West Virginia's Quincy Wilson gears up for Panthers

After a slow start he's rushed for over 1,000 yards this season.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- In West Virginia's geographic sprawl, Quincy Wilson's childhood was spent closer to Pittsburgh than Morgantown.
He grew up in Weirton, W. Va., with a fondness for the Backyard Brawl, which heats up again Saturday when No. 16 Pittsburgh (7-2, 4-0 Big East) plays at West Virginia (5-4, 3-1).
"It's more of a rivalry game for me. I know the players that have played in it," Wilson said. "It's time for me to have my little history in the game now."
He almost didn't have that chance.
Suffered bruised lung
Last week at Boston College, Wilson coughed up blood after being tackled and he didn't return to the game. Doctors initially couldn't find the cause but a bevy of tests revealed a bruised lung.
Wilson was kept out of contact drills until Wednesday as a precaution.
"I finally know what is wrong. They've treated it. I feel good," he said. "It will be interesting to see when I get hit again and how I react to that."
He'll try to exploit a Pittsburgh defense that allows 170 yards rushing per game, including 241 yards to Virginia Tech's Kevin Jones last week.
"It was a good sign," Wilson said. "Kevin Jones is a special guy anyway. So you expect him to get his yards."
The same should be true of Wilson, who at Weir High became the only running back in state history with 3,000 rushing yards in a season.
Wilson gained 901 yards as a junior a year ago as a backup to workhorse Avon Cobourne, but he's had his share of struggles this season.
Struggled early in year
In his first year as a starter, Wilson had only one 100-yard effort in his first five games. He fumbled three times against Cincinnati and managed just 39 yards on 18 carries.
It was during the Miami game that a pass reception kickstarted Wilson's season.
He juked one defender behind the line of scrimmage, broke a tackle, then bowled over and jumped over safety Brandon Meriweather. The 33-yard touchdown gave the Mountaineers the lead with two minutes remaining, although Miami drove for the winning field goal in the closing seconds.
Wilson then rushed for season highs of 177 and 178 yards against Rutgers and Virginia Tech, respectively, and 135 yards against Central Florida, all victories. His 40 carries against Rutgers were a career high and the fourth-highest in school history.
Against Boston College, Wilson gave the Mountaineers a 1,000-yard rusher for the eighth straight season. He'll likely finish in the top five all-time in single-season rushing at the school.
Gilliard has incentive
After averaging 6.7 carries on 10 attempts against them last season, Wilson is a known name to the Panthers, especially to starting safety Ty Gilliard.
Gilliard, who is from Princeton, W. Va., has been dating Wilson's sister, Chlyla, for four years. They met during the West Virginia high school basketball tournament.
And on Saturday, the players will go at each other.
"He's a tough runner," Gilliard said. "But he's just like another person on the team. That's how I have to treat it. He's going to be ready."