Mountaineer Morning Links: Thursday (1/8/15) Edition

Women drop close game to Texas, hoops & football notes, Sills enrolls, recruiting updates, WVUPros, Big 12 roundup & more.

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Jan 8, 2015, 8:50am EST

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by Hale's Ales Wee Heavy Winter Ale.

What You May Have Missed:

No. 25 WVU Battles, Falls Short at No. 3 Texas - WVU Athletics
A valiant effort by the No. 25-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team to upend unbeaten No. 3 Texas fell short in a 61-55 loss at the Erwin Center on Wednesday evening.

NCAA won't let Oregon practice as much as Ohio State - SBNation.com
NCAA rules will always find new ways to surprise you.

News of Note:

And they’re off - WVU Sports with Mike Casazza
Anyhow, WVU is 14-1 with the loss coming at home against LSU, which is probably WVU’s best opponent to date.

WVU basketball heading into challenging stretch - Register Herald
How good is the 14-1 West Virginia University basketball team?

WVU’s Juwan Staten Elevating Toughness in 2014-15 - WVillustrated
Juwan Staten has always served as the heartbeat of WVU Basketball since arriving in 2011, but this season is personifying toughness on an entirely different scale.

Big 12 coaches believe conference is deepest league in nation - Exponent Telegram
Depth? Nine of the 10 Big 12 teams have been ranked in the polls this year.

Football

Holgorsen Announces Staff Addition - WVU Athletics
WVU football coach Dana Holgorsen adds to staff.

Contract details emerge for WVU’s 3 assistants and newcomer Bruce Tall - WV MetroNews
Galloway, Seider and Mitchell receive two-year extensions; no definitive word on DeForest.

Karl Joseph Returning to WVU Football for Senior Season - WVillustrated
WVU junior safety Karl Joseph announced his intentions on returning to WVU for his senior season this week, putting off the NFL for one more year in Morgantown.

QB Sills says he's officially a Mountaineer - Exponent Telegram
Sills was offered by USC football coach Lane Kiffin when he was 13 years old and who verbally committed to WVU this past summer.

Could Dana Holgorsen replace Brian Schottenheimer as St Louis Rams' OC? - WVUPros
The Turf Show Times, SB Nation’s official blog for the Rams, quickly noted their desire for Holgorsen making the jump from Morgantown to the Show Me State on Twitter after the Schottenheimer departure:

Recruiting:

Football Class Rankings - ESPN
26 West Virginia

Jacquez Adams Scout Spotlight - Scout
The Scout Spotlight shines on West Virginia commit Jacquez Adams from Maryland.

Gaiter exploding with offers - 247Sports
"USF is recruiting me the hardest," Gaiter said. "I'm hoping West Virginia, Texas and Texas Tech offer me. West Virginia is where my Crystal Ball should be."