True freshman Brunetti settles into backup role

Barry Brunetti came to West Virginia with hopes of earning the starting quarterback job.

He eventually saw what projected starter Geno Smith had working for him.

"He knows the offense like a guy who's been here for five years," Brunetti said with a laugh.

The Memphis, Tenn., native might be the No. 2 quarterback heading into the season, but he's not letting that enter his mind.

To him, he's the No. 1 guy either way.

"If (Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback) Peyton Manning was in front of me, I'd still have the mindset that I was the starter," Brunetti said. "You've got to have that mindset.

"We all come for the same thing, you don't come to sit down. But, at the same time, you don't have to be on the field to contribute."

Brunetti comes to West Virginia with an impressive high school resume. Similarly to Smith, Brunetti is an Elite 11 quarterback. Brunetti also played in the 2010 edition of the U.S. Army All-American game and took part in the Joe Montana "Super 7" quarterback camp. That doesn't even count his high school games.

In that aspect, he didn't lose a game he started. He led his team to a 26-0 record throughout his junior and senior seasons, including two state championships. In his high school career, Brunetti passed for 3,882 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushed for 1,660 yards and 39 touchdowns in a spread option offense similar to WVU's.

He said one of the reasons he chose the Mountaineers was because of the healthy competition at the starting quarterback position.

"If you didn't want to compete, you shouldn't have signed. That's the whole point of signing," Brunetti said. "Geno knows why I came here. He knew I came here not to sit down. I know he's not going to try to lose his spot either. But that helps us both out in practice."

Since the start of fall camp, it's seemed Smith has started to pull away from Brunetti and fellow freshman quarterback Jeremy Johnson – leaving the two freshmen to fight for the backup job.

And, with one injury, Brunetti could be playing.

"I want to make sure I know everything, because I don't want to go out there and hurt the team," he said. "You have to have the mindset like you're the starter. You might not be, but you have to because you never know what might happen."

Brunetti joined the program this summer and spent time with the team throughout summer drills including seven-on-sevens. He said having Smith along helped him deal with the transition and changes from high school.

"Geno's been a big help," Brunetti said. "He's smart … So I'm kind of blessed to have someone in front of me like him who can help me out if I don't know something."

Brunetti has had an easier learning curve because his high school ran a similar scheme to WVU. He said both offenses run similar plays, but the terminology is different. Brunetti said the biggest change, outside of that terminology, has been the speed of the game.

"I am not really surprised at what Barry Brunetti … has given us so far," said WVU offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen. "We spent a very long time recruiting (him)."

Brunetti considers himself a throw-first quarterback, but he said he has enough speed to get out of the pocket and run if he needs to. He believes his strengths are pocket awareness, feet in the pocket and a strong arm.

"I just need to work on making quicker reads and getting the ball out faster when I see someone open instead of holding onto it," Brunetti said.

Mullen said the perception Brunetti is a good thrower, yet only a decent runner is wrong.

"He runs it a little bit better than people think," Mullen said.

Despite being a freshman, Brunetti feels he has the confidence to play and succeed if there was a game today.

"Coach Mullen would have certain plays that I could run at full speed, and he would gradually move me in," he said.

But, for right now, it's Smith's spot.

And, that's just fine with Brunetti. He still considers himself a starter either way.