Mountaineer Morning Links: Monday (2/23/15) Edition

Kevin White's freak show at the NFL Combine, hoops & football notes, weekend varsity results, WVUPros, Big 12 roundup & more.

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Feb 23, 2015, 9:00am 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 Big Muddy Brewing's Winter Ale.

What You May Have Missed:

No. 1 Rifle Shoots NCAA Qualifying Match - WVU Athletics
The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team shot a 4705 NCAA Qualifying score

WVU Drops Series at Georgia Southern - WVU Athletics
The WVU baseball team fell in Sunday's rubber match.

WVU Baseball Worried About Process, Not Results Early On - WVillustrated
"We've got some guys with some really good energy in the dugout and that helps the guys on the field," the head coach said

Wrestling Downs No. 18 Pitt - WVU Athletics
The Mountaineers won the Backyard Brawl for the first time since 2007.

WVU's Outbound Ticket Sales Staff Honored - WVU Athletics
WVU's new outbound ticket sales recognized.

News of Note:

Ineligible freshmen? Don’t see it happening - Charleston Gazette
It’s hard to find anyone these days with a truly sensible reason for why college football and basketball should consider returning to the days of freshman ineligibility.

NCAA mulls freshman eligibility - Exponent Telegram
"And if they’re going to give us 18 scholarships, they have to give more scholarships to women. You have to have a freshman team for the women and for the men. And are you going to have a freshman team for football?"

WVU rides consecutive top 25 wins into pesky Texas matchup - Charleston Daily Mail
"There should be a little extra, added motivation."

Mountaineers found range vs. Cowboys - Charleston Gazette
Even during those times this season when West Virginia’s basketball team was running at what pretty much seemed like peak efficiency, there always was something missing.

HERTZEL COLUMN: WVU success warming up freezing fans - Times West Virginian
West Virginians are underdogs.

Simplifying the x's and o's - Exponent Telegram
Folks, it just ain’t that hard, and Bob Huggins has been trying to tell you that all season.

Win over Cowboys big for WVU; now it's Texas at home for revenge - Beckley Register-Herald
The West Virginia University men’s basketball team’s 73-63 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday was significant for various reasons.

Big 12 Power Rankings: Feb. 23-March 1 - FOX Sports
4. West Virginia 21-6, 9-5. Last week: 5.

Football

'Turtles and colors and stuff': Fun play call cards making it hard for NFL to evaluate QBs - SBNation.com
What has become a must for many college football teams is making life difficult for pro coaches and general managers.

TCU Horned Frogs cement spot as Big 12's top defense - ESPN
7. West Virginia, 2.33

Big 12 pre-spring position rankings: Recap - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
WEST VIRGINIA: The offense needs some retooling, but the secondary should be formidable. QBs: 6th; RBs: 4th; WRs: 7th; OL: 9th; DL: 7th; LBs: 4th; DBs: 1st; STs: 3rd Average rank: 5.125

Combine

NFL combine: Kevin White impresses, posts staggering numbers - SI.com
Kevin White's game is all about creating separation and he's done a pretty good job of that at the 2015 scouting combine.

West Virginia's Kevin White 'a freak' among receivers at NFL combine - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"I don't feel that any receiver can do what I can do," White said. "Whether it's blocking, creating space, taking a tunnel screen to the house, I do it all. I’m not saying that to be cocky, just confident. I feel like I'm one of a kind."

2015 NFL Combine: Who helped their draft stock on Saturday? - 247Sports
Kevin White, Wide Receiver, West Virginia Mountaineers

Agent: Kevin White's a top 10 talent with a chance to be special - EerSports
"Kevin White is a phenomenal player, a great person, and comes from a tremendous family. He is going to be a great player on the field, a great presence in the locker room and a great addition to the community, so he has not just top 10 talent, but also a chance to be special for a long time."

Saturday's best performances from the NFL Scouting Combine - NFL.com
3. West Virginia's Kevin White turned in a 4.35 clocking that turned plenty of heads in Lucas Oil Stadium

WVU's White makes statement at combine - Beckley Register-Herald
Kevin White made himself a rich man with his hard work on the practice field and during games the last two seasons at West Virginia, making himself a legitimate NFL prospect. But on Saturday in Indianapolis, he likely earned himself one heck of a bonus.

Kevin White Turns Heads with Strong Combine Showing - WVillustrated
The Mountaineer receiver impressed onlookers with arguably the best performance in Saturday's drills as he prepares for the NFL Draft. Plus, notes on Mario Alford and Mark Glowinski.

Kevin White's NFL Combine results - WVUPros
Complete with Vines of several of the drills

Alford itching to showcase speed - Times West Virginian
Kevin White gets all the headlines and is widely viewed as the second-best wide receiver in the 2015 NFL draft class.

Recruiting:

No commitment, 5-Star Manuel names FSU his leader - 247Sports
Manuel said he’s planning a return trip to Tallahassee later in the spring. He’s also scheduled spring visits to Florida, Clemson, LSU, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Pro News:

WVU alum Scooter Berry signs with AFL's Orlando Predators - WVUPros
Scooter Berry, who played for the West Virginia Mountaineers from 2006-2010, signed a deal with the defending AFL South Champion Orlando Predators