Skyler Howard's Long Journey To West Virginia

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

Football:

Howard's Long Journey to WVU | WVU Athletics
The path Skyler Howard took from Fort Worth, Texas, to Morgantown, West Virginia, was about as straight as that 65-mile stretch of two-lane highway between Morgantown and New Martinsville – a road full of twists, turns, delays and, yes, sometimes detours.

WVU QB Sills helping prep defense ahead of opener | Charleston Gazette-Mail
As odd as it may seem, thanks to a role that disguises his reality, this is the moment for David Sills.

These 2015 over/unders make the perfect hors d’oeuvres for opening week | WV MetroNews
How many games will WVU win? How many TDs for Skyler Football? Can the D shave a touchdown off last year's scoring average? Allan Taylor shares his guesses for 2015.

Holding Eagles to low passing yardage may not be good | The Exponent Telegram
There’s a chance coming out of this weekend’s opening game of the 2015 football season that West Virginia will be leading the nation in fewest passing yards allowed. However, if that is the case, it probably won’t be a good thing.

From sacks to syllabi: WVU players adjust to class | The Dominion Post
For Daryl Worley, the sneaky-yet-sapping lethargy brought on by academia sets in just moments before he takes the field for daily afternoon practice.

KJ Dillon Headlines WVU’s Revamped Special Teams Unit | WV Illustrated
Special Teams may not be the most riveting part of college football, but as all coaches will tell you, it’s certainly one of the more important aspects of the game.

Shorts' Talent, Ability Major Promise For WVU | Blue Gold News
A rise in preseason performance at wide receiver gives Daikiel Shorts another chance to play his original position.

West Virginia Athletics:

Around The Big 12:

Big 12's Top 10 trap games in 2015 | ESPN
Every season there are games that end up presenting a road block that was hard to see before the season began. TCU's title run was almost ended by Kansas and Baylor saw its undefeated run end at West Virginia. Potential trap games are littered all over the Big 12 schedule in 2015.

Baylor and TCU rank among Big 12 title contenders | The Daily Athenaeum
Another season of college football is almost underway in one of the nation’s deepest and toughest conferences. This year’s Big 12 features national title contenders like Baylor and TCU, sleeping giants like Oklahoma and Texas and absolute wild cards like Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Texas Tech. All this makes for what should be an extremely intriguing ride. While games haven’t started yet, here’s a look at how the Big 12 might shake out this season.

Mystery Surrounds the 2015 Red Raiders | Land Grant Gauntlet
There's a lot of unknown around the Big 12 to kick off the 2015 season. With Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia there's reason to believe they could be great, or they could struggle. Texas Tech is another one...

CFT 2015 Preseason Preview: Big 12 Predictions | CollegeFootballTalk
The Big 12 was left on the outside looking in of the College Football Playoff party a year ago, but it looks as though the odds are good the conference is not left out this season.

Baylor holds the edge on TCU in the Big 12 race. | Sports On Earth
The Big 12 has changed drastically in the last few years, with the rise of Baylor and TCU coinciding with struggles at traditional powers Oklahoma and Texas. The 2015 season presents another golden opportunity for the Bears and Horned Frogs.

Ten questions for Texas Longhorns football | Burnt Orange Nation
The answers to these questions could determine whether the Horns have a successful season or finish with another losing record.

Kansas State football preview: What to expect and game-by-game predictions | The Kansas City Star
Bill Snyder knows a thing or two about rebuilding projects, so he is ready for the challenge that comes with replacing Jake Waters, Tyler Lockett, Curry Sexton and the most prolific passing offense in school history.

Around The NCAA:

Montana upsets four-time defending FCS champ North Dakota State in opener | Sporting News
If Saturday's FCS opener was any indication, we're in for another wild college football season.

Virginia Tech to honor WDBJ shooting victims vs. Ohio State | Sporting News
The Virginia Tech Hokies will honor the shooting victims of WDBJ with helmet stickers on Sept. 7 when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Illinois fires Tim Beckman week before opener | Sporting News
Illinois fired football coach Tim Beckman on Friday.

Sources: Your college football team might hire these coaches | SBNation
It happened a lot earlier than we expected, but with Illinois firing Tim Beckman, we've officially got our first head coach vacancy to be filled for the 2016 season. The Illini won't be the last team looking to hire, however, and our Official Rumored Head Coach Candidate Randomizer can tell you who your school's considering bringing on board.

Miami football player photos are ... interesting | Sporting News
With the first game of the college football season a week away, teams are putting the finishing touches on their media guides. The Miami Hurricanes took their player photos over the weekend, and decided to use some rather unconventional poses.

New contact period set to begin this week | Charleston Gazette-Mail
This may come as a surprise to many who follow West Virginia football recruiting, but the last month has been a "quiet period," according to NCAA rules. Naturally, the Mountaineers added three top recruits since Aug. 5 but, this week begins a new contact period.

Bears reveal hope for return of rookie WR Kevin White in 2015 | CSN Chicago
The news that Tim Jennings was among the first roster trims made by the Bears on Sunday overshadowed a rare spot of encouraging injury news for the Bears regarding rookie wide receiver Kevin White, who could be back before the end of the 2015 season.

Locker Room Sound at Chargers: Bruce Irvin "Just Trying To Be Consistent" | Seattle Seahawks
Hear from Bruce Irvin as he talks about his performance and the performance of the Seahawks defensive unit during their week 3 preseason game against the Chargers.

In honor of it officially being the first game week of 2015, today's Miss Throwdown is shared by four gorgeous ladies. Check out for today's galleries of Ariel Meredith, Sara Sampaio, Hannah Ferguson and Ashley Smith.