West Virginia Running Backs Take "Running Back By Committee" To The Next Level

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Football:

Mountaineers running backs take sharing to the next level | WV MetroNews
Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell made their position coach happy in the season opener with "physical yards" and making correct reads.

WVU running backs love teaming up | The Dominion Post
West Virginia’s backfield operates its own variant of the age-old "running back by committee" approach. Unique is the fact that in some instances, the committee’s deciding vote is cast by exactly two members — ball carriers Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell.

Holgorsen, team prepares for second game against Liberty | The Daily Athenaeum
Spirits are high for the West Virginia football team following its huge win Saturday. Safety Karl Joseph received Big 12 accolades as well as the AutoNation National Player of the Week for his defensive accomplishments, and the coaching staff seemed to still be riding that high in press conferences Tuesday.

WVU secondary will be thrown into the Flames this Saturday | Beckley Register-Herald=
After spending nearly all summer trying to figure out exactly what plan he wanted to use to slow down Georgia Southern’s powerful option offense, West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson is thrilled to move on to something else.

Holgorsen supports ending FCS matchups | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The fifth-year Mountaineers coach respects his team’s upcoming opponent — spending the first three minutes of his Tuesday press conference saying as much — but he wonders how much longer FBS programs, including his own, will enter such arrangements.

Holgorsen sees room for improvement on special teams | Charleston Gazette-Mail
His defense shut down 2014’s top-ranked rushing offense on the way to shutting out Georgia State. His offense finally capitalized on turnovers and scoring opportunities to put up 28 points in the second half of Saturday’s 44-0 win. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen has thus moved his attention to another area as the Mountaineers prepare for Saturday’s 3 p.m. home game against Liberty.

WVU QB Howard laments rare misfires in blowout victory | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
West Virginia starting quarterback Skyler Howard should have been overjoyed with his third career start. Howard passed for a career-best 359 yards and two touchdowns in the Mountaineers' 44-0 win over Georgia Southern. Instead, Howard lamented missed opportunities in the red zone.

Barber reportedly back to practice after shoulder ‘popped out’ | WV MetroNews
After leaving the opener with a second-half shoulder injury, Jared Barber wasn’t expected to miss any action this week. The fifth-year senior Mike linebacker "is fine" after receiving treatment and was expected back for Tuesday afternoon’s practice, said defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.

Former Mountaineer Will Johnson makes it back with Liberty | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Will Johnson caught one pass for 7 yards last week, and the Flames offense is more to his liking. He said he has nothing against the Mountaineers and wants people to know "there are no hard feelings toward anybody there," but that he decided to transfer to find a situation like the one he’s in now. Johnson didn’t play at all for WVU in 2013.

Liberty's Gill has similarities to WVU legend | The Exponent Telegram
In a way, there will be a couple of football ghosts on the field Saturday when Liberty comes to Milan Puskar Stadium to face the West Virginia Mountaineers. One will be the ghost of Pat White, a remnant of WVU football past. The other ghost is one named Turner Gill, who is something of an active football ghost in that he will be patrolling the sidelines for Liberty as its head coach.

West Virginia Athletics:

Mountaineers No. 8 in NSCAA Poll | WVU Athletics
The West Virginia University women’s soccer team is up four spots to No. 8 in Tuesday’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America Poll.

Gordon shines in first games as Mountaineer, wins awards | The Daily Athenaeum
When Nia Gordon committed to playing for head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown and the Mountaineers her sophomore year of high school, she could not have expected the level of success she has achieved in her first month in Morgantown.

Abam Earns Big 12 Offensive Honor | WVU Athletics
On the heels of her record-setting performance in an 8-0 win over Villanova on Sept. 6, West Virginia University women’s soccer sophomore Michaela Abam has been named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

LeBlanc goes with two-goalie system to start season | The Daily Athenaeum
After the departure of goalkeeper Lee Johnston this past offseason, West Virginia head coach Marlon LeBlanc was left to find someone to fill the void for the 2015 season.

Around The Big 12:

Shawn Watson Ousted As Texas Offensive Coordinator | Burnt Orange Nation
New wide receivers coach Jay Norvell will take over play calling duties as the Longhorns head coach demoted the embattled Shawn Watson.

Big 12 Tuesday mailbag: Week 1 impressions | ESPN
In Tuesday's Big 12 mailbag we discuss West Virginia's debut, Iowa State's season-opening win and some of the standout performances in Week 1.

Big 12 bowl projections: Week 1 | ESPN
The conference co-favorites each started the season with a win, but neither was the Big 12's most impressive team in Week 1. Make that West Virginia.

Big 12 Week 1 Power Rankings: Texas tumbles after blowout defeat | ESPN
One week in, and already the Longhorns are a mess again. Check out where Texas and the other Big 12 programs are in this week's Power Rankings.

Kansas State QB Joe Hubener becomes starter after injury to Jesse Ertz | FOX Sports
Joe Hubener sensed his Kansas State teammates were a bit unsettled when he entered the huddle during the first quarter of their game Saturday against South Dakota.

Kansas State band punished for controversial halftime show | FOX Sports
The furor over the Kansas State band's Starship Enterprise formation on Saturday has taken another turn. If you believe in the Wildcat faithful, it would be considered one for the good of director Dr. Frank Tracz and the school band.

William Shatner weighs in on Kansas State Wildcats band controversy | ESPN
Actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original "Star Trek," boldly weighed in on the Kansas State band controversy.

TCU LB Sammy Douglas out for season; DE James McFarland put on the clock | Sporting News
Third-ranked TCU has lost its most experienced linebacker, junior Sammy Douglas, for the season because of an unspecified injury sustained in the Horned Frogs' opener against Minnesota, coach Gary Patterson announced Tuesday

Around The NCAA:

The Selection Committee: Which 4 college football teams look best after opening weekend? | SBNation
The real Playoff committee won't talk to you for another two months, but SB Nation's will right now. (That's because we love you more than they do.)

BROKE | Every Day Should Be Saturday
Pay them their goddamn money.

Penn State literally buried film of Christian Hackenberg being sacked 10 times | Sporting News
Athletes are known for giving cliché answers like, "We put the game behind us," or "We're moving on to next week," but Penn State players didn't have a double meaning when they said they buried Saturday's game film against Temple.

SBNation and The Solid Verbal's Dan Rubenstein is back with his picks for week 2.

The guys from Dude Perfect are taking a new approach to tailgating games...

Today's Miss Throwdown is a beautiful model that may or may not be hooking up with the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt. CLICK HERE for Lindsey Pelas' Instagram.