The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

College Sports

Related Photos

  • West Virginia’s J.T. Thomas runs with the ball after recovering a fumble in the first quarter of a game against Rutgers Saturday in Morgantown. The Mountaineers won 35-14. AP photo

    1205Thomas
December 5, 2010

Thomas pivotal in WVU's turnaround

By Dave Morrison Sports Editor

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia linebacker J.T. Thomas has been full of surprises this season.

Whether it was finishing second on the team in tackles (68), delivering a powerful, season-changing speech to his teammates or recovering a fumble to set up a touchdown in his last game at Milan Puskar Center, Thomas has delivered on a standout final season.

But he might have saved his best surprise for last.

As the seniors were readying to be announced Saturday, prior to the Mountaineers’ 35-14 win over Rutgers that earned the team a share of the Big East title, Thomas did a quick wardrobe change.

He quickly slipped on another jersey.

Then his name was called.

However, when No. 45 was called, No. 41 came out of the tunnel.

Holy switcheroo, Batman! That number belongs to Ricky Kovatch.

There was a reason.

No. 41 was the number Thomas’ father wore at WVU during his career as a Mountaineer.

“That was his Carquest Bowl jersey,” Thomas said. “I probably didn’t know I still had it. I had it down in Fort Lauderdale. I asked my mom to bring it up and she did. I put it on in the tunnel and ran out. I bet everybody was like, ‘Who is that No. 41?’

“But my dad probably knew exactly what it was when I stepped out of the tunnel. I was just paying respect to everything he did during his career here.

“You guys might not know it, but my dad didn’t get a chance to play in his last game. His senior game.

“And I wanted to bring him out with me. And now he got a chance to see his jersey grace that field one last time.”

No. 45 has been just as spectacular, enough to make a dad proud.

But it might have been a speech he gave after WVU lost to UConn 16-13 to fall to 1-2 in the Big East that turned the season around.

He didn’t seem to take it as a big deal, just doing what a senior is supposed to do.

It came in a team meeting, shortly after the Connecticut loss, a loss that could have spiraled the team into disarray and ruined the potential for a big season — his senior season.

“I just told the guys how I felt about it,” Thomas said. “I showed them up on the banner wall that teams have (won the Big East title) at 5-2 before. And we got it turned around. I knew we could. The guys know we were better than UConn. They knew we were better than Syracuse (another loss). They rallied around me and the rest of the seniors and we got the job done.”

Thomas’ heartfelt speech was a little more than that.

It meant a lot to his teammates.

He talked about the past.

“I could see in his eyes he was hurt,” sack specialist Bruce Irvin said. “He was here in 2007 when we had a chance to go to the BCS national championship game and Pitt came in here and won. He had to look into those seniors’ eyes who were leaving. We didn’t want our seniors to leave like that.”

Tavon Austin said, “When J.T. Thomas talks, people listen.”

And the Mountaineers did. They reeled off four straight wins to claim their share of the crown and maybe more, pending the outcome of the Connecticut-South Florida game Saturday night.

Even the seniors were impressed.

“The words that he said, they brought you in,” defensive lineman Chris Neild said. “I know it hit home with me and with a lot of other people. And we played a lot better because of it.”

Thomas said he felt it was incumbent upon him to speak.

“Definitely, because the young guys might not have seen it done before,” Thomas said. “But I’ve been around before. I know that crazier things have happened. I knew we could still win it. And here we are.”

No matter what jersey he is in, Thomas has continued to surprise.

And lead.

And because he spoke, the Mountaineers turned their season around.

Text Only
College Sports
  • 052413 huggs WVU coaches looking for talent inside state’s borders

    At the West Virginia University Coaches Caravan Thursday at The Resort at Glade Springs, both head football coach Dana Holgorsen and men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins spoke about the Mountain State’s love for the state’s flagship university and its athletic teams.

    May 23, 2013 2 Photos

  • Six Concord baseball players selected for honors

    Six Concord University baseballplayers were recently honored with All-Atlantic Region accolades by either the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) or the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

    May 23, 2013

  • WVU baseball changes up pitching lineup for Big 12 Championship

    Randy Mazey’s attention has been on everything but baseball in recent days, as the West Virginia University coach has been out in front of his team’s effort to help the tornado victims in Oklahoma, where his team has been this week preparing for the Big 12 Baseball Championships, which begin today at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Okla.

    May 22, 2013

  • 1MUSGRAVE1.jpg Musgrave, WVU teammates see tornado devastation up close

    West Virginia University pitcher Harrison Musgrave has spent his entire life in the hills of West Virginia. He didn’t know what a tornado siren was — let alone the damage that can be done by swirling winds.
    “I didn’t even know that they were going off,” Musgrave said. “I didn’t even know that they had sirens. I know I feel like a total idiot, but I heard them go off and I just thought it was an alarm going off.”

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo 6 Stories

  • WVU’s Musgrave wins Pitcher of the Year honors

    Six months ago, West Virginia University sophomore left-hander Harrison Musgrave was questioning his future with the WVU baseball program and first-year head coach Randy Mazey.

    May 21, 2013

  • Big 12 shifts tourney format

    The Big 12 Conference will still play the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship this week at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Okla., but in the wake of the devastating storm that blew through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, there will be some major changes to the format.

    May 21, 2013

  • WVU baseball team helps tornado victims

    West Virginia University head baseball coach Randy Mazey was having lunch at an Oklahoma City restaurant Monday afternoon, keeping a close watch on the television set.
    With every passing minute, the tornado that devastated the Oklahoma town of Moore, was moving closer and closer to his location and its path was being documented by a local television station. At one point, the coach even looked out the window to see if he could see the approaching funnel.

    May 21, 2013

  • College Roundup

    May 21, 2013

  • WVU should reinstate men’s track — not golf

    West Virginia University has not had a men’s golf team since 1982.
    But Oliver Luck, who’s been the school’s athletic director going on three years, reportedly is talking about bringing back that sport “because it’s cheap.”

    May 21, 2013

  • Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship Format Changed

    In the wake of this week’s devastating storm in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, the Big 12 Conference is postponing the start of the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship. No. 3 seeded WVU scheduled to take on Kansas at 4 p.m. (Central) on Thursday.

    May 21, 2013