Six reasons the season is not lost for the Mountaineers:

Will Stein, Adam Froman, Justin Burke, Tony Pike, Bill Stull and Tom Savage.

Those are the (possible) quarterbacks for the final four opponents … and that presumes Cincinnati has Pike back in time for next Friday’s game. If not, that’s a problem. Zach Collaros would play and he’s not included in the list. “Why?” you ask. Because the kid can move and make plays. He’s a lot like B.J. Daniels.

Against Syracuse last week Collaros threw three touchdown passes when he was on the move, including one stunning play when he scooped up a botched hold on a field-goal attempt, rolled right and manged to throw a strike to an open receiver and before ineligible receivers made their way downfield. I don’t think enough can be made of that play.

Of the other six, none is like Daniels. I understand Pike was a Heisman candidate and Stull is one of the most efficient and effective at his position nationally. They’ll give WVU trouble. I know. I also know the Mountaineers can better defend those two than Daniels. Or Collaros.

One reason we’ve seen such mass panic — and there are many reasons, I understand — is because the defense hasn’t been made to look that bad in quite some time. That’s the point, though. WVU hasn’t seen a QB like Daniels in quite some time and won’t again until either the bowl or next year’s game against the Bulls.

With 232 yards passing and 104 rushing Daniels is only the second opponent to have 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing against the Mountaineers. Temple’s Walter Washington passed for 206 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 117 yards and two scores in a 42-21 loss in 2004.

Daniels, Washington (twice), Virginia Tech’s Bryan Randall, Kent State’s Joshua Cribbs and Boston College’s Jay Palazola are the only quarterbacks to pass and rush for at least 100 yards against WVU.

Stewart agreed the last guy WVU played like Daniels was Marcus Vick in 2005 and admitted Daniels will be a “thorn in our side” for three more years. Cornerbacks coach David Lockwood acknowledged it’s difficult to play well against a a type of player you don’t often see.

“It’s just like one of those things when you play a wishbone team or play a team that does something different, like a fast tempo team like Auburn did against us,” Lockwood said. “You can tell the kids a million times to their face. You can try to simulate it in practice. You can’t simulate actual game speed until you get out there in the game and the kids go through it and see it a few times.”