When Quincy Wilson suited up for his first game as a Pee Wee football player, he was already showing the size and maturity that would eventually lead him to greater things.

So there he was. Lined up at running back. The snap. The handoff. Wilson ran the first carry of his life 89 yards for a touchdown.

‘I remember the first time he ever touched the ball, he just took off and ran down the entire field past all the other kids,’ said Kyle Wilson, Quincy’s mother. ‘I could tell that he was going to be something special.’

On Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va., Wilson once again flashed that running ability, but this time, he showcased his talent as a senior running back for West Virginia. He carried the ball 40 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-19 win over Rutgers.

Wilson is finally getting a chance to show off his talent as a starter for the Mountaineers. He spent the last two seasons as the backup to Avon Cobourne, the leading rusher in Big East history and running back for the NFL’s Detroit Lions. Despite playing a complementary role to Cobourne, Wilson still managed to gain 901 yards with six touchdowns last season.

Now that he doesn’t worry about splitting time with anyone, he can wear opponents out with his strength and endurance. Wilson’s 40 carries against the Scarlet Knights set a career high, a feat that the Mountaineers’ own coaching staff wasn’t even conscious of.

‘I didn’t even realize he had that many carries because Quincy is in pretty good shape,’ Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez said. ‘And he didn’t have a lot of long runs that tired him out. Usually anything more than 30 carries is too many.’

You can’t blame the coaching staff for leaving him in. It was mesmerized by Wilson’s rushing, which is, at times, as dependable as a John Deere. He is a power back who doesn’t break many long runs, but averages a solid 4.5 yards per carry.

‘Quincy is the type of back that gets better as the game goes on,’ Kyle Wilson said. ‘Someone else that had that many carries probably would have been huffing and puffing on the sidelines, but Quincy is built for that type of work.’

Wilson’s football talent is something that runs in the family. His father was a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Chicago Bears in the 1980s and won a Super Bowl in 1985. Two of his uncles were also standout offensive football players, one of which played in the NFL. Wilson crafted his running style while watching them play.

The Mountaineers will need Wilson to continue to carry the load this weekend as No. 3 Virginia Tech visits Morgantown. So far, West Virginia is 2-4 (1-1 Big East) and has relied heavily on Wilson. He ranks No. 2 in the Big East with 141 rushing attempts.

‘If there’s a guy who can handle that many carries, it would probably be Quincy,’ Rodriguez said. ‘Although, with the development of our younger running backs, I hope we don’t end up relying on him to do it all.’

Wallace honored

Temple head coach Bobby Wallace will join the company of legend Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant this May when he’s inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Wallace started as the coach at Division II North Alabama in 1987, becoming the first coach in collegiate history to win three national championships in a row. North Alabama compiled a 41-1 record from 1993-95, the first team to reach the 40-win plateau over three seasons.

Wallace was named Temple’s head coach in 1997 and has guided the Owls to nine conference wins in his tenure.

Down and out

Pittsburgh dropped out of the national polls this weekend after losing to Notre Dame, 20-14, at Heinz Field in front of a sellout crowd of 66,241.

The Panthers’ defense was effective in limiting true freshman quarterback Brady Quinn to only 33 passing yards, but it looked foolish for most of the game trying to stop the run. Pitt allowed 262 yards on the ground, which was a school record, to running back Julius Jones.

‘We did not play very well against Notre Dame,’ head coach Walt Harris said. ‘They ran the ball on us very well, and we had some turnovers and dropped passes that killed us.’

One bright spot for the Panthers came as time expired in the first quarter when sophomore receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught a touchdown pass from Rod Rutherford. He now has 11 straight games with a touchdown catch.

This and That

Virginia Tech leads the Big East in total offense and defense, averaging 439.2 yards while only allowing 279.3. … Temple travels to the Orange Bowl this week to face the No. 2 Hurricanes. The last time the Owls defeated Miami was in 1930, when they won 34-0.By Jeff Johnson

Staff Writer

When Quincy Wilson suited up for his first game as a Pee Wee football player, he was already showing the size and maturity that would eventually lead him to greater things.

So there he was. Lined up at running back. The snap. The handoff. Wilson ran the first carry of his life 89 yards for a touchdown.

‘I remember the first time he ever touched the ball, he just took off and ran down the entire field past all the other kids,’ said Kyle Wilson, Quincy’s mother. ‘I could tell that he was going to be something special.’

On Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va., Wilson once again flashed that running ability, but this time, he showcased his talent as a senior running back for West Virginia. He carried the ball 40 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-19 win over Rutgers.

Wilson is finally getting a chance to show off his talent as a starter for the Mountaineers. He spent the last two seasons as the backup to Avon Cobourne, the leading rusher in Big East history and running back for the NFL’s Detroit Lions. Despite playing a complementary role to Cobourne, Wilson still managed to gain 901 yards with six touchdowns last season.

Now that he doesn’t worry about splitting time with anyone, he can wear opponents out with his strength and endurance. Wilson’s 40 carries against the Scarlet Knights set a career high, a feat that the Mountaineers’ own coaching staff wasn’t even conscious of.

‘I didn’t even realize he had that many carries because Quincy is in pretty good shape,’ Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez said. ‘And he didn’t have a lot of long runs that tired him out. Usually anything more than 30 carries is too many.’

You can’t blame the coaching staff for leaving him in. It was mesmerized by Wilson’s rushing, which is, at times, as dependable as a John Deere. He is a power back who doesn’t break many long runs, but averages a solid 4.5 yards per carry.

‘Quincy is the type of back that gets better as the game goes on,’ Kyle Wilson said. ‘Someone else that had that many carries probably would have been huffing and puffing on the sidelines, but Quincy is built for that type of work.’

Wilson’s football talent is something that runs in the family. His father was a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Chicago Bears in the 1980s and won a Super Bowl in 1985. Two of his uncles were also standout offensive football players, one of which played in the NFL. Wilson crafted his running style while watching them play.

The Mountaineers will need Wilson to continue to carry the load this weekend as No. 3 Virginia Tech visits Morgantown. So far, West Virginia is 2-4 (1-1 Big East) and has relied heavily on Wilson. He ranks No. 2 in the Big East with 141 rushing attempts.

‘If there’s a guy who can handle that many carries, it would probably be Quincy,’ Rodriguez said. ‘Although, with the development of our younger running backs, I hope we don’t end up relying on him to do it all.’

Wallace honored

Temple head coach Bobby Wallace will join the company of legend Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant this May when he’s inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Wallace started as the coach at Division II North Alabama in 1987, becoming the first coach in collegiate history to win three national championships in a row. North Alabama compiled a 41-1 record from 1993-95, the first team to reach the 40-win plateau over three seasons.

Wallace was named Temple’s head coach in 1997 and has guided the Owls to nine conference wins in his tenure.

Down and out

Pittsburgh dropped out of the national polls this weekend after losing to Notre Dame, 20-14, at Heinz Field in front of a sellout crowd of 66,241.

The Panthers’ defense was effective in limiting true freshman quarterback Brady Quinn to only 33 passing yards, but it looked foolish for most of the game trying to stop the run. Pitt allowed 262 yards on the ground, which was a school record, to running back Julius Jones.

‘We did not play very well against Notre Dame,’ head coach Walt Harris said. ‘They ran the ball on us very well, and we had some turnovers and dropped passes that killed us.’

One bright spot for the Panthers came as time expired in the first quarter when sophomore receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught a touchdown pass from Rod Rutherford. He now has 11 straight games with a touchdown catch.

This and That

Virginia Tech leads the Big East in total offense and defense, averaging 439.2 yards while only allowing 279.3. … Temple travels to the Orange Bowl this week to face the No. 2 Hurricanes. The last time the Owls defeated Miami was in 1930, when they won 34-0.