The Shotgun/Throwdown (2/5/19): Can Austin Kendall Replace Will Grier?

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

Football

WV MetroNews Mystery man Austin Kendall well-suited to follow Will Grier at WVU - WV MetroNews
Austin Kendall has played sparingly in college, but his upbringing makes him uniquely suited to replace Will Grier as West Virginia's quarterback.

WVU football: Brown gets his first commitment | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
The WVU football team added its first high school commitment since the arrival of head coach Neal Brown in Morgantown.

Derek Redd: Actions speaking loudly for WVU football coach Neal Brown with in-state recruiting | Derek Redd | wvgazettemail.com
When new West Virginia football coach Neal Brown says he’s going to do something, he doesn’t waste much time in taking action.

WVU recruiting: Neal Brown meets with recruits before National Signing Day | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
On the final weekend before National Signing Day, Neal Brown and his West Virginia coaching staff hosted several recruits from multiple classes and from all over the country.

Brown Announces Recruiting Staff Addition - West Virginia University Athletics
WVU football coach Neal Brown has announced the hiring of LeighAshton Watson as the Mountaineers on-campus recruiting coordinator.

West Virginia expected to add Kansas State assistant Blake Seiler as linebackers coach - The Smoking Musket
With the hire of Seiler, there are just two assistant coaching roles left open on Neal Brown’s staff.

Signing Day Show to Air Wednesday Afternoon - West Virginia University Athletics
WVU is revealing its newest class of Mountaineer football players on Wednesday, and WVUsports.com once again will be inside the Milan Puskar Center to provide exclusive live coverage.

A Look Back At West Virginia’s Uniforms - The Smoking Musket
The pickaxe font is likely gone, so let’s look back on how West Virginia did in these unique threads.

National Signing Day: 14 college football teams that could make big moves - SBNation.com
Signing Day’s still an opportunity, even now that most of the country’s signees are off the board. The Mountaineers are among the 14 college football teams that could make big moves on National Signing Day.

Basketball

Martin Captures Big 12 Honor - West Virginia University Athletics
After leading the Mountaineer women's basketball team to a pair of Big 12 wins last week, Tynice Martin has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week.

WV MetroNews Tynice Martin gets rare breather as Mountaineers cruise past Kansas - WV MetroNews
West Virginia's star guard earned some well-deserved late rest as the Mountaineers ran away from the Jayhawks.

WVU trounced by Texas Tech
In an uncharacteristic season for a team coached by Bob Huggins, WVU men’s basketball may have reached a new low Monday at #18 Texas Tech.

WVU's Logan Routt ejected for tripping Texas Tech player from bench
Officials ejected West Virginia forward Logan Routt from the Mountaineers' game at Texas Tech on Monday night after ruling he tripped an opponent while sitting on the bench.

Life as a Mountaineer - James "Beetle" Bolden - West Virginia University Athletics
Pound for pound, there might not be a tougher player in college basketball than West Virginia's James "Beetle" Bolden.

West Virginia Athletics

Mountaineers Down Pitt in Backyard Brawl - West Virginia University Athletics
In the 37th edition of the Backyard Brawl, the Mountaineer tennis team defeated Pitt, 5-2.

Three Mountaineers Nationally Ranked - West Virginia University Athletics
Three Mountaineers from the WVU gymnastics team own a combined four national rankings in this week's Road to Nationals Rankings.

WVU Voted Sixth in Big 12 Preseason Poll - West Virginia University Athletics
The West Virginia baseball team has been picked to finish sixth in the 2019 Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Mountaineers Soar to Season-High Score - West Virginia University Athletics
The WVU gymnastics team used season-high scores on three events to power to a season-best 196.125 total in a third-place finish this past weekend.

Eight Wins Power WVU Past Duquesne - West Virginia University Athletics
The West Virginia tennis team claimed a season-opening, 6-1 win over Duquesne at the Alpha Tennis Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,

Mountaineers Finish Weekend in Akron - West Virginia University Athletics
Check out the recap of the WVU track and field team's performance at the 15th Annual Akron Invitational.

WVU Stumbles in Home Finale - West Virginia University Athletics
Three Mountaineers came away with wins, as the West Virginia wrestling team fell to Army, 28-10.

Meet the Mountaineers: Katie DeMeo - West Virginia University Athletics
Throughout the spring semester, Mountaineer fans will have the unique opportunity to get acquainted with the WVU volleyball team. Next up is Katie DeMeo.

Mental Motivation - West Virginia University Athletics
Assistant coach Kaylyn Millick knows the right word can make a big difference. Learn how Millick and the WVU coaches have been motivating the Mountaineer gymnasts this season in this episode of Climbing the Mountain.

Around the Big 12

Iowa State keeps pace in the Big 12 season race with another road win — this time at Oklahoma
The Cyclones got positive contributions from everyone on a night when they didn’t always play their best.

KU basketball: Preview of key Big 12 game at K-State | The Kansas City Star
The KU basketball team is expecting a hostile environment at K-State’s Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday night. The Jayhawks are a game in the loss column behind Kansas State in the Big 12 standings.

Lawson named to Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 Watch List - University of Kansas Athletics
Kansas redshirt-junior Dedric Lawson has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List.

Around the NCAA

Predicting where 6 top unsigned 2019 football recruits will commit - SBNation.com
Where will the big National Signing Day decisions land?

NCAA basketball rankings: No change at the top as the big four keep winning - SBNation.com
Tennessee, Duke, Virginia, and Gonzaga keep their hold on the top of the polls, as the ACC and Big Ten dominate the rankings.

IMG Academy college football recruits would be an elite class by themselves - SBNation.com
The athletic prep school in Florida once again has enough elite talent to sustain a whole, good signing class.

WV MetroNews Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick astonishes auction with $125K bid for muzzleloader - WV MetroNews
Arizona Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick, a West Virginia University alum, paid $125,000 to purchase the first Marvin Wotring Mountaineer muzzleloader during the Bob Huggins Fish Fry.

Super Bowl 2019 commercials winners and losers - SBNation.com
These are the ads everyone is going to talk about.

Super Bowl 2019 results: 7 reasons that was one of the most boring ever - SBNation.com
The New England Patriots are Super Bowl champions for the sixth time. While the other eight Super Bowls they have played in since the 2001 season were all pretty thrilling in one way or another, their 13-3 win against the Rams in Super Bowl 53 was not very exciting.

It’s okay to admit that the Super Bowl wasn’t a good game - SBNation.com
It doesn’t make you any less of a football fan to let go of the thought that all football is good football.

4 NFL teams that could actually take down the Patriots dynasty - SBNation.com
Someone in the AFC just needs to stop this madness.

2019 NFL mock draft: Here’s 2 rounds for after Super Bowl 53 - SBNation.com
The top names are well known, but the strength of the draft stands out the deeper you go.

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