(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The 2009 season will mark the beginning of a new era for West Virginia University football.

With former quarterback Patrick White now playing for the Miami Dolphins and four of the starting offensive linemen from last season's 9-4 Meineke Car Care Bowl team gone, the Mountaineers could be in for one of the most interesting seasons in recent memory for the program.

The first order of business in the offseason for the Mountaineers will be, of course, finding a replacement for White under center. Senior Jarrett Brown solidified his spot as the starter after an impressive spring. Brown, who saw playing time in his sophomore and junior seasons, will lead an offense surrounded by a variety of talented skill players for offensive coordinator Jeff Mullens.

Brown will enjoy Mullens' more balanced offensive attack, as it will give him a chance to throw the ball downfield more often, something that the team did not do with White at quarterback.

As for the other players benefiting the most from the new wrinkles in the offense, 6'8" receiver Wes Lyons had a solid spring, catching six passes for 116 yards and two scores in the spring game.

Senior Alric Arnett could also be bound to have a huge season and is one of the more underrated receivers in the Big East.  He led the team in yards last season (466) and was second on the team with six touchdowns.

Junior Jock Sanders, who also plays running back, and freshman Logan Heastie will also factor in nicely with the offense. Sophomore Tyler Urban is another pass catching threat that Brown will have to look to and gives the offense a dimension that it hasn't had in many, many years—a reliable pass-catching tight end.

But even with all of these targets in the passing game, the WVU offense will still, as always, be centered around a solid running game.

Returning in the backfield will be preseason First-Team All-Big East selection Noel Devine. The shifty junior finished last season with 1,289 yards and four touchdowns on the ground for the Mountaineers, numbers that should only improve in 2009. Brown will also factor in the running game as he has proved that he could be a reliable option on the ground.

Sophomore Mark Rodgers was the team's primary backup last season and will most likely keep that role this year. But redshirt freshman Jordan Roberts had a remarkable spring and could also be a factor in the offense, as could highly-touted freshman Tavon Austin.

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