West Virginia CB pecking order uncertain as game two approaches

West Virginia has only played one game, but the depth at cornerback is already being tested.

Starter Charles Woods left the Pittsburgh game after only 12-snaps due to an injury, while transfer Wesley McCormick was ejected in the second half after a confirmed targeting penalty.

While McCormick isn’t going to be able to play until the second half against Kansas, the status of Woods remains up in the air as head coach Neal Brown didn’t have any update on his health.

There is no question that losing both played in some of the issues in the backend as the defense was forced to rely on essentially transfers and newcomers. The position allowed 7 of the 11 passes thrown their direction to be completed for a combined 137 yards.

Potentially being down two of the top three cornerback options on the roster is less than ideal, but it’s part of navigating a season. West Virginia must be prepared regardless the situation.

True freshman Mumu Bin-Wahad got the call late in the Pitt contest once McCormick was ejected, but that isn’t necessarily how things will play out this week if Woods isn’t able to suit up.

Those decisions are often made in advance given the situations, but the plan this week is to allow the players to determine who is on the field in practice.

“If Charles can’t go we’ll have a full-fledged competition, starting on Sunday, and we play Sunday night football and got those guys a lot of work and we graded it and Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice will determine who’s the first one in and who’s going to play,” Brown said.

If Woods doesn’t suit up, West Virginia will have to work between Bin-Wahad, redshirt freshman Andrew Wilson-Lamp, converted safety Malachi Ruffin and another true freshman in Jacolby Spells.

“The thing about injuries is one person’s bad luck is an opportunity for others,” Brown said. “We do feel like we have more athleticism in that room with the guys we can play.”

If Woods is able to play that relieves some of the pressure on the young players while McCormick’s return in the second half could also serve to further stabilize the position.

But with the availability of those experienced options unclear, it’s next man up and the Mountaineers secondary is going to be tested.

“We’ve got options and those guys have to be ready to play if Charles can’t go,” Brown said.

----------

• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.

• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan

•Like us on Facebook