The Shotgun/Throwdown (9/26/18): West Virginia could possibly go undefeated, according to S&P+

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

Football

Grier-Sills touchdown code cashes in for Mountaineers | WV MetroNews
If this story was written by Will Grier, there’s a chance only David Sills would understand it. The West Virginia stars have a secret language that sometimes not even Dana Holgorsen can decipher.

Mountaineers expect Texas Tech offense to turn up the tempo | Charleston Gazette-Mail
As a former Texas Tech quarterback, Kliff Kingsbury’s Red Raider teams have upheld the program’s reputation as a pass-happy bunch, and the 2018 version is no different.

West Virginia and Texas Tech have had their share of penalties | WV MetroNews
Penalties were the lone sore spot for West Virginia against Youngstown State two weeks ago, with the Mountaineers getting flagged 12 times for 114 yards. With two weeks to prepare, WVU played a much cleaner game against Kansas State, drawing three flags for 35 yards.

Mountaineers defense tied for FBS lead allowing 12.3 points per game | WV MetroNews
At this rate, there’s a chance ESPN will recognize West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson’s face by the end of the season.

Teammates’ pick-me-up highlighted Tevin Bush’s first career score | WV MetroNews
Kansas State’s secondary didn’t see Tevin Bush coming, and Bush didn’t foresee his own teammates turning his touchdown into a crowd-surfing celebration.

Touchdown celebrations something to cheer about | EerSports
For all the exciting and memorable things West Virginia's offense is doing on the field, perhaps the greatest achievement for the Mountaineers is that you cannot afford to take your eyes off of them when they're off the field.

WATCH: WVU Commit Highlights From Week Six | EerSports
West Virginia commits did a little bit of everything this weekend - from 96-yard yard touchdown runs to multi-sack games - and there's video to prove it.

Basketball

Release: WVU Hoops to Host Charity Exhibition Game | EerSports
The West Virginia University men’s basketball team will host a charity exhibition game against Penn State inside the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 3. Proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross’ hurricane relief efforts.

West Virginia Athletics

WVU’s Win Streak Snapped By Radford | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University men's soccer team saw its three-match win streak come to an end with a 4-1 loss to Radford on Tuesday night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

Izzo-Brown's Tweaks Have Women’s Soccer Winning Again | West Virginia Athletics
If there is one thing watching West Virginia University women's soccer teams for the past 18 years has taught us, it's never to doubt Nikki Izzo-Brown.

WVU Returns Home, Takes on K-State | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University volleyball team returns to the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday, Sept. 26, as the Mountaineers take on Big 12 Conference foe Kansas State in a 6 p.m. matchup.

Around the Big 12

Oklahoma State Cowboys' Jalen McCleskey to redshirt, transfer | ESPN
Slot receiver Jalen McCleskey will redshirt with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, then transfer after the year for his final season.

Around the NCAA

Here are your college football team’s odds of going winless, bowling, or undefeated-ish | SB Nation
Winless UCLA! 11-1 Kentucky?? Coastal Carolina bowling! S&P+ has a lot of opinions on how the rest of the season will play out.

College football strength of schedule rankings and how to make them much more useful | SB Nation
Near the bottom of this post: an improved way of thinking about strength of schedule rankings. And first, an explanation.

Biggest question mark remaining each Top 25 team | ESPN
Nick Saban wants negatives? We've got 'em. Every team has flaws. (Even Alabama, we think.) Here's the weakness that could derail the nation's best.

Kelly Bryant, relegated to the Clemson bench, misses Tuesday practice | ESPN
Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant did not attend practice Tuesday. It's his second missed practice, as coach Dabo Swinney excused him from Monday's practice to process his demotion from starter to backup.

How Kelly Bryant’s transfer works, thanks to 2 NCAA rules working in tandem | SB Nation
With Trevor Lawrence starting, the senior is leaving Clemson. He’s positioned to start somewhere else in 2019.

Ohio State-Penn State is making its case as the Big Ten’s highest-quality rivalry | SB Nation
The last two years of this series couldn’t have been better or bigger. Is the Big Ten’s pecking order of big games changing?

Holy s***, Rutgers is terrible even by Rutgers standards | SB Nation
The Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten and are still playing some of the worst football in school history, which is saying something.

Nick Saban, Lane Kiffin, other coaches recall college football's wackiest sideline headset stories | ESPN
Cursin' assistants, skillet-hot seats, shocking (electrifying?) decisions: The ubiquitous sideline staple has transmitted some of the sport's zaniest stories.

Alabama Crimson Tide plan changes to Bryant-Denny Stadium after Dylan Moses barrels into wall | ESPN
Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses' collision with a security guard during Saturday's game appears to have prompted upcoming changes at the Bryant-Denny Stadium to improve safety.

The 8 least believable things about the recruiting plot in The Rock’s HBO show ‘Ballers’ | SB Nation
The HBO show doesn’t understand how recruiting works.

NFL Panic Index: All of our Super Bowl favorites are in trouble | SB Nation
Plus, are the Cowboys a disaster? Is Andrew Luck done? Lots of stuff to worry about this week.

‘Gritty’, the internet’s most beloved mascot, explained | SB Nation
All hail Gritty.

The 2018 Ryder Cup will have a 1st tee party that golf has never seen before | SB Nation
The European Tour has set a new standard for one of the Ryder Cup’s most unique and un-golf traditions.

Revisiting Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy’s 2016 Ryder Cup Showdown | The Ringer
The final round at Hazeltine, when a golf tournament turned into a playground basketball game and two of the sport’s ascendant talents trash-talked, finger-wagged, crowd-shushed, and electrified the world, all while playing the round of their lives

Bryce Harper, Baseball’s Chosen One, Is at a Crossroads | The Ringer
Harper was once seen as the prodigy who would save his sport and his city. But as he approaches free agency, his reputation has changed. What’s the legacy of the Nationals star? And what happens next?

Prince’s and Tom Petty’s Posthumous Careers Are Off to a Great Start | The Ringer
For ‘Piano & a Microphone 1983’ and ‘An American Treasure,’ the estates of two beloved rock stars raid their respective vaults, tastefully

---

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