You'll never guess whom I found Thursday night.
Waldo.
Actually, he was hard to miss - unless you happened to play for Concord's football team.
The man's name is Jeremy Johnson.
Ring a bell, WVU fans?
It should. He once signed with your Mountaineers as a quarterback. Committed in May of 2009 to then-head coach Bill Stewart and then-Mountaineer assistant Pat Kirkland.
Coming back to you a bit more now? If not, this will fully restore your memory. He was the kid from Texas - Silsbee, to be specific. Was a three-star recruit rated the nation's No. 9 dual-threat QB by Rivals. He held offers from Arizona, Baylor, the Rich Rodriguez-version of Michigan, USC, Missouri, TCU, Purdue and others.
It was Johnson and - drum roll - Barry Brunetti signing with WVU. The latter went on his merry way and landed at Ole Miss.
The former was at UC Stadium Thursday night torching the Mountain Lions.
I hear your question. Huh?
It's understandable. And it's also why I called him Waldo. Or Johnny Cash. See, he's been everywhere, man.
After receiving no playing time through his first five games in Morgantown, Johnson got happy feet and bolted. He was third on the depth chart behind Geno Smith and Brunetti. His departure landed Coley White third on the chart. (How's that name for a blast from the past?)
"He was a dual-threat kid we recruited," Kirkland said. "We weren't sure if he'd be a quarterback, defensive back or wide receiver at WVU. He probably could have played all three."
Anyway, Johnson went to Lamar University. Then to Blinn Community College in Texas. He landed at Houston for a cup of coffee.
Finally, he touched down in Charleston. And, Thursday night, touchdowned. And touchdowned.
There he was before Thursday's Mountain East Conference showdown, standing in the stadium's far corner, giving teammates low fives as they entered the locker room for final instructions. There he was, one of four captains, helping with the coin flip.
And there he was slicing up Concord's defense like it was flank steak.
The setup to the game was the participating teams' early fine starts. Ex-WVU lineman Garin Justice is doing a terrific job coaching Concord. Plus, there was pomp. The contest was the Division II/ESPN3 Game of the Week, broadcast on Watch ESPN and ESPN3. (If you understand that, give yourself a star.) A Gold Rush was in place. There was a Frisbee dog. A fireworks show was in place.
The latter was almost redundant though. See, an early show was put on by the explosive Johnson.
The senior set the tone not with a tuning fork, but an alp horn that could be heard across the hills here.
Early on, facing a third-and-8 situation, Johnson kept the ball right for a gain of 26. Right after, he was dancing in the end zone from 10 yards out.
His passing was less than accurate, but that speed ... it was everywhere, man. With a little over 7 minutes left in the first quarter, he moved forward, got past the line of scrimmage - and was gone. Like 75 yards gone.
"That kid's fast!" said a fan.
"He's an athlete," Kirkland said. "Runs 4.43, 4.42 [in the 40-yard dash]."
He added a third first-half touchdown and began to get his passing touch. At game's end, Johnson was 13 of 26 passing for 109 yards. More impressively, he had 184 yards rushing. And a smile.
"It took five years to get here," he said after the 29-21 win. "Every time I wake up I think of WVU. But this is a blessing to me."
The University of Charleston, he means. The state of West Virginia, he means.
"I love this state," Johnson said.
He stood on the field after Thursday's game and reflected.
"I was young and immature," he said. "Now I've matured not only as a player, but as a person. It was pretty hard to stick with it, but my family helped and now I'm taking advantage of this opportunity."
He hurt both knees along the way. He thought his trail had grown over.
"It was a down, down journey for a couple years," Johnson said. "Then I got a phone call out of the blue. It was Coach [David] Hill calling for Coach Kirkland."
He paused before continuing.
"Prayers work," he said.
For Johnson. And for UC's football program.