts as the two-year backupto Smith, a three-year starter whoowns nearly every passing recordfor the Mountaineers.“We’re all fighting to be thestarting quarterback for the Mountaineers,”Millard said. “We allhave that same goal in mind,so it’s going to be competitivethroughout. We just have to go inday in and day out and keep onthe grind.”Millard and Childress battledthrough the spring with neitherwinning the job outright. Trickett’stransfer was announced less thantwo weeks after West Virginia’sspring game.The decision to transfer andplay for West Virginia was a dreamTrickett had for a long time.“I wanted to come here out ofhigh school,” Trickett said. “Itdidn’t really work out, didn’t reallyget recruited. It was a differentoffense then. So I went to FloridaState and then Geno left. It’s a nobrainer. I’m from here. I’m a WestVirginia kid.”West Virginia didn’t promise thestarting job outright to him, whichonly fueled his interest.“During the second recruitingprocess, some other schools werepretty quick to say ‘it’s yours ifyou want it.’ And I didn’t reallylike that,” Trickett said. “Becauseit’s college football. You’re goingto have to compete wherever yougo and I didn’t really trust whatthe other coaches were saying. Ijust trusted what Dana said. Hewas like ‘hey, I’m not promisingyou anything, but you’re going toget chances’, so that’s all I couldask for.”With only a few full-pad practicesso far, Holgorsen said thereweren’t many observations to makeother than assessing each player’scommunication abilities and howthey appeared to manage themselvesout on the practice field.“We’re just evaluating themrunning plays,” Holgorsen said.“Do they know how to communicate?Do they know what to do?And then when you put them inlive settings that’s when you makedecisions.”Holgorsen said all three quarterbackshave dealt with any earlypressure well.“You can tell he’s (Trickett) gotsome game experience. Just by thecalmness that he possesses,” Holgorsensaid. “I think Clint can getin the mix to be the guy, because hehas that in his personality. Ford andPaul possess that calmness rightnow, too. They understand what’sgoing on around them.”The advantage for Millard ishis familiarity with Holgorsen’soffense. He’s the only one of thethree who’s taken snaps in a gamefor the Mountaineers.“At the end of the day, we areall teammates and somebody isgoing to step up to lead this team,”Millard said. “For me personally, Iam just going out there every dayand trying to get better. Obviouslywe all have the same goal in mind,to be the starting quarterback ofthis team.”Childress is the underdog in thequarterback race due to his lack ofexperience but he possesses a strongerarm than his counterparts.“We are all just trying to getbetter and are pushing each other,”Childress said. “I feel a ton betterwith the offense. I actually knowwhat is going on, what the defenseis doing and what I need to call andcheck out of everything.”FILE - This Sept. 17, 2011 filephoto, Florida State quarterbackClint Trickett (9) throws apass during the fourth quarterof a NCAA college footballgame against Oklahoma inTallahassee, Fla. Trickett is oneof three quarterbacks seekingto replace Geno Smith as thestarting quarterback at WestVirginia this fall. AP PhotoFILE - This April 21, 2012 file photo, West Virginia’s Paul Millardcarries the ball during the Gold-Blue Game in Morgantown, W.Va.Millard is one of three quarterbacks seeking to replace Geno Smithas the starting quarterback at West Virginia this fall. AP Photo