Players to Watch: WVU vs. Pitt

A few guys who are going to be key in this week's game.

West Virginia will close out non-conference play Saturday night with a primetime matchup with Pitt in the Backyard Brawl.

Who are the key players to watch for on both sides of the ball for both teams?

WEST VIRGINIA OFFENSE - RB CJ Donaldson

I know it's obvious, but this guy has to have a big game in order for the Mountaineers to come out on top. You could include the entire running back room, for that matter. Pitt prides itself on stopping the run game and after getting gashed for 216 last week, Pat Narduzzi will place a major emphasis on this aspect of the game. This year, Donaldson won't catch Pitt by surprise. They're going to be ready for him and they also know that if they contain the run, they'll have their way with WVU.

WEST VIRGINIA DEFENSE - S Aubrey Burks

WVU's secondary is in rough shape through the first two weeks of the season. They've really struggled against the deep ball and have not communicated well on the back end. Pitt QB Phil Jurkovec is going to take shots this game and challenge those guys on the perimeter. The corners have to play well, but Aubrey Burks has to be the eraser and not allow big plays to turn into touchdowns. Odds are, Pitt's receivers are going to get behind West Virginia's corners more than a handful of times, so Burks needs to show up.

PITT OFFENSE - QB Phil Jurkovec

It's been a tough start to the season for the Pittsburgh-area kid at quarterback. Jurkovec has completed just 49% of his pass attempts through two games and has been sacked six times. If he gets rattled early on, he may not bounce back. And at that point, Pitt will have no idea what to do if they can't put the ball in the air against what is a very vulnerable secondary. They don't need Jurkovec to sling it for 300 yards to win, they just need him to make enough plays to let their stable of backs carry the load.

PITT DEFENSE - LB Bangally Kamara

Someone has to step up as the leader of this defense in place of SirVocea Dennis, who is now in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kamara, to me, feels like he could be the next quarterback of that Pitt defense. Last year against the Mountaineers, Kamara recorded a career-high nine tackles. 

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