I wasn’t at the Pitt game — basketball in Anaheim instead — and I only got to watch on an enormous television at a brewery. Everyone looked big on that big screen, which normally might have made it difficult to pick out Robert Sands. But No. 2 was all over the place and just impossible to miss.

I was told the other day Sands was actually better in that game than he was in the Gator Bowl, which I was watching from the press box and probably influenced because of that. I accept that, but find it really hard to believe. There were no interceptions or pass breakups, stats that defined Sands against Pitt, but the 13 tackles and the nature of the hits were just so impressive.

At worst, it gets you thinking and talking about next season. We were all doing that Friday and I chatted with a player about Sands and how good he could be in two years, but the player rolled his eyes and laughed when I said “two years.” In short, enjoy Sands while you can.

If the Mountaineers lose Noel Devine to the NFL Draft – and at this point, that might be best for both sides so Devine can embrace the inevitable and WVU can free itself from this tricky matter of making the most of Devine’s talent – then they will still feature a player who justifies the price of admission.

Robert Sands can be that guy, which is a rarity on defense, particularly at a place known so much for its stars on offense the past few seasons. With his size and speed and savagery, it’ll be hard to take your attention away from Sands next season.

“His potential is boundless,” said senior linebacker Reed Williams, whose position as the leader on defense must be occupied by someone else next year. “I told him after the game this was just the beginning for him.”