The Shotgun/Throwdown: Texas, the team West Virginians love to hate

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

Football

Texas is the team West Virginia fans love to hate. But why? | WV MetroNews
For perhaps the first time in his West Virginia coaching tenure, Neal Brown is a bit perplexed by something. Based on his first few months in Morgantown, he’s picked up on the fact Mountaineer fans have a strong distaste for Texas.

Mountaineers, Longhorns to Hook Up Saturday | West Virginia University Athletics
The 11th-ranked Texas Longhorns are coming to town this weekend to make their fourth-ever appearance at Milan Puskar Stadium. And just like Penn State years ago when the Mountaineers and Nittany Lions were Eastern Independents or during the Big East days when Miami was ruling the league, Texas is becoming a big draw for Mountaineer fans.

Longhorns draw praise from Brown | Blue Gold News
A week of rest and rehabilitation has been a nice elixir for the Mountaineer football team, but still the task that it faces this coming weekend certainly is going to be very difficult.

Cowan could be one to watch against ‘Horns | Times West Virginian
VanDarius Cowan is out of the penalty box and, for a while, he might be skating on thin ice, the transfer from that well known southern school, Alabama, may just be ready to lead West Virginia into contention for the Big 12’s version of the Stanley Cup.

Logan Thimons accepts, thrives in role for WVU | Blue Gold News
The one thing Thimons didn’t do much in high school was play offense, seeing, by his estimate, maybe a dozen plays on that side of the football. But as fate would have it, it’s offense that Thimons now calls home at West Virginia.

Basketball

Tickets for Beckley Game on Sale Now | West Virginia University Athletics
Tickets for the West Virginia University women's basketball game against Radford at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center in Beckley, West Virginia, are now on sale through the Mountaineer Ticket Office. The Mountaineers and the Highlanders will square off on Sunday, Nov. 17, in a 2 p.m. tip.

West Virginia Athletics

Mountaineers Back in Top 25 | West Virginia University Athletics
The West Virginia University men's soccer team is back in the national rankings, checking in at No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, the organization announced on Tuesday.

Around the Big 12

Baylor, Matt Rhule agree to long contract extension | WV MetroNews
Baylor will let Matt Rhule rule for eight more seasons. The school announced Sunday that it agreed to a contract extension with rule that will last through the 2027 season.

Around the NCAA

FAQ: How California bill can change college sports | Banner Society
We’ll keep this updated as needed.

Almost every national champ has at least one bad game along the way | Banner Society
One Saturday of struggles doesn’t always mean that much.

North Carolina regrets taunting of Clemson fans | ESPN
North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said he regrets that the Tar Heels ridiculed Clemson fans on the video board during the Tigers' 21-20 victory at Kenan Stadium on Saturday.

NFL picks 2019, Week 5: Not gonna lie, these are some tough games for our experts to predict | SB Nation
Nine matchups have our panel split, including Rams-Seahawks and Browns-49ers in primetime.

NFL Panic Index 2019: The Vikings’ expensive passing offense is worse than the Dolphins’ | SB Nation
The Vikings can’t throw, the Cowboys can’t run, and the Ravens can’t defend. What is going on?

The Washington Nationals Avert Playoff Misery—for Now—With a Wild-Card Win | The Ringer
The Nats have been plagued by postseason heartbreak with four NLDS exits since 2012. Their win Tuesday over the Brewers sets up a date with the Dodgers—and another chance at a deep October run.

Dorktown: 2019 was the most homer-stupid year in the history of baseball | SB Nation
This year’s bewildering home run surge made a joke of the steroid era and all other years that came before it. With the regular season in the books, Alex Rubenstein can finally chart out the full postmortem.

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