Durante Cleared To Play As West Virginia Continues To Progress

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

Football:

Durante Arrives, Crest Takes QB Reps on Thursday | WV Illustrated
Thursday was a busy day at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen held a press conference at noon, updating the media on the most recent updates during fall camp, which was then followed by a practice open for the media to attend.

WVU continuing to progress in camp | The Exponent Telegram
As West Virginia was beginning its fourth practice of the preseason, the Mountaineers broke into 11-on-11 to give a quick preview of the first-team units on both sides of the ball.

Newcomers Get Positive Returns at WVU | BlueGoldNews
West Virginia got good news in both the football and basketball programs when it received a thumbs up on an eligibility issue in the former and positive reviews on newcomers to the hoops squad.

WVU QB coach following precedent | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Michael Burchett was a quarterback on West Virginia’s roster for, oh, about five minutes one time and now finds himself essentially in charge of that position as a young graduate assistant.

WVU notebook: Holgorsen mulls O-line options | Charleston Gazette-Mail
The possibility of starting a redshirt freshman on the offensive line is already weighing on Dana Holgorsen’s mind, and the West Virginia coach is thinking through some options.

Communication crucial for WVU offensive linemen | The Dominion Post
On the first day of preseason camp, Crook scrawled one word — a command, really — on the white board in his position room: "Communicate."

Holgorsen loose at this time of year | The Exponent Telegram
The images of Dana Holgorsen are not what you’d call positive. You think of him and you think of headsets flying, of Red Bull being guzzled by the case, of him in the face of an official. But that’s the football Holgorsen, the game-day Dana.

Basketball:

WVU freshman Lamont West doesn’t sugarcoat his early years: ‘I used to suck’ | WV MetroNews
When they were sixth-grade teammates in AAU, James "Beetle" Bolden wouldn’t have guessed he and Lamont West would one day be West Virginia teammates.

Around The Big 12:

Big 12 2015 Preseason Quarterback Rankings | AthlonSports.com
The Big 12 is usually regarded as one of college football’s top quarterback conferences. However, this league features several question marks about its signal-callers for 2015.

Baylor Bears kick off camp with eye on national championship | ESPN
Baylor, which opened up fall camp Thursday, doesn't want to leave its playoff hopes up to chance this season.

Texas assistant Joe Wickline asks judge to dismiss Oklahoma State suit | Dallas Morning News
Texas assistant football coach Joe Wickline is asking a judge to dismiss Oklahoma State’s efforts to force him to pay nearly $600,000 for his move to the Longhorns.

Charlie Strong ready for 2nd year as Longhorns head coach | FOX Sports
Quarterback play was a big problem for Texas last season and remains the biggest issue that needs to be resolved. The Longhorns opened training camp Thursday with the focus on last season's starter, Tyrone Swoopes, and his battle for the job with redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard.

Charlie Strong sees attitude change with Jerrod Heard, young Longhorns | ESPN
Second-year coach Charlie Strong is doing everything he can to restore some of the bravado to the Texas program.

Thin Kansas squad gets thinner with two departures | ESPN
Offensive linemen Junior Visinia and Joey Bloomfield will no longer play for the Jayhawks, leaving David Beaty with dwindling numbers for season one.

Around The NCAA:

The College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve is dumb, but you'll watch anyway | SBNation
Because the tournament wants to keep certain bowls in certain time slots, this year's semis are on New Year's Eve. That's dumb, but you don't care.

Vanderbilt shows poor choice of words, tweets 'We don't need your permission' | Sporting News
In what was likely an honest attempt to express the team's determination heading into the new season, a quote in a graphic showed a poor choice of words given the team's recent off-the-field turmoil.

Quick Hit: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport updates Kevin White's injury | College To Pro Sports
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport gives us an update on the status of Kevin White.

Michael Irvin said he had to talk Kevin White “off the ledge” | ProFootballTalk
as the rookie wide receiver waits, he’s getting antsy, but had a Hall of Famer in his ear this week offering advice.

Jets camp quarterback battle belongs to Geno Smith ... so far | NJ.com
From the beginning, the Jets' quarterback battle this summer was less something Ryan Fitzpatrick could win than a matchup Geno Smith would have to lose. One week into the proceedings at Jets HQ, it's safe to say it's been all Smith.

Eric Decker likes what he sees from Geno Smith | ESPN
Eric Decker was arguably the star of the New York Jets' practice on Wednesday, making several catches, including a long touchdown early in the session.

St. Louis Rams training camp: Pressure on Tavon Austin | SI.com
If Nick Foles really is the answer at quarterback for the Rams this season, then the questions about Tavon Austin’s production might finally cease.

Jeff Fisher: Tavon Austin poised for 'breakout year' | NFL.com
After two years as an afterthought in the Rams' offense, former No. 8 overall pick Tavon Austin is being prepped for a featured role in 2015.

WR Stedman Bailey And The Time To Break Out | Turf Show Times
The Rams drafted Stedman Bailey in the third round of the 2013 draft. Could this be the year that Bailey shows his skill?

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