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MORGANTOWN - Mountaineer linebacker Reed Williams walked into the players' lounge shortly after his team had claimed state bragging rights with a 24-7 win over Marshall, and he saw the attention being paid to true freshman quarterback Geno Smith.

Smith had been forced into action early in the game after starting quarterback Jarrett Brown suffered a concussion. After getting his wits about him, Smith played like a veteran in directing the Mountaineer comeback.

"Just call him Big Boss Smith," Williams yelled over in that general direction, before telling his own circle of reporters that "it took a special kind of guy to come out and do what he did."

Smith didn't have time to realize the gravity of the situation he was being thrust into. Brown was injured less than two minutes into the rivalry game, and Smith instinctively knew to grab a football and begin warming up.

"The coaches basically just told me to stay calm," Smith said. "They told me to stay patient, and obviously, everything worked out in the end.

"I feel like I'm prepared for anything because I try to stay calm," he continued. "I play the game of football like I play the game of life."

Smith said there was not a sense of panic when he stepped into the huddle with WVU trailing 7-0. He said the plan was "to get our momentum back."

"We didn't need a bunch of psychologists out there," WVU coach Bill Stewart said. "He knew exactly what was going on. These kids want to play. You have to let them play. You can't harness them."

Smith definitely earned his varsity letter Saturday as he directed WVU back to the 24-7 victory, largely using the stingy Mountaineer defense helped by the solid punting of Scott Kozlowski, to engineer a second-half comeback.

"We were trying to get the offense as many opportunities as we could," said defensive back Nate Sowers. "You couldn't ask for anything more from Geno. He got it done in the end."

Smith threw for 147 yards and a touchdown, completing 15 of 21 passes without an interception. He lofted a 33-yard scoring pass to Alric Arnett to put the game out of reach for the Thundering Herd as the fourth quarter was getting started.

"He took a hit or two that we didn't want him to take, but he's a tough guy," said offensive lineman Eric Jobe.

Stewart said he prepares his back-ups to be ready at a moment's notice, giving them their fair share of practice opportunities.

"I'm always going to give the first team the brunt of the work," Stewart said. "But you have to get the second team, too. That's why the second team isn't slugs when they go in there."

Smith said the experience from the Marshall victory is something not only he can build upon, but also something the entire team can as well.

"It lets the team know I can play, and that they can believe in me," he said.