Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season brought nine former Mountaineers onto the field, and four of them were in the starting lineup for their teams. Geno Smith, Zach Frazier, Dante Stills and Colton McKivitz all opened for their clubs, with Smith reaching a milestone in the process: his 100th career start in the NFL.
Smith was the busiest of the group in the Jets’ 20-17 loss to the Packers. The veteran quarterback completed 27 of 41 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, finished with a 90.2 QBR and added five carries for 17 yards. He was on the field for all 74 offensive snaps.
Stills turned in a strong outing for Arizona even as the Cardinals fell 31-7 to the Seahawks. The fourth-year defensive end logged seven tackles, including two solo stops, while playing 41 defensive snaps.
Frazier continued to handle full-time duty for Pittsburgh in the Steelers’ 20-3 loss to the Patriots. The third-year center was on the field for all 70 offensive snaps.
McKivitz also went the distance for San Francisco in the 49ers’ 35-13 win over the Dolphins. The seventh-year tackle played all 52 offensive snaps and also saw action on five special teams plays.
Elsewhere, Rasul Douglas contributed for Washington in the Commanders’ 37-20 win over the Cowboys, recording three tackles, one solo, in 24 defensive snaps.
Several other former Mountaineers filled supporting roles across the league. Rex Sunahara appeared on nine special teams plays in Cleveland’s 23-19 win over Tampa Bay.
Austin Brinkman matched that total for Houston in the Texans’ 20-6 loss to Cincinnati. Wyatt Milum saw three offensive snaps for Jacksonville in the Jaguars’ 20-13 loss to Denver.
Gary Jennings played 10 special teams snaps for the Chargers in their 26-14 loss to the Raiders and downed a punt.
A few Mountaineers were listed on reserve, injured or inactive: Tony Fields II with the Bears, Michael Coats Jr. with the Browns, Doug Nester with the Steelers, and Garrett Greene and David Sills V with the Buccaneers.
In Other News...
West Virginias 3-0 Start Just Raised The Stakes Against Oklahoma State
West Virginias perfect start kept rolling with a win over Virginia, and the payoff goes beyond another mark in the loss column. At 3-0, the Mountaineers have put themselves in a far better place for bowl eligibility, and the early-season momentum has already started to shift the conversation around where this team might wind up in December.
Various outlets have already started slotting West Virginia into different bowl projections, and the quality of those possible destinations has improved since the Virginia win. The next test against Oklahoma State now feels especially important, because another strong result would only sharpen the Mountaineers standing and make the rest of their season look a lot different than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Snap Counts Reveal Early Trust Battles Fans Should Watch
West Virginias first game against a Power Four opponent offered an early look at how the coaching staff is sorting out its trust tree, and the snap counts made the picture a little clearer. On offense, the wide receiver rotation showed which players were leaned on most, while the interior line work suggested the staff is still testing how it wants to manage the front. On defense, the distribution among defensive backs also pointed to a group that is being handled with some care as the season gets into its tougher stretch.
For fans, the bigger takeaway is less about the numbers themselves and more about what they can signal next. Coaching staffs tend to settle into patterns quickly, especially after a matchup like this, and those early usage splits can tell you who is earning steady work and who may be headed for a bigger role as the lineup evolves. If the rotations shift in the coming weeks, this opener may end up looking like the first real clue to how West Virginia wants to build around its most trusted pieces. [Read more 🡒]
WVU's First Road Test Just Got More Interesting Against Iowa State
West Virginias first road test of the season now has a little more clarity, with the Big 12 setting the Mountaineers game at Iowa State for noon Eastern and placing it on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. Its the kind of update that turns a circled date on the calendar into a real checkpoint for a team still trying to settle into the rhythm of the year, especially with a league trip that can tell you plenty about where a roster stands.
Iowa State brings its own intrigue into the matchup under new coach Jimmy Rogers, as the Cyclones work through a rebuild while still carrying the usual Big 12 familiarity on the schedule. The series history adds another layer, because these games have tended to offer West Virginia a useful measuring stick, and this one lands in the middle of a stretch that should help define both teams early direction. [Read more 🡒]