The Shotgun/Throwdown (8/22/18): Grier, Sills Named To AP Pre-Season All America Team

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Football

WVU's Grier, Sills named to AP Preseason All-America team | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Heisman Trophy runner-up Bryce Love of Stanford and Outland Trophy winner Ed Oliver of Houston highlight The Associated Press preseason All-America team. Chosen by AP poll voters, the team announced Tuesday also features West Virginia quarterback Will Grier and his teammate, receiver David Sills V.

Tennessee Mock Week Underway | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University football team inches closer toward its season opening game against Tennessee at Bank America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, Sept. 1. Coach Dana Holgorsen spent about 25 minutes with the media in the Milan Puskar Center before getting his team prepared for Tuesday evening's practice. He said his guys will go through a mock week of preparations before the real thing begins Sunday.

WVU football closing in on 2018 season-opener against Tennessee | EerSports
The mock week that traditionally precedes the first real game week of the season began in earnest at West Virginia on Tuesday. Dana Holgorsen had a news conference in the regularly scheduled time and place. He was in a mood to talk, too. About what? That varied. The room was cold. The weather annoys him. He was upset by one NCAA rule. He was confused by another. He didn't want to talk about the first opponent. He wasn't ready to unveil decisions made about the depth chart.

WVU football notebook: Holgorsen pleased with scrimmage work | Charleston Gazette-Mail
When WVU football coach Dana Holgorsen walked into his Tuesday press conference, he asked those in attendance if they were cold. The thermostat in the team’s meeting room had been turned down to 67 degrees. “It’s freezing in here,” Holgorsen said. “And it’s 100 percent Tony Gibson’s fault.”

WVU's Gibson 'held hostage' by selfish players last year | WV News
WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said Tuesday that selfish players hurt his unit last year.

West Virginia Athletics

WVU slips in national rankings | WV Illustrated
After an 0-1-1 start – its worst in nearly 20 years – WVU women’s soccer has fallen in the national polls.

2018 Promotional Slate Announced | West Virginia Athletics
An exciting and engaging promotional slate is scheduled for the nationally ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team's return to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium this season.

Mountaineers picked to finish third in MAC | WV Illustrated
The West Virginia men’s soccer team has been voted to finish third in the 2018 Mid-American Conference preseason poll.

Around the Big 12

Da'Leon Ward of Texas Tech Red Raiders facing felony theft charge | ESPN
Da'Leon Ward, who led Texas Tech in rushing in 2016, was arrested Tuesday on a June warrant and is facing a felony theft charge.

Around the NCAA

Let’s challenge the conventional wisdom on each team in the 2018 preseason AP Top 25 | SBNation
Now that we have rankings to work with, here are a couple things to keep in mind about each team.

Texas A&M could be in NCAA trouble amid an Arizona transfer’s eligibility fight | SBNation
In his quest to get eligible at Arizona, former Aggies linebacker Santino Marchiol alleges potential NCAA violations at A&M.

Why Chip Kelly failed in the NFL and what it means for UCLA | SBNation
The differences between college and pro football aren’t as big as you’ve been led to believe, but they are big enough.

NFL breakout players 2018: Predicting the next big thing for all 32 teams | SBNation
Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White has been grinding tape all summer to figure out which players are poised for a big leap forward in 2018.

The Inside Story of the 49ers’ $137.5 Million Jimmy Garoppolo Gamble | The Ringer
Why did John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, and Co. decide to bet the 49ers’ future on a quarterback with only seven NFL starts to his name?

Baseball fights are still stupid, awful, and extremely watchable | SBNation
In which we bemoan the art of the baseball fight and suggest a new rule about bat flips to make the sport better.

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