The Shotgun/Throwdown (9/7/18): Kenny Bigelow making the most of his second chance

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Football

Bigelow Jr. Attacking His Final Starring Role | West Virginia Athletics
His knee's just fine, thank you very much. Doubts anyone might have had about the health and well-being of Kenny Bigelow Jr.'s right knee can be put to rest after seeing him blow past Tennessee center Brandon Kennedy to haul down quarterback Jarrett Guarantano behind the line of scrimmage on the very first play of the season last weekend.

WVU defensive lineman Kenny Bigelow making immediate impact | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Indeed, there’s a story behind Bigelow’s appearance in the old gold and blue. Now 6-foot-4, 304 pounds, the defensive lineman was a five-star recruit for USC in 2013 and rated as the No. 9 player at any position by 247Sports.com. He was the highest-rated member of the Trojans’ class that year, and current LSU head coach Ed Orgeron was hailed for the signing.

Side by side again, Stills brothers bring energy to WVU defensive front | WV Illustrated
Nose tackle Kenny Bigelow took an immediate liking to Darius and Dante Stills when he came to WVU. Bigelow said he “sees himself” in the Fairmont natives, and before the season opener against Tennessee, Bigelow could be seen talking to his fellow defensive linemen, as Dante Stills prepared to play in his first game as a Mountaineer.

The Loe-down on West Virginia’s options at outside linebacker | WV MetroNews
Redshirt freshman Exree Loe and former walk-on Shea Campbell projected to platoon at Sam linebacker.

On 30th anniversary, 1988 team ‘seems like yesterday’ to Nehlen | WV MetroNews
Untouchable throughout an 11-0 regular season, crushing opponents by a 27-point average margin of victory, those Mountaineers became the only football team in program history to play for a national title.

Time Change for Mountaineer Mantrip | West Virginia Athletics
West Virginia University Football has announced that the Mountaineer Mantrip, a fan favorite pregame tradition, will now start approximately two hours and 45 minutes (3:15 p.m. this week) prior to kickoff each home game.

West Virginia Athletics

Mountaineers Travel to UCF Friday | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University men's soccer team returns to the road and travels to Orlando, Florida, for a matchup at UCF on Friday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. ET.

Mountaineers, Tigers Tangle in Clemson | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia University women's soccer team makes its first-ever trip to Clemson, South Carolina, for a match against the Tigers on Friday, Sept. 7, with kick from Riggs Field set for 7 p.m.

Around the Big 12

Big 12's older QBs include a 5th-year 1st-time starter | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy considers Taylor Cornelius something of a dinosaur, and not because his starting quarterback’s 23rd birthday is coming up the day after the Cowboys play their third game of the season.

TCU owns SMU but still takes the Iron Skillet seriously | SBNation
The Frogs and Mustangs meet Friday night for the Iron Skillet (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2). This is still a big deal for TCU, even as time has separated the two programs.

2018 Game I: Iowa State vs. “The Team Out East” Football Preview | Wide Right & Natty Lite
The CyHawk Series heads to Iowa Chitty for the Hok’s Super Bowl

Kicking the Tires: Mississippi State Bulldogs | Bring On The Cats
K-State’s opener was a win, but pretty much nothing else went as planned. It gets way more difficult this week with a visit from Mississippi State.

Around the NCAA

Spread picks for every college football game in 2018’s Week 2 | SBNation
Does South Carolina have a chance of upsetting Georgia? Can Penn State and Michigan State bounce back on the road after shaky Week 1 wins?

The 16 best bets for Week 2 of college football gambling, including Mississippi State | SBNation
Let’s pick out some wagers for a light Week 2 of college football.

The quarter-century of bickering that will kill the Penn State-Pitt rivalry again | SBNation
The long-running story of how a sour off-field relationship killed a rivalry series twice and will soon do it once more.

Stanford-USC is now annually important *and* a rivalry | SBNation
The series dates back to 1919, but it’s received more national attention in the last decade.

11 things that were happening the last time Kentucky beat Florida in football | SBNation
Heading into the 2018 matchup, it’s been 31 straight games.

Youngstown State Penguins vs. #14 West Virginia Mountaineers
Saturday at 6:00PM ET on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh from Morgantown, West Virginia. This game is a microcosm of the rest of the week two college football slate, which is to say it’s very bad. This one should be over well before halftime.

#16 TCU Horned Frogs vs. SMU Mustangs
Tonight at 8:00PM ET on ESPN2 from Dallas, Texas. It’s going to be 90 degrees at kickoff, and Gary Patterson will be shirtless by the third quarter. TCU is favored by 22.5 points.

#18 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Saturday at Noon ET on ESPN from Manhattan, Kansas. The Snydercats look hapless last week against a team from the Dakotas, a tale as old as time. It’s only going to get worse for Kansas State as Nick Fitzgerald is back for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State is favored by 8 points.

UCLA Bruins vs. #6 Oklahoma Sooners
Saturday at 1:00PM ET on Fox from Norman, Oklahoma. The Chip Kelly Return Tour got off to a bad start last week with a loss to Cincinnati in Pasadena, and it’s only going to get worse this week. Oklahoma is favored by 30 points.

#3 Georgia Bulldogs vs. #24 South Carolina Gamecocks
Saturday at 3:30PM ET on CBS from Columbia, South Carolina. This one should be one of the best of the weekend, solely based on the fact that it’s one of only two games between two ranked opponent. The Bulldogs are favored by 10 points.

Iowa State Cyclones vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Saturday at 5:00PM ET on Fox from Iowa City, Iowa. ¡El Assico! will give us our first look at the Cyclones, after their week one game was cancelled due to weather. Put this one on your second screen, and enjoy the madness. Iowa is favored by 3.5 points.

#2 Clemson Tigers vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Saturday at 7:00PM ET on ESPN from College Station, Texas. Jimbo Fisher could prove he’s worth that enormous contract here with a huge win over the Tigers. Clemson is favored by 12 points.

#13 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
Saturday at 8:00PM ET on ABC from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Penn State fans will pack Heinz Field to watch their Nittany Lions beat up on the Panthers. Penn State is favored by 8.5 points.

#17 USC Trojans vs. #10 Stanford Cardinal
Saturday at 8:30PM ET on FOX from Palo Alto, California. The other matchup between two ranked teams this week. Bryce Love will have a chance to get himself back into the Heisman race, but another lackluster performance may knock him out of it all together. Stanford is favored by 6 points.

#15 Michigan State Spartans vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Saturday at 10:45PM ET on ESPN from Tempe, Arizona. This game could be the perfect combination of SPARTY NO and our new favorite, HERM AFTER DARK. Michigan State is favored by 6 points.

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