The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

October 21, 2009

The return of Hogan’s Heroes

By Dave Morrison

Brandon Hogan apparently has the knack against Marshall.

The 5-foot-10, 188-pound junior recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and had five tackles in West Virginia’s 24-7 win over the Thundering Herd last Saturday in Morgantown.

Last year, the cornerback out of Manassas, Va. had a fumble recovery, four tackles and broke up three passes.

“That was my first start last year and I had a pretty good game,” Hogan said. “So I was hoping to come back and have another big game this year.”

And he was hoping to jump-start his season, and the game provided just that.

“I feel like I’m starting to get back to where I was last year,” Hogan said. “I feel like I’m progressing good and playing better every week. I feel like I’m at the top of my game right now.”

His two turnovers against Marshall came at key times in the second quarter.

The fumble recovery halted a Marshall drive at the West Virginia 7, keeping the lead at 7-0 Thundering Herd.

“That one was big,” Hogan said. “I was just coming up to jump on the pile and push it back and the ball popped out right in front of me.”

The interception of Brian Anderson came late in the second quarter. Hogan returned the ball 17 yards to the Marshall 35, setting up a 32-yard Tyler Bitancurt field goal to make the score 7-3 at the half.

“I thought I was going to score,” said Hogan, a high school quarterback who threw for 2,539 yards (32 TDs) and rushed for 1,735 yards (26 TDs) as a senior at Osbourn High. “I always think I’m going to score. That was an interception off the quarterback. He was trying to hit his man back inside and I was playing behind him. I just stepped in front of the ball.”

Hogan is hoping for a carryover to Saturday’s Big East clash with Connecticut.

Of course, he knows there will be bigger goings-on at the beginning of the game, when WVU plans to honor Jasper Howard, the UConn cornerback who was stabbed to death at a campus party last weekend.

“They’re going through a tough time and our hearts go out to them,” said Hogan, a fellow cornerback. “I can’t imagine what that must be like. I think I met him after the game up there last year, on the field. I know from talking to the guys who knew him in high school (in Florida) that he was a good guy and we know he was a great player. It was a tragedy.”

Hogan said he is glad the WVU team will be wearing Howard’s No. 6 on their helmets, along with the Huskies.

“We just want them to know we have him in our hearts and we’re trying to show them respect,” Hogan said. “I like it.”

As for the on-the-field meeting, Hogan said the Huskies are a good team.

“They have a good quarterback,” he said. “They have talented receivers and (Andre) Dixon is a great running back. He started my freshman year ahead of (NFL RB Donald) Brown. That says something right there.”

— E-mail: demorrison@

register-herald.com





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