MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The season’s first game is out of the way, but in football, early-season jitters aren’t completely dispelled until after the first home game.

When WVU takes the field Saturday, many impact players for the Mountaineers will do so for the first time in a game setting.

Four of West Virginia’s 22 starters in Week 1 were transfers, while another five players who saw the field in the opener were either transfers or true freshmen. Nine of the 53 Mountaineers who played on Saturday were making their WVU debut.

That number will almost certainly increase this weekend at home against Duquesne.

Arguably the most productive inbound transfer in Week 1 was wide receiver Devin Carter. Carter – who previously decommitted from Penn State this offseason – recorded 6 receptions for 90 yards.

He will get his first opportunity to play in West Virginia this Saturday against Duquesne. It’s the same state in which he would spend Christmas every year at his grandparents’ house. It’s also the state to which his mother has a deep allegiance based on her Welch-area upbringing.

The term “home game” is taking on a much deeper meaning for the veteran receiver.

“It just felt like home,” he said over the summer. “It really did.”

LSU transfer tight end Kole Taylor – who fell one spot underneath Carter on the receiving totals against Penn State – can hardly contain his excitement for his first game in Morgantown.

“I’m super excited to play in front of everyone,” Taylor said. “I just know how much this means to everyone in the state of West Virginia, and I know how passionate these fans are. It’s awesome”

To make things more interesting, his mother is crashing his apartment all week to get a firsthand look at her son on a new stage, and also to maybe cook some homestyle meals along the way (hopefully biscuits and gravy, says Taylor).

Both of his parents also traveled to Penn State last weekend.

“They show up to pretty much every game and try to be at everything,” Taylor said.

Another transfer, defensive end Tomiwa Durojaiye was the only Mountaineer to record a sack on PSU quarterback Drew Allar on Saturday. It was Durojaiye’s first game at WVU.

Defensive back transfers Beanie Bishop, Anthony Wilson and Keyshawn Cobb all took snaps last weekend and are expected to revitalize a struggling defensive back room. Bishop recorded two pass breakups against Penn State.

Freshman wide receiver Traylon Ray hauled in a pair of receptions, and he was targeted another another throw or two. Ray’s freshman-receiver counterpart Rodney Gallagher III earned some snaps on special teams, but he could see some extensive work with the first-team offense this week.

Also a freshman, running back Jahiem White could make his WVU debut after missing the Penn State game due to injury. Kent State transfer receiver Ja’Shaun Poke will also likely make his first appearance in the Old Gold and Blue this weekend.

By game’s end, it’s likely that over a dozen first-year Mountaineers will have collected snaps for WVU. There will be plenty of “firsts” along the way, but none are more important than their first rendition of “Country Roads” upon a potential victory.