Mountaineer Morning Links: Thursday (12/13/12) Edition

Michigan and Beilein, more football honors, new football commitment, WVU Pros update, Big 12 roundup & more

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Dec 13, 2012, 9:11am EST

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What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Now: Thursday - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Coach Bob Huggins says this weekend's game against the Wolverines was meant to be a marquee game, but his team hasn't played like it. Michigan Coach John Beilein goes back to why he left WVU for Ann Arbor. Syracuse Play-by-Play Voice Matt Park gives his take on the approaching Pinstripe Bowl.

Beano Cook made the perfect prediction in 1988 - Register-Herald
It was that West Virginia’s 1988 football team would go undefeated and play for the national championship.

Seattle Sack Man Gives Back to WVU - WVU Athletics
Rookie DE Bruce Irvin has donated to the new football weight room.

Corey McIntyre Could Play Running Back and Other WVUPros NFL Notes - WVU Pros
Week 15 of the NFL season begins tonight with Adam Pacman Jones and the Bengals playing the Philadelphia Eagles on the NFL Network at 8:00 pm EST. Here are some of the things that you should know about going into this weekend and one note about Bruce Irvin that is not directly tied to the NFL.

News of Note:

Hoops

Brooklyn Matchup Loses Luster - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Coach Bob Huggins sounded flat-out glum during Wednesday's pregame teleconference

Michigan matchup has lost luster - Times West Virginian
It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Shooting woes still a problem for Mountaineers - Charleston Daily Mail
"This is my job to fix it and I will fix it," he said. "It's 100 percent my fault. It's my job. I'm the one who's supposed to coach them. I'm the one who recruited them. I've got to get them better."

Grosse Point Blank - BGN
The most surprising aspect of West Virginia isn’t that its shooting percentages are poor – it’s the how and why of the woes.

Now in sixth season, Beilein excited to see the finished product - Charleston Daily Mail
This sixth season is the first in a stage of a career he's never quite experienced.

Beilein Prepares To Meet Former Team - WVillustrated
Former WVU Head Coach John Beilein will lead No. 3 Michigan against his former team on Saturday

WVU's present meets its past - Charleston Gazette
WVU runs into an old friend when it plays against former coach John Beilein and Michigan on Saturday in New York.

A Chance To Look Back - BGN
The Barclays Center may be a sparkling new arena, but for those who followed West Virginia basketball in the mid-2000s, it may feel like a time machine this weekend, as Michigan coach John Beilein said his Wolverines resemble the teams he coached at WVU.

Beilien, Mountaineers together again - Register-Herald
Michigan coach has mixed feelings about facing former team

Football

Video: West Virginia WR Stedman Bailey - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
ESPN.com blogger Andrea Adelson talks with West Virginia WR Stedman Bailey about the Mountaineers’ first season in the Big 12 as well as their New Era Pinstripe Bowl matchup against Syracuse on Dec. 29.

Austin Collects Another Award - WVU Athletics
Tavon named to PFW All-America team.

Austin Bound for Senior Bowl - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith is considering an offer to join Austin at the game, which concludes a week of workouts in front of NFL scouts.

FWAA Will Determine Tavon Austin's "Consensus" Status - WVillustrated
A player is designated as a unanimous All-American if he is listed as a first-team member on all five teams, and he is named a consensus All-American if he makes at least three of the five.

Superlatives: The All-SMQ Team - Sunday Morning Quarterback
Counting down the best (and worst) of the year. Today: My All-Americans.

College Notebook: Braun, Bassler wrapping up WVU careers - Carroll County Times
Offensive linemen Jeff Braun and John Bassler have taken part in one of the most prosperous stretches in the history of the West Virginia University football program, and their time with the team will come to a close a little more than two weeks from now.

Ryan Nassib: First-Team All-American? - WVMETRONEWS.COM
In the meantime, keep refreshing your browser: The Fayetteville Garden Club is about to release its All-American team.

2012-13 College Football Bowl Predictions - WhatIfSports.com
Check out every 2012-13 college football bowl game simulation prediction by WhatIfSports. See college football predictions using our award winning simulation engine.

Recruiting:

Wideout Takes Final Step - BGN
Junior college wide receiver Kevin White placed the Mountaineers firmly atop his favorites after a visit to campus, and he followed that up tonight with a verbal commitment.