West Virginia Safeties Push Forward Following Dravon Askew-Henry's Knee Injury

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

Football:

Jarrod Harper said he felt his heart break when he found out teammate Dravon Askew-Henry tore an ACL in practice last week and that the junior will miss West Virginia's entire 2016 season. But Jeremy Tyler saw Askew-Henry's heart break.

There was a time during West Virginia's football camp, before the offensive implosion that came in Saturday's scrimmage, that running backs coach JaJuan Seider was extolling the talents of his running back corps. Seider was flying high all summer off what he had seen from Rushel Shell, Kennedy McKoy, Justin Crawford and Martell Petteway, but on this occasion the praise was coming in heavy downpours.

If Rasul Douglas can hold up on the field as well as he once did off, WVU might be OK. Before the East Orange, New Jersey, native hit Morgantown, he was a standout at Nassau Community College. He was a NJCAA All-America selection. He was a PrepStar JUCO All-America pick. But the experience doesn't exactly bring back great memories for the player.

West Virginia's assumed starting left tackle, Yodny Cajuste, has taken a precarious route to his position. Just three years ago, the blindside protector was playing basketball in high school at Miramar High outside Miami. Now, he's the de facto starting tackle at West Virginia. So what has led to the 6-foot-5, 304-pounder forgoing what he thought was his first love, and embracing football?

West Virginia sophomore wide receiver Jovon Durante is 6 feet tall and runs like a deer. But after a star-crossed freshman season, the Miami native has found a home in the Mountaineers offense at inside receiver.

West Virginia Athletics:

As the 2016 college football season kicks off, country music superstar Brad Paisley, West Virginia Athletics, and their multi-media partner, IMG, will be bringing Paisley's show to West Virginia University to provide free entertainment for the Mountaineer campus community.

The West Virginia University men's soccer team will host rival Pitt on Tuesday, August 16, at 2:30 p.m. ET, in a Backyard Brawl exhibition match.The match will be held in conjunction with WVU Welcome Week, and admission is free for all fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to pick up the official 2016 schedule poster, along with 2016 schedule cards.

The West Virginia University women's soccer team ranks No. 5 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Women's Top 25 Poll. Today's ranking is the program's best position in a preseason poll and one spot better than the team's ranking in the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) Division I Women's Preseason Ranking. The Mountaineers were ranked No. 7 in the final 2015 TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 25 Poll.

Point guard Jordan McCabe, a 4-star recruit out of Kaukauna High (Wisc.) has called a press conference for Tuesday and is expected to announce his commitment to West Virginia University in 2018, according to a source close to his recruitment.

Around The Big XII:

West Virginia's Noble Nwachukwu finished the 2015 season with 8.5 sacks and leads the pack of Big 12's top defensive ends, according to ESPN.

Around The NCAA:

Dan Mullen's program-building gives Mississippi State the depth and talent to succeed despite the loss of a star quarterback. Now if only he were able to also win a PR battle or two...

Head coach Mike Norvell takes over for Justin Fuente in Memphis, and thanks to his predecessor's success, he inherits a program with strong depth and higher expectations. If he has a quarterback, Norvell could engineer a nice first-year run.

Today's Miss Throwdown is the beautiful fitness model that has been featured in Maxim, FHM and GQ, and is a Florida State graduate. CLICK HERE for Carissa Rosario's Instagram.