Mountaineer Morning Links: Monday (9/9/13) Edition

Oklahoma game analysis, DeForest troubles, weekend soccer, WVUPros on Geno, Big 12 roundup & more

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Sep 9, 2013, 9:27am EDT

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What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Now: Monday, Sept. 9 - WV MetroNews
Garrett Cullen and Fred Persinger look back at WVU’s hard fought loss at Oklahoma on Saturday.

Special teams only part of DeForest's problems - Charleston Daily Mail
No matter how much trouble West Virginia's special teams units encountered Saturday against No. 14 Oklahoma, they seemed unlikely to top the turmoil that found coordinator Joe DeForest hours before kickoff.

Dozie Ezemma took unique path to West Virginia - Journal News
On the surface, the story of how Ramapo High graduate Dozie Ezemma went from virtual unknown to scholarship player on West Virginia's football team sounds a bit unbelievable.

No. 9 WVU Falls to No. 1 UNC - WVU Athletics
The No. 9-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2013 season, losing 4-2 this afternoon to No. 1 North Carolina, at Koskinen Stadium in the Duke Nike Classic.

Cain’s Golden Goal Defeats No. 8 Indiana - WVU Athletics
A goal by sophomore Ryan Cain in the 103rd minute gave the West Virginia University men’s soccer team a 5-4 double-overtime victory over No. 8 Indiana on Sunday evening at Armstrong Stadium.

WVU volleyball off to program best 7-0 start - Daily Athenaeum
The West Virginia University volleyball team continued their stretch of dominant play by sweeping the competition this weekend at the WVU Coliseum in the Mountaineer Invitational.

Old Gold and Blue - Pinterest
Evolution of the Mountaineer Uniforms over the years

News of Note:

Millard sloppy in Mountaineers' loss at Oklahoma - Charleston Daily Mail
Had Paul Millard been as accurate with his arm during the game as he was with his words after it, the West Virginia quarterback might not have been grieving the 16-7 loss to No. 14 Oklahoma.

Holgorsen 'almost' made move to Trickett - Charleston Gazette
Early in the fourth quarter of West Virginia's 16-7 loss at Oklahoma Saturday night, Clint Trickett warmed up during an injury timeout and even got on the phone to offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson up in the press box.

Millard's First Road Start Just Like The Others - WVU Athletics
QB's performance much like his WVU predecessors.

WVU offense ineffective despite pass plan - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Five days after calling West Virginia's offensive balance "embarrassing" and committing again to the pass, coach Dana Holgorsen stayed true to his word and paid for it.

WVU struggling to make plays - Times West Virginian
Where does the blame lie, with Millard or with the receivers?

Mountaineer offense still sputtering - Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Monday Morning Quarterback

HERTZEL COLUMN: Open QB competition set at WVU - Times West Virginian
"We felt we had to do some specific things to guard against that. That meant the communication on the field had to be spot-on. Paul is the best we have at that. Because Clint is inexperienced in our offense, I didn’t feel comfortable doing that, but I thought about it a bunch."

Defense shows improvement vs. OU - Charleston Gazette
But a defense that was one of the laughingstocks of all of college football last year also forced four turnovers and held Oklahoma to just one short-field touchdown and three field goals.

WVU defense impresses - Daily Athenaeum
Despite falling 0-1 in Big 12 Conference play, the Mountaineers have some reasons to feel good about their defense through the first two weeks of the season.

Defense returns to form - Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Saturday's 16-7 road loss to Oklahoma was a loss, but Mountaineer faithful witnessed a defensive effort that reminded them of years past.

Monday stock report: Err Raid - WV MetroNews
A look now at the ups and downs from Saturday night’s 16-7 loss at Oklahoma and an upset opportunity that escaped West Virginia:

WVU moving on from OU loss - Times West Virginian
Hertzel's Notebook

Loss to favored Oklahoma a missed opportunity for WVU - Register-Herald
This week, I’ll take a look at WVU’s 16-7 loss to No. 16 Oklahoma on the road at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. In addition to the offense, defense and special teams marks I gave last week, I’ll also take a look at another critical area, coaching, in this week’s report card.

The winners and losers from WVU’s 16-7 loss to No. 16 Oklahoma - Daily Athenaeum
Stock Report

Pro News:

Geno Smith gets the win in his first NFL start - ProsReport
After a shaky start, Smith led the Jets to a come-from-behind victory over the Bucs.

Bruce Irvin Trains with WVU Until Return to Seahawks - WVillustrated
There is a familiar face roaming the sidelines at West Virginia games these days. It'll be there for the first five times the Mountaineers take the field this season, supporting the current wave of WVU players.