WVU's Hogan reinstated, but status uncertain

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Brandon Hogan has returned to practice, and West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart said he will determine later this week if the suspended senior cornerback will play Saturday against LSU.

Hogan, 22, was suspended from the team indefinitely after he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence Sept. 12. Police said he was pulled over for driving the wrong way on Spruce Street in downtown Morgantown.

A court appearance is pending.

Hogan watched West Virginia's victory against Maryland at Mountaineer Field Saturday from the sideline. Hogan did not practice last week but returned this week.

"Brandon Hogan is in an evaluation period by me," Stewart said. "He is going to practice, that's his status. ... I will watch him work. He is undergoing, right now, the exact same formula that any student who has any problems [goes through] by the student judicial affairs committee.

"I don't know if he will play this week, and I don't know if he won't play this week. If he is to play this week, he will have earned the right to play, according to my standards, and my standards alone."

As for when a decision will be made, Stewart said, "I'll make that determination the day of the game."

Sophomore Pat Miller, Hogan's replacement for the Maryland game, had a bumpy day against the Terrapins. He was beaten twice, on 60- and 80-yard passes that resulted in Maryland's only touchdowns.

Stewart has come under criticism in recent days as some have questioned whether his handling of Hogan has been stern enough.

In April, Hogan, who is from Manassas, Va., and considered an NFL-caliber prospect, was cited in Morgantown for public urination. He missed much of spring practice because his conditioning lacked and he struggled with some classwork. Stewart was unyielding as he addressed the matter at his weekly Tuesday news conference.

"I've got 125 children here," Stewart said. "Some people are out there trying to tell me how to do things that have one, two or three kids, and they can't handle them.

"I've got 125 I'm trying to judge and they are each and all different. They each come from different backgrounds, and they each have different scenarios."

NOTES -- Senior linebacker Pat Lazear, a starter, has not played at all this season because of a leg injury sustained during preseason camp. He could be back for Saturday's LSU game. "He's got that bone bruise deep inside, that's what has been the slowdown in this whole progression," Stewart said. "We are going to try to play him this week." ... Starting junior offensive left guard Josh Jenkins' status for the LSU game is also a bit foggy. Jenkins left the Maryland game early with a knee injury, walked to the sideline under his own power and briefly rode the exercise bicycle for a time but didn't return to that game. He had a minor, undisclosed procedure Tuesday morning.