Bigger than the game

I learned a long time ago that no matter how much I cheer (yell) or root (swear), nothing I do will help WVU win or make a big play. However, following yesterday's way-too-close-for-comfort win over Marshall I started looking ahead to UConn coming to Morgantown this weekend.

Would QB Jarrett Brown be healthy enough to play after suffering what appeared to be a concussion on the first drive Saturday? If freshman Geno Smith has to play this weekend how will he do against a much better Huskies defense? This is an important Big East game for the Mountaineers, and these are pressing questions.

None of that seems to matter now. Injuries are part of the game. Tragic deaths of 20-year-olds are not. The terrible news out of Storrs is that Jasper Howard, a starting cornerback, was stabbed to death early Sunday morning near the student union -- just hours after the Huskies defeated Louisville 38-25.

According to a report in the Hartford (Conn.) Courant, police said the stabbing happened when a school-sponsored dance at the student union was let out. A fire alarm was pulled at 12:26 a.m., an altercation happened outside the building between two groups of people and then two people were stabbed.

On Saturday, I'll still be cheering and rooting for WVU. But I'll also be grieving for the UConn family.