MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- With 32 yards in Saturday's noon ESPN game, West Virginia sophomore Noel Devine will reach 1,000 for the season. With 27 yards, Louisville's Victor Anderson will reach the same plateau.

It's almost appropriate they might share the spotlight because they almost shared snaps.

Anderson, the nation's second-leading rusher among freshmen, committed to WVU's 2007 recruiting class in April 2006. He backed out of his commitment a while later and was undecided up until Steve Kragthorpe replaced Bobby Petrino following Louisville's Orange Bowl win.

Anderson committed to Louisville in late January 2007 and signed on national signing day. Devine never committed to WVU before signing March 30, two days before the deadline.

Anderson is from Louisville and was Class 4A first-team all-state as a senior, He owns the career records at St. Xavier High with 4,008 yards and 75 touchdowns.

"It depends on the player, but we have a lot of guys who are from Louisville and want to stay home to play," Kragthorpe said. "There have been a lot of local guys with great success - Brian Brohm being one of them, Michael Bush being one of them - and now we have Vic who's having a lot of success."

Anderson was not made available to out of town media this week. A sports information employee said it was because Anderson had committed to WVU.

"To my recollection, he was not yet committed when we got here," Kragthorpe recalled somewhat correctly because Anderson had re-opened his recruitment.

"I know at one time he planned to go to West Virginia."

Kragthorpe was hired Jan. 9, 2007. He and his tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, Greg Nord, visited Anderson at his high school soon thereafter and Anderson committed Jan. 28.

He redshirted last season. At 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, he's been Louisville's most valuable offensive player this season. His 97.3 yards rushing per game trails only Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers' 123.3 yards per game. Anderson averages 5.9 yards per carry, has scored eight touchdowns and has also caught 14 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.

"Vic's a very, very good football player," Kragthorpe said. "I think he's really established himself as a guy who's a very dependable player and a multi-faceted player because of the fact he can catch the ball out of the backfield and run outside, but also, for a guy his size, does a tremendous job running the ball between the tackles."

Anderson has five 100-yard games, but was out for the majority of the loss to Cincinnati with a neck stinger. He finished with 60 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Louisville managed 60 yards without him.

Kragthorpe said Anderson will play Saturday. The Cardinals have run for 1,061 yards and 11 touchdowns in their five wins and 667 yards and four touchdowns in their five losses.

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WVU SOPHOMORE Jeremy Kash has held for every field-goal and point-after attempt the past 22 games, but his streak will come to an end against Louisville. Kash and junior fullback Max Anderson were suspended indefinitely last week after turning themselves in on misdemeanor battery charges.

Anderson hasn't played in a game this season. Kash will be replaced by receiver Carmen Connolly.

The junior from Pittsburgh has played only a handful of snaps and hasn't recorded a stat in three games this season.

"It's hard to get on the field," Connolly said. "I'll take it any way it comes."

Connolly has just one catch for 3 yards in 11 career games and that catch came as a freshman. Connolly, 6-foot and 195 pounds, led Seton-LaSalle to conference and WPIAL championships as a senior.

He was first-team all-state and set a state record with 116 receptions for 1,580 yards and 16 touchdowns. Only seven receivers in the nation had more catches.

"The last two years I've been behind basically All-American players in Jock Sanders and Darius Reynaud," he said. "It's not an excuse. It's just the way it is and it's not easy getting in there with those guys in front of you."