MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- For the first time in his career, J.B. got KO'd; now, though, he seems to think he is A-OK.

Here's the translation: West Virginia senior quarterback Jarrett Brown was walloped by an open-field hit on the fourth play of the win Saturday against Marshall. He ping-ponged from one Thundering Herd player's helmet into another's. Brown limply fell to the ground, fumbled the ball and never returned to the game.

It was his first concussion and was officially listed by team medical staff as a mild one.

Brown missed practice Sunday, spent the team's off day Monday regaining his wits and worked out Tuesday -- albeit without contact -- with the starting group.

He also practiced Wednesday with the starters and was expected to do the same last night, but a final decision on whether he will be the starter for the noon kickoff tomorrow against visiting Connecticut could come as late as game time.

Officially, Brown's status is day to day.

"I feel fine," he said after practice Tuesday. "I did every drill pain-free."

Pain-free is quite an improvement from what he felt on that play against Marshall.

On a third-and-8 from midfield, the pocket collapsed, and Brown tucked the ball in, scrambled 13 yards and was looking for a landing strip before he found one.

"I was thinking 'get down' because I didn't want to take a hit," Brown said. "The guy who hit me actually came from out of my vision. So, that was just a freak accident -- to take two helmets to the head, from both sides?"

Brown's concussion was rooted in will. And the crazy part of the play is this: He actually accomplished his goal on the play -- making a first down.

"The last thing I remember before waking back up was looking at the [first down] sticks," Brown said.

"I remember thinking to myself: 'Get the first down, then I gotta get down.' "

Brown, indeed, moved those sticks, but his next memory was a strange one.

"I woke up looking at the trainers thinking, 'Why are they here?' " he said.

There were those couple seconds in dreamland, the ones Brown could not recollect.

He could not remember the precise moment of the hit, either.

Did he see stars?

"Nope," Brown said. "I didn't see anything."

That was until the trainers helped him rise to his feet.

"I saw double," he said, with a hearty laugh.

From there, it was a quick trip to the trainer's room for an examination and then a relegation to the sideline with a jacket on as he watched freshman -- and much-ballyhooed understudy -- Geno Smith lead the Mountaineers to a 24-7 win.

"I didn't really feel nauseous or anything after the game," Brown said. "I was just fatigued. Everything started to [get better] on Monday, after I had a lot of rest."

So what does West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, Brown's former position coach, take from this situation?

"I want him to, first and foremost, protect himself at all times," Stewart said.

"Number two, I want him to manage this offense. Number three, and most importantly, I want him to have a clear head when he is doing this."

As long as Brown plays football -- whether it is seven more games or he goes on to the NFL -- he said he will never forget his first concussion.

He did make one promise.

The injury will not change the way he plays -- all-out, all the time.

"Never," Brown said. "I am still going to play full speed. I don't want to take any hits.

"I want to play like a quarterback, not so much as a running back. But I am still going to play full speed and confident."

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