The Shotgun/Throwdown (2/19/18): Marquel Blackwell A “Near Perfect” Fit For West Virginia Recruiting

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

It’s been a while since I’ve done this. The Throwdown kinda died unintentionally last year because of outside circumstances. I attempted to revive it - repackaged as The Rundown sometime after that - but that failed miserably because my heart just wasn’t in it.

But the time has come. We need to return to our roots. Back to the good ‘ol days. It’s time to Make The Musket Great Again.

Bob Huggins destroys officials, college basketball following Kansas loss | Heartland College Sports
Following their lost to Kansas in which WVU was outshot 35 to 2 at the free throw line, Bob Huggins destroyed the officials and college basketball.

Mountaineers Drop Series Finale | West Virginia Athletics
The No. 22 West Virginia University baseball team lost its season-opening series finale at Jacksonville, 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at John Sessions Stadium.

WVU Downs Clarion in Regular-Season Finale | West Virginia Athletics
In front of a program-record setting crowd of 4,517 Mountaineer fans, the West Virginia University wrestling team closed out the regular season with a 25-13 win over Clarion, on Sunday afternoon, at the WVU Coliseum.

WVU Drops OT Heartbreaker to OU | West Virginia Athletics
A 3-pointer from junior guard Katrina Pardee with just eight seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime, but the West Virginia women's basketball team fell to Oklahoma on a buzzer beater, 79-77, at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday.

Football:

New WVU coach Blackwell should have positive impact on recruiting | Charleston Gazette-Mail
West Virginia made official earlier this week what had been suspected ever since there was an opening — that former Toledo running back coach Marquell Blackwell would be the newest Mountaineer assistant coach. The connections are not obvious — he has not worked with any WVU coaches in the past — but the fit is near perfect, particularly with recruiting.

Basketball:

WVU tries to move past Kansas game, controversy | Charleston Gazette-Mail
As Bob Huggins mentioned Saturday, the goal now for WVU is to put the KU game away and focus on Tuesday’s game against a streaking Baylor team. That won’t be easy. After losing eight of 10 and four in a row mid-season, the Bears have won five in a row and are gunning for an NCAA tournament berth.

Between officiating and TV, basketball not what it was | The Exponent Telegram
Bob Hertzel is mad as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore.

Around The NCAA:

Who is college football’s version of the pre-2018 Philadelphia Eagles? | SBNation
You know, a big and passionate fan base yearning for a title while its rivals get to point at banners?

How long does an NCAA investigation take? Here’s how it works each time | SBNation
Is your school being accused of breaking the rules? Here’s how the whole saga is likely to play out.

NBA All-Star Game 2018: Fergie’s national anthem gets roasted by everybody | SBNation
I'm actually sad that I didn't get to catch this live. I mean, it's not Roseanne levels of bad, but it's not great.

Austin Dillon wins the Daytona 500 | SBNation
Austin Dillon, driving the No. 3 car made famous by Dale Earnhardt, took the lead late to win the Daytona 500. It was Dillon’s only lap led. Rookie Darryl Wallace Jr, driving the 43 in his first Daytona 500, finished second. Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five.

Genesis Open results 2018: Bubba Watson gets emotional win at Riviera | SBNation
After a miserable year tumbling down the world rankings, Bubba gets back on the board with a win at Riviera.

No. 23 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks
Tonight at 9:00PM ET on ESPN. Can Trae Young lead the Sooners over the Jayhawks in The Phog? It’s doubtful, but I’ll be watching regardless.

I guess I’ll be subscribing to YouTube Red, then.

---

Have any tips, suggestions or requests for what you want to see in The Shotgun/Throwdown? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us on social media.

Follow us!

Twitter: @smokingmusket
Facebook: The Smoking Musket