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Football
Texas Tech, West Virginia Pick Up Week 10 Awards
West Virginia’s T.J. Simmons was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, while Mountaineer Tykee Smith was the Defensive Player of the Week. Texas Tech’s Jonathan Garibay collected Special Teams Player of the Week honors, and Red Raider Colin Schooler was named Newcomer of the Week. Simmons led all receivers with 90 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 22.5 yards per catch in the win over TCU. Smith intercepted his second pass of the season in the fourth quarter and returned the interception 42 yards on the play, marking the longest interception return of the season.
West Virginia offense shows improvement from 2019
In 2019, West Virginia struggled to find an identity. The rushing attack was lacking throughout most of the year and by the final month of the season, WVU had turned to a new starting quarterback. In 2020, the Mountaineers now have their identity. The identity of WVU has been through running back Leddie Brown and the ground game. In just eight games, WVU has rushed for 1,255 total yards on the ground with Brown accumulating 817 yards on his own.
Doege staying sharp, spreading the wealth as Mountaineers clinch at least a .500 regular season
His streak of consecutive 300-yard passing games may have come to an end, but West Virginia quarterback Jarret Doege was still efficient in the 24-6 win over TCU. Doege completed 73 percent of his 26 passing attempts as he threw for 212 yards and logged three total scores in the victory. Head coach Neal Brown said that performance followed Doege’s best week of practice this fall.
Three Guys Before The Game -Squashed Frogs (Episode 244)
The Mountaineer football team hopped into a much-needed bye week with a resounding victory over TCU. Why was West Virginia so efficient in its win over the Horned Frogs? How can WVU parlay their last performance into its last two games of the regular season? Those are just a couple of the questions discussed on this episode of “Three Guys Before The Game.”
Sunday notebook: Brown believes WVU is ‘figuring it out’
Regardless of what happens in their final two regular season games against Oklahoma and Big 12-leader Iowa State, West Virginia has met some benchmarks for tangible progress in Neal Brown’s second season as WVU head coach. Saturday’s 24-6 win over TCU allowed the Mountaineers to equal their 2019 win total in four fewer games and surpass last season’s Big 12 win total.
Brown likes consistency of defense, play of Simmons in win over TCU
The West Virginia Mountaineers bounced back in a big way when they faced TCU on Saturday, winning by a final score of 24-6 to earn their fifth win of the year. Helping the offense, was the outstanding performance of senior wide receiver T.J. Simmons, who only had four catches but went for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Banged up Brown played vital role in win vs. Horned Frogs
In the lead up to Saturday’s clash with the Horned Frogs, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown wasn’t certain the junior running back Leddie Brown would be ready to go. While he was not 100 percent, Brown did play, and turned in his fifth 100-yard outing of 2020, racking up 156 yards on the ground.
West Virginia Controls TCU for Win No. 5
West Virginia used a powerful ground game, sprinkled in some timely Jarret Doege passes and got another dominant performance from its defense to easily handle TCU, 24-6.
Basketball
Culver dominating in practice as WVU’s opener nears
Without preseason games or a closed scrimmage against an outside opponent, the Mountaineers have spent the entire preseason going up against the same guys on a daily basis. Bob Huggins says Derek Culver has clearly had an edge on the rest of his teammates so far. Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe combine to form the Big 12’s most formidable frontcourt duo, but Huggins is challenging Culver to expand his game and his range further from the hoop.
West Virginia Athletics
No. 13 WVU Suffers Setback to No. 1 Texas
The #13 West Virginia volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match to #1 Texas on Friday evening, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown. The Mountaineers fell to the undefeated Longhorns in set scores of 25-15, 25-8, and 25-20. WVU is now 7-7 this season.
Baseball Announces Newest Signing Class
West Virginia baseball coach Randy Mazey has announced the addition of 17 student-athletes for the 2022 season. This year’s class is ranked #40 nationally by Perfect Game, marking WVU’s fourth consecutive top-40 class.
Adams places second at U23 Nationals
Two members of the West Virginia wrestling team competed at the 2020 U23 and UWW Junior Nationals last weekend, held at the CHI Health Center, in Omaha, Nebraska, with redshirt junior Noah Adams placing second in the U23 197 kg bracket.
Stokes Named Student-Athlete of the Week
West Virginia volleyball freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist Skye Stokes has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week.
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Around the Big 12
Big 12 Snapshot; Holding steady
West Virginia won over TCU and Texas Tech defeated Baylor this week, but there is minimal change in the Big 12 Snapshot. This is the calm before the storm, because next weekend the top five teams in the Big 12 standings will all be in action, while WVU kicks back with a well-deserved off week following five straight Saturdays of play.
Big 12 announces championship game will be played Dec. 19
The 2020 Big 12 Football Championship will officially be played on December 19th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Tickets for the reduced capacity event will go on sale on Friday. There will be 500 student tickets on sale and each participating school will be allotted 4,500 tickets.
Around the NCAA
NCAA planning bubble for men’s basketball tournament
The NCAA has announced that it will hold its 2021 NCAA Tournament in a single geographic area. The association said it is working with officials in Indianapolis, Indiana, to make that possible. Indianapolis is where the NCAA is headquartered and the host city for the 2021 Final Four.
College football bowl projections after Week 11
While a handful of Power 5 teams remain undefeated, there are other programs looking to squeeze into a New Year’s Six bowl. Check out what bowl game West Virginia is expected to play in against a regional foe in the latest bowl projections after Saturday’s action.
South Carolina parts ways with football coach Will Muschamp
South Carolina has parted ways with football coach Will Muschamp. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, the former head coach at Colorado State, will serve as the Gamecocks’ interim coach for the remainder of the season.
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Sources: Phoenix Suns agree in principle to acquire Chris Paul from Oklahoma City Thunder
The Phoenix Suns have agreed in principle on a deal to acquire Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star guard Chris Paul, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal sends Paul and Abdel Nader to the Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and a 2022 first-round pick.
NBA mock draft: Our latest intel on most likely picks and trades
The 2020 NBA draft is quickly approaching, and questions remain from top to bottom in this class. Whom will the Minnesota Timberwolves take at #1? What about the Golden State Warriors at #2? And which teams could look to trade up for LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, or another top prospect?
Every new NHL throwback jersey, described in one sentence
The NHL unveiled their new reverse retro jerseys on Monday morning, and for the most part they are pretty great. Many of them play into the staunch tradition of the organizations, others play with the nostalgia of the era in which they were created.
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