WVU QB Trickett gets scare from dad’s health issue

JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Quarterback Clint Trickett walked off the field after one of West Virginia’s biggest wins in years and was hit with the news that his dad, Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett, had suffered a heart attack.

His mother, Tara, told him in person Saturday after the Mountaineers beat Baylor in Morgantown.

“That first time after you hear your dad had a heart attack … it’s an emotional event,” Clint Trickett said.

His worries were eased after hearing his dad’s voice on the phone from the hospital.

“You talk to him and he’s perfectly fine, so once I talked to him things calmed down and everything was good,” Clint Trickett said. “He was back to his normal self.”

Rick Trickett missed the Seminoles’ win Saturday night over Notre Dame.

By Tuesday, he had returned to practice for the second-ranked Seminoles.

“It opens your eyes, anytime that happens,” said Clint Trickett, who transferred from Florida State after graduating in 2013. “You’ve got to cherish more time that you have with him.

“I want him to live forever. I love my dad.”

The scare was the part of a roller-coaster day Saturday for the Trickett family.

Clint Trickett had a stomach bug and needed an IV at halftime. Despite that, he threw three touchdown passes as the Mountaineers beat Baylor 41-27 for their first win over a top-five ranked opponent in seven years.

The win put West Virginia into the thick of the Big 12 race. But it’s only the start of a challenging stretch for the 22nd-ranked Mountaineers (5-2, 3-1) , who travel to Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday. After that, West Virginia returns home to face No. 10 TCU, then has a road game at Texas.

Trickett has thrown for more than 300 yards in eight straight games, a striking turnaround for a player who had seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions in seven starts a year ago.

The about-face coincides with a team that has already surpassed its win total from a year ago.

“It’s nice to win games and get recognized,” Trickett said. “Each player is getting recognized. Each player personally is relieved because last season was so long injury-wise, losing-wise, confidence-wise.

“And now life’s a lot better when you’re winning.”

Trickett is now considered among the nation’s elite quarterbacks, ranking near the top in passing yards (2,525) and completion percentage (68.2).

“We haven’t exceeded expectations, and we haven’t met expectations,” he said. “We’re working toward them. That’s our mindset.”

Last year’s 30-21 victory over then 11th-ranked Oklahoma State was one of the few highlights both for Trickett and the Mountaineers. He hurt his throwing shoulder near the end of that game, suffered a concussion against Texas, and West Virginia finished 4-8.

“They have a quarterback who has matured and is playing with confidence,” said Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. “He’s considerably better than what he was eight or 10 games ago in my opinion.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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