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Will Rushel Shell Have A Breakout Season Or Will West Virginia Go With Running Back By Committee?

West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen is unsure if Rushel Shell can put together a breakout, Wendell Smallwood-type season, or whether the Mountaineers will rely on a running back by committee approach.

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News Of Note

Football:

Dana Holgorsen is unsure if Rushel Shell can put together a Smallwood-type season or whether Justin Crawford and Kennedy McKoy will split carries.

Something is beginning to develop in West Virginia's secondary where pro players Karl Joseph, K.J. Dillon and Daryl Worley could be opening the door for the next wave of standout players who are waiting in the wings. Among the next wave of secondary standouts is junior free safety Dravon Askew-Henry, once the No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania on West Virginia's recruiting board when the Mountaineers plucked the Aliquippa standout right out from under Pitt's nose in the winter of 2014.

The Mountaineers' fortunes will be largely determined by quarterback Skyler Howard and his readiness to make good decisions in the passing game. ESPN's Jake Trotter lays out West Virginia's dream and nightmare scenarioswith Howard under center.

Recruiting

With college players returning to campus next weekend to report for fall camp and coaches turning their focus to their own teams, this was the final weekend for high school prospects to impress at college camps. At West Virginia, the Mountaineers held their last one-day camp of the summer on Saturday, and three players took home MVP honors.

Around The League

Around The Big 12:

When the Big 12 took a major step toward expansion last week, there was plenty of surprise expressed by followers of the league. Unless, that is, you've followed WVU President E. Gordon Gee.

BYU is unique in a lot of ways. One is its unbending insistence that it not play sports on Sunday, the day the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes as its Sabbath. There are no Cougars games on Sundays, ever, for any reason. BYU's is the only major athletic department in the country to observe this rule. It shouldn't scare off the Big 12.

Around The NCAA:

Last year, Michigan State needed only a little bit of good fortune to turn a reloading year into another Big Ten title run. The Spartans have plenty of questions to answer in 2016, but they have a track record, and they get Michigan and Ohio State at home.

James Franklin has engineered slight improvement in two years at Penn State, but if Franklin wants to keep the pressure off, his Nittany Lions need to turn upside and a new offense into a marquee win or two. That pressure is growing.

The USC Trojans have the pieces to contend in a season-opening blockbuster, as long as they hold their own inside.

Video Of Interest

Video Of (Dis)Interest

Miss Throwdown

Today's Miss Throwdown is an Australian-German model. CLICK HERE for Tina Louise's Instagram.