Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season brought six former Mountaineers onto the field, with three of them getting the start for their teams.
Dante Stills was active in Arizona’s 33-30 win over Dallas, turning in one of the busier outings among the group. The fourth-year defensive end logged six tackles and knocked away a pass while playing 46 defensive snaps. Stills has now appeared in 55 career games and made 28 starts.
Geno Smith did plenty of work in the Jets’ 38-33 loss to the Patriots, taking every offensive snap in the game. The 14th-year quarterback completed 20 of 32 passes for 290 yards, threw two touchdowns, and finished with a 99.7 QBR. Smith has played in 117 games and made 106 career starts.
Zach Frazier also started and handled a full workload in Pittsburgh’s 27-6 win over Cleveland. The third-year center was on the field for all 59 offensive snaps. Frazier has played in 40 games and started all 40.
Rasul Douglas made a splash in Washington’s 27-10 win over Philadelphia. The 11th-year cornerback intercepted a pass, added one tackle and a pass breakup, and played 32 defensive snaps. Douglas has appeared in 142 games and made 96 starts.
Wyatt Milum saw action in Jacksonville’s 42-7 win over Indianapolis, contributing on both offense and special teams. The second-year offensive tackle played 38 snaps on offense and six on special teams. Milum has played in 16 games.
Rex Sunahara was on the field for six special teams snaps in Cleveland’s loss to Pittsburgh and recorded one tackle. The third-year long snapper has played in 37 games.
Several other former Mountaineers were listed elsewhere around the league. Austin Brinkman and Colton McKivitz were on bye for Houston and San Francisco, respectively. Tony Fields II, Michael Coats Jr., Gary Jennings, Doug Nester, Garrett Greene, and David Sills V were all placed on reserve/injured, listed as not active, or otherwise unavailable for their teams.
In Other News...
WVU Brings Back A Fan Favorite Look For A Brutal Texas Tech Trip
West Virginia is reaching back into the closet for a familiar road look as it heads to Lubbock for a late-night test against No. 15 Texas Tech. The Mountaineers will go with their traditional away uniforms, pairing glossy blue helmets with white jerseys and gold pants for a matchup that already carries plenty of weight given the Red Raiders recent run at home.
It is the kind of trip where every small detail gets noticed, from the uniform combination to the kickoff time, which is set for about 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. West Virginia has history with Texas Tech to lean on, but the bigger challenge is walking into a place where the Red Raiders have been hard to beat lately and trying to make the old-school look translate into something more meaningful on the field. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Basketball Just Opened The Door For More West Virginia Families
West Virginia basketball is once again being used as a bridge between the program and the state it represents. The WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Mountaineer Athletic Club have teamed with DAC Energy to buy $100,000 worth of mens basketball tickets, with the goal of getting them into communities across West Virginia through outreach programs.
The tickets will be spread around for nonconference games and select Big 12 matchups, giving more families a chance to get into the building and see the Mountaineers in person. DAC Energy, led by Ken and Jennifer Mason, has long been involved in supporting WVU athletics and community efforts, and this latest partnership keeps that connection going in a very visible way. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Gets Encouraging Returns Before Texas Tech But Questions Remain
West Virginias availability picture is looking better heading into its matchup with Texas Tech, with the Mountaineers downgrading two players and clearing three others for the upcoming game. There has also been movement on the Red Raiders side, where one additional player has been ruled out and three more have been moved to probable, giving both staffs a little more clarity as kickoff approaches.
The report also notes that some players who had been listed as probable are now cleared to play, which is the kind of late-week development coaches and fans alike tend to watch closely. With the game set for 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, the final injury updates could still shape how both teams approach the night in Lubbock. [Read more 🡒]