by Joedy McCreary
SPORTS WRITER
MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia University's coaching staff knows it has to find a way to utilize star tailback Amos Zereoue more.
Coach Don Nehlen said Tuesday he would like to get the ball in Zereoue's hands more than the 20 times he carried against Ohio State.
The score mandated that the Mountaineers resorted to a passing, catch-up game plan, Nehlen said.
"When you get behind 27-10, you ask yourself how much five more yards is going to help you," Nehlen said. "We should've gotten the ball in his hands more."
Zereoue ran for just 77 yards against the Buckeyes and was held to negative 3 yards in the second half.
· FIRED UP: WVU's linebackers were upset by the defense's performance against Ohio State. The Buckeyes gained a Mountaineer Field-record 549 yards.
"Man, that makes us mad," said reserve middle linebacker Kyle Kayden. "We played a good team, but giving up 500 yards just shouldn't happen."
· HATES TO WAIT: Starting middle linebacker Mark Plants says losing to Ohio State was bad enough, but having a week off afterwards just made it worse.
"I hate waiting a week to play," Plants said. "That was the longest I've thought about a game. I didn't like it."
· CLOSE TO FULL SPEED GOOD ENOUGH: True freshman kick returner/wide receiver Antonio Brown, nursing a sprained ankle, will play against Maryland Saturday, though he's not yet at 100 percent.
"But at 95 percent, Brown goes pretty good," Nehlen said.
· TOO MUCH TERRY: Nate Terry, who returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last year, likely won't get a chance to make it three TDs, Nehlen said.
Nehlen took Terry off the kick return team because he has been playing too much football, he said. Brown, Jerry Porter, Khori Ivy, Amos Zereoue and Alvin Swoope are competing for Terry's job, Nehlen said.
"We're trying to figure out who the best two are," Nehlen said.
· ON TV AGAIN: Saturday's game with Maryland will once again be televised nationwide. ESPN2 will broadcast the game beginning at 6 p.m.
The Mountaineers should get used to the attention. Only two games -- Sept. 26's game at home vs. Tulsa and Oct. 31's game at Virginia Tech aren't scheduled for broadcast at this time.
· 1988 REVISITED: The 1988 team will be honored this weekend. That team finished the regular season 11-0 and played Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.
· HALL OF FAME: Jeff Hostetler and former NFL defensive back Tom Pridemore head the five-member class to be inducted Friday in WVU's Hall of Fame.