The Shotgun/Throwdown: Groundhog Day (2/2/12) Edition

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Feb 2, 2012, 9:53am EST

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's nationally recognized best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by Indian Summer Spiced Ale, because of this crazy warm weather of late.

We have plenty of Signing Day recaps, lists, rankings, etc to help you process everything that happened yesterday. Interviews with the coaches are plentiful as well, especially new coach DeForest who is at the center of the changing of the defensive scheme. There's also some hoops notes and a couple of other tidbits, including a new kicking tee and the Big 12 football schedule delay.

What You May Have Missed:

Gold And Blue Now: Thursday - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Mountaineer coaching staff gets a bit of a breather after signing 26 players on National Signing Day and West Virginia is getting ready to change its defense.

Big 12 provides 10-team schedule to TV partners - ESPN
The Big 12 Conference has a 10-team football schedule put together for the 2012 season, though not for everyone to see yet.

Big 12 delay raises questions - Charleston Gazette
One source in the know, however, said it would be a mistake to assume the delay is totally driven by WVU's situation. So there might be issues with other schools. Perhaps the TV partners want to move games around.

Seniors determined to lead WVU out of losing streak - Daily Athenaeum
After losing its third game in a row Monday night against Pittsburgh, the West Virginia men's basketball team is starting to feel a sense of urgency.

Player of the Year straw poll update - ESPN
KJ is running 5th in this unofficial poll

Women's Basketball: Mountaineers Outlast USF - MSNsportsNET.Com
The West Virginia University women’s basketball team outlasted South Florida, 55-52, at the USF Recreation Center on Wednesday night.

Dunning leads West Virginia past South Florida, 55-52 - Daily Athenaeum
Fueled by a powerful performance from redshirt junior center Ayana Dunning, West Virginia was able to hold off a late surge by South Florida and emerge with a 55-52 road victory last night.

Krutko one of a kind - Martinsburg Journal
Larry Krutko was an outstanding fullback on West Virginia's football teams of 1955-56-57

Avon Cobourne Released By the Tiger-Cats - WVU Pros

News of Note:

WVU-Pitt series not dead? - Mineral Daily News-Tribune
"It's going to happen every other year, I'm pretty sure. Coach Holgorsen said that we're going to switch, playing Maryland and Pitt," said Harper.

Mountaineer kicker to use special kicking tee in 2012 - Daily Athenaeum
"I feel honored. I know how many people use other tees (Spiegel) has made," Bitancurt said. "If this tee blows up, and everyone starts using it, it would be pretty cool that I was the first one to use it. It's pretty special."

Joe DeForest Turns Focus to WVU Defense - WVillustrated
With signing day in the rear view, WVU DC looking ahead to new scheme, new personnel and a new school.

HERTZEL COLUMN: DeForest plans to alter defense - Times West Virginian
“We will change,” he said at the end of his press conference introducing the day’s signings. “We will not do the 3-3 stack. It will be some version of the 3-4 or the 4-3.”

DeForest’s Move Was To Step up in Career - Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register
Either way, he'll be a part of a defense in transition.

New Schemes On Tap - BGN (video)
West Virginia's new defensive scheme won't be a 3-4 and it won't be a 4-3. Rather, it will be capable of both and use each one based on variables such as personnel groupings and down-and-distance situations, according to new assistant coach Joe DeForest.

Assistant Coach Jake Spavital - Mountaineer TV
Assistant coach Jake Spavital talks about getting more quarterbacks in his meeting room.

Signing Day Interviews with WVU Assistant Coaches - WVillustrated
DeForest and Bedenbaugh

More Interviews with WVU Football Assistants - WVillustrated
Dawson and Spavital

Recruiting:

Holgorsen Likes 2012 Class - MSNsportsNET.Com
On Wednesday afternoon, the Mountaineers announced that 26 prospects have signed national letters-of-intent, including 11 from Florida where the Orange Bowl is played. It is the most Florida natives West Virginia has ever signed in a single recruiting class.

Holgorsen pleased with WVU signing class - Charleston Gazette
There were no last-minute defections, and a couple on the fence fell the right way.

Holgorsen Pleased With Signing Class - WVMETRONEWS.COM
The newly signed players will report for summer workouts on June 10th.

Coach Holgorsen, West Virginia show off recruiting class - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
West Virginia received letters of intent from 26 high school seniors — 14 on offense, 12 on defense — coach Dana Holgorsen announced.

WVU recruits have ‘bit of everything’ - Times West Virginian
“There wasn’t any area we had to stockpile,” Holgorsen said. “There’s a little bit of everything, which was what we were after.”

National Signing Day: WVU class part of new-look defense - Charleston Daily Mail
"We wanted some more edge rush guys playing because we're going to more of a 3-4 scheme than the stack," Holgorsen said. "The stack uses more middle linebacker-type bodies, which we have on campus.

WVU Announces Class of 2012 - BGN
Handy dandy table form

National Signing Day league breakdown - NCAA Football - SI.com
#3 Big East

WVU gets recruits to follow in alums' footsteps - Register-Herald
Dunbar and Miramar continue to be fruitful to WVU

Napoleon follows father’s footsteps to West Virginia - Daily Athenaeum
Brandon Napoleon always wanted to be like his dad Eugene.

Signing Day for WVU - Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Total of 26 football players commit to Mountaineer program

Early Start - BGN
With the ink barely dry on the letters of intent of the football class of 2012, West Virginia already has an early start of the Class of 2013