West Virginia Looks To Wrangle Longhorns

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions.

Football:

Mountaineers look to wrangle Longhorns | The Daily Athenaeum
The Big 12 schedule is an absolute ringer for any team forced to face it. In teams like Baylor, Oklahoma State and TCU, you know what you’re getting: some of the best and most prolific squads in the entire country. Playing teams like that is bad enough. But tomorrow, the West Virginia University football team will face an entirely different challenge: the young, talented, hard-nosed and almost entirely unpredictable Texas Longhorns.

Mountaineers puzzled by Texas' lack of dominance in Big 12 | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
After Texas topped Kansas on Saturday to alleviate the burnt orange faithful's anxiety caused by an Oct. 31 shutout loss to Iowa State, Longhorns coach Charlie Strong half-jokingly asked the media to avoid making any optimistic declarations about the team's future.

Young Texas offense a study in volatility | WV MetroNews
Because no other Big 12 defense closely mimics West Virginia’s 3-3-5, defensive coordinator Tony Gibson can only guess at how each new opponent will try to attack. That makes for crucial early-game adjustments.

Campus Connection: '56 Texas Win Recalled | WVU Athletics
At first glance, West Virginia’s 7-6 win over Texas down in Austin in 1956 would seem to be one of the better victories for the Mountaineers during that period of time.

Pankey paves way for WVU’s resurgent running game | Charleston Gazette-Mail
There is no one, solitary reason to explain West Virginia’s success running the ball like it did against Texas Tech.

Harris would belong even more in today's game | The Exponent Telegram
Timing, they say, is everything. Ask Major Harris.

Basketball:

Press Virginia returns tonight against Northern Kentucky | The Daily Athenaeum
After reinvigorating Mountaineer Nation with Press Virginia, 25 wins and a run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, Bob Huggins and the West Virginia University men’s basketball team are back for another year, when they open the 2015-16 season tonight at 7 p.m. against the Northern Kentucky Norse.

Huggins looks for offensive boost as WVU opens basketball season | Charleston Gazette-Mail
This season should be easier for Bob Huggins. He’s not starting a freshman and a junior college transfer while relying on five other players in their first year in West Virginia’s basketball program.

West Virginia Athletics:

WVU embraces postseason underdog role against Akron | The Daily Athenaeum
One week after Jack Elliott’s last-minute heroics, the Mountaineers are ready to keep the momentum going.

No. 4 Mountaineers Open NCAA Tournament | WVU Athletics
The No. 4-ranked and No. 2-overall seeded West Virginia University women’s soccer team opens the 2015 NCAA Tournament against Atlantic 10 Conference champion Duquesne on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

Around The Big 12:

Big 12 Roundtable: Is there a new conference favorite? | ESPN
This week's Big 12 Roundtable discusses if Baylor is still regarded as the conference favorite and how the Bears might fare against Oklahoma.

Texas must run through its road woes to reach six wins | ESPN
The Longhorns essentially face a must-win game at West Virginia this weekend, if they want to be bowl-eligible.

Practice run against Tulsa could help Oklahoma's D against Baylor | ESPN
OU's effort in a win over Tulsa was ugly, but it was a unique scenario as an opportunity to learn and grow against a Baylor-style offense.

Baylor Bears coach Art Briles has turned name-dropping into art form | ESPN
Coach Art Briles holds naming rights around the Baylor football program, bestowing nicknames far and wide.

Unique defensive traits spark Oklahoma State's push for playoff spot | ESPN
The Cowboys don't have to resort to tricks on defense because of an experienced secondary and a deep, active group of pass-rushers.

Big 12 Basketball Preseason Rankings, 2015-16 Preview | Campus Insiders
Big 12 basketball preseason rankings and 2015-16 conference preview. Will the Kansas Jayhawks be the team to beat once again, or can another program rise to the top?

Big 12 Basketball Round Table Special - Session 1 | Campus Insiders
Head Basketball coaches from the Big 12 including Baylor's Scott Drew, Iowa State's Steve Prohm, Kansas' Bill Self, TCU's Trent Johnson, and Texas Tech's Tubby Smith sit down with Campus Insiders' Jordan Cornette to discuss the state of the game and the state of the conference, including what to expect from the new rule changes and how to best control social media.

Big 12 Basketball Round Table Special - Session 2 | Campus Insiders
Head Basketball coaches from the Big 12 including Kansas State's Bruce Weber, Oklahoma's Lon Kruger, Oklahoma State's Travis Ford, Texas' Shaka Smart, and West Virginia's Bob Huggins sit down with Campus Insiders' Jordan Cornette to discuss the state of the game and the state of the conference, including what rules should be changed and whether the NCAA Tournament should be expanded.

Kansas Will Win 12th Straight Big 12 Title | Campus Insiders
The college basketball season tips off Friday, Nov. 13. To get hoops fans ready, Jordan Cornette breaks down 13 of his top storylines headed into the 2015-16 season. No. 12: Kansas will win its 12th straight Big 12 title.

Shaka Smart Is Best New Head Coach | Campus Insiders
The college basketball season tips off Friday, Nov. 13. To get hoops fans ready, Jordan Cornette breaks down 13 of his top storylines headed into the 2015-16 season. No. 11: Why Shaka Smart will be the best new head coach.

Around The NCAA:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMBLING: Arkansas, Michigan and Week 11's 26 other best bets | SBNation
It's time to pick only the best wagers from the weekend schedule. This is our college football gambling column. It's called COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMBLING.

Is Clemson's Brent Venables the best defensive coordinator in college football? | SBNation
Another year, another elite defensive unit for Venables. Here's how his defenses shut down opponents.

Virginia Tech defeats Georgia Tech 23-21 in Frank Beamer's last Thursday night game | SBNation
The 29-year head coach, who announced his retirement last week, won his 21st career Thursday night game in typical Frank Beamer fashion.

J.T. Barrett to police during impaired driving stop: 'I'm the quarterback of Ohio State' | SBNation
The video from J.T. Barrett's OVI stop has surfaced, and the Ohio State quarterback appears to use his status in an attempt to avoid being arrested.

TWO BEER GUYS ASSESS THE PLAYOFF FIELD | Every Day Should Be Saturday
GUYS CAN I JUST CHECK OUT WITH MY YUENGLING

Shorter Shot Clock's Impact | Campus Insiders
The college basketball season tips off Friday, Nov. 13. To get hoops fans ready, Jordan Cornette breaks down 13 of his top storylines headed into the 2015-16 season. No 1: Why a shorter shot clock will have an impact but won't fix everything.

Duquesne Dukes vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Tonight at 6PM at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown. The No. 2 seeded women's soccer team look to advance in the NCAA tournament with a win over the Dukes.

Northern Kentucky Norse vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Tonight at 7PM at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown on West Virginia Media Holding stations (check your local listings).

Texas Longhorns vs West Virginia Mountaineers
Saturday at 12PM on ESPNU from Morgantown. The Texas Longhorns will be battling for bowl eligibility, but the Mountaineers are 9 point favorites.

Kansas Jayhawks vs (15) TCU Horned Frogs
Saturday at 12PM on Fox Sports 1 from Fort Worth, TX. The Horned Frogs are 45 point favorites over the winless Jayhawks.

(8) Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Iowa State Cyclones
Saturday at 3:30PM on ESPN from Ames, IA. The Cowboys look to avoid the same fate they faced in 2011. The Cyclones are 14 point underdogs.

Kansas State Wildcats vs Texas Tech Red Raiders
Saturday at 3:30PM on Fox Sports 1 from Lubbock, TX. A win here will get the 5.5 point favorite Red Raiders bowl eligible.

(12) Oklahoma Sooners vs (6) Baylor Bears
Saturday at 8PM on ABC from Waco, TX. The undefeated Bears are 2.5 point favorites over the surging Sooners. Can the Bears win and hopefully move up the CFP rankings?

College Football Week 11 Game Schedule & How To Watch | The Smoking Musket
Here's how to watch the complete slate of college football this week.

Smothered Burgers

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 cups vertically sliced onion
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound ground round
4 (1-ounce) slices Texas toast
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

Prepare grill.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion; cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Remove onion from pan, and keep warm.
Heat pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt; saute 5 minutes or until tender.
Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and beef. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.
Preheat broiler.
Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done. Place bread on grill rack; grill 1 minute on each side or until toasted.
Arrange bread on a baking sheet. Top each bread slice with 1 patty, 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup mushrooms, and 2 tablespoons cheese; broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Reprinted from MyRecipes.com

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