MORGANTOWN -- Despite a deceptively dizzying 57-51 score and a second half filled with big plays, the most memorable moment of West Virginia's Gold-Blue spring football scrimmage came on a seemingly routine 7-yard gain early in the first quarter.
There's a good chance that carry might have been Quincy Wilson's last until next spring.
Wilson, a tailback who will be a sophomore in the fall, suffered an apparent torn right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on the play and was taken off the field on a stretcher. A spokesman from WVU Sports Communications said Wilson, who rushed for 146 yards on 27 carries as a true freshman last season, will be further evaluated once swelling on his knee subsides.
But according to coach Don Nehlen, knee surgery looks inevitable.
The injury, said Nehlen, "kind of put a damper on this thing rather badly. They're going to do further tests, but I haven't heard anything good."
By all accounts, Wilson had had a solid spring and had secured the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Avon Cobourne. The possibility of a medical redshirt year for Wilson seemed to be little consolation for Nehlen.
"Quincy is so much a part of our team," Nehlen said. "He was going to carry the ball 15 times a game and get 25 snaps on special teams. To lose a kid like that is a major, major blow."
"It brings the team down when you see a player get injured like that," quarterback Brad Lewis said. "It makes the young guys think that they better be ready."
Others were not as convinced that the injury will keep Wilson sidelined for a year.
"If there's anything good about this, it's that Quincy didn't redshirt last year so he may do that this year," linebacker Chris Edmonds said. "But it might not be that bad. I saw him walking around after the game in the locker room."
With Wilson out, junior Cooper Rego took the majority of repetitions for the Gold at tailback Saturday. He finished with 82 yards on 14 carries, including a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
"Now it's back to me and Avon," Rego said. "But we're not sure of Quincy's status yet.
"I feel bad for him personally. He worked hard in the off-season and all spring, and to have this happen is just a shame."
Rego rushed for 340 yards and scored two TDs last year, starting one game.
After the first half, he took Cobourne's place with the first-team offense and helped establish the offense's first sustained scoring drives. On the first series of the second half, Cooper burst up the middle for 32 yards and capped a 73-yard drive with the first-team's first touchdown.
"I'm happy, but it's only a practice, it's not a real game," Rego said.
In addition to Wilson, reserve defensive back Marah Ababukar, suffered a broken left leg in the first quarter while covering a punt and also had to be removed by stretcher.
