Neal Brown and the Mountaineers Want to Play Football this Fall

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

Football

WVU head coach Neal Brown: “Our team wants to play”

Neal Brown led his Mountaineers onto the practice field to officially open preseason training camp on the same day that numerous published reports indicated that the college football season is very much in doubt. The West Virginia head coach said: “Our team wants to play. Our coaches want to coach.” Brown is in support of moving forward with the college football season this fall, as he believes it is the best choice and safest environment for his players to be in and will provide the young men with structure and discipline that they need. Brown was also very supportive of his players that have joined the #WeWantToPlay movement because they are using their voices in a positive manner.

WVU’s Brown Believes Football Can Be Safely Played in the Fall

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is advocating that college football be played this fall. He stands by programs are doing in order to play college football this fall, and he believes it can be done safely and effectively. Brown also believes that moving the season to the spring could create major eligibility issues. Do you think college football should be played this fall?

Alston could miss first half of season

In a press release Sunday, Neal Brown noted that West Virginia defensive end Taijh Alston will not participate in fall camp and could miss the first half of the regular season. Alston also missed most of 2019 season after suffering a knee injury.

WVU Football Innovators – Jim Carlen and Bobby Bowden

Part two of the Mountaineer football innovator series takes a look at the tenures of Jim Carlen and Bobby Bowden at West Virginia and how they shaped the offense of the program, as well as how people in the state viewed the Mountaineers.

Puskar Center Work Progressing

Interior and exterior construction work is continuing to progress on West Virginia’s Milan Puskar Center complex. WVU director of athletics Shane Lyons has indicated that a significant portion of the work should be completed in the coming days.

West Virginia Athletics

WVU women’s soccer picked fourth in Big 12 preseason poll

The West Virginia women’s soccer team was picked fourth in the 2020 Big 12 preseason poll, which was announced on Friday. Texas Tech was picked to finish first, Oklahoma State was picked to finish second, and TCU was projected to finish third.

Jordan Brewster named to preseason women’s soccer All-Big 12 team

Following a season in which she was one of the most productive members of the West Virginia women’s soccer team, Jordan Brewster continues to collect accolades. On Thursday, the junior defender was announced as a member of the preseason All-Big 12 team. She is the only Mountaineer to receive the honor.

West Virginia men’s soccer season postponed to spring at earliest

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced Saturday that it would be suspending all fall sports due to coronavirus fear, and it hopes to resume athletics in the spring. The West Virginia men’s soccer team is a member of the MAC.

Preseason prep during a pandemic presents all sorts of new challenges, but also a new outlook: “every day is a gift”

The West Virginia women’s soccer team will be a young squad again this year, and with seven freshmen, lost time makes developing valuable chemistry difficult. Chemistry was not the only thing that took a hit during the stoppage. WVU head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown also has to rush to get new players prepared for the challenges of college soccer.

Trio Joins Mountaineers

The West Virginia gymnastics coaching staff announced on Monday that Ellen Collins, Gillian Fletcher, and Nicole Norris will join the Mountaineer program this fall.

Mountaineer mascot Glover to serve in role through 2021-22

The Mountaineer Advisory Council has announced that Colson Glover will remain the Mountaineer mascot through the 2021-22 academic year as a result of COVID-19 fear interfering with college athletics. This decision seems to directly counter the Mountaineer Advisory Council’s recently adopted term limit of one year for the Mountaineer mascot.

Carter drops season high vs. Heat

Jevon Carter played a key role in the Phoenix Suns’ 119-112 win over the Miami Heat Saturday, producing one of the best performances of his NBA career. The second-year pro scored 20 points on 7-10 shooting in the win over Miami. Carter also shot 75 percent (6-8) from beyond the arc and added four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.

Around the Big 12

Texas Tech Projected as 2020 Big 12 Soccer Favorite

Texas Tech is the preseason favorite for the first time in program history in the 2020 Big 12 soccer preseason poll. Defending regular-season champion Oklahoma State is projected to finish second, and Kansas, who won the 2019 Big 12 Championship, was picked to finish sixth.

2020 Big 12 Soccer Preseason Team Announced

The Big 12 Conference has announced the 2020 Preseason All-Big 12 Soccer team. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech lead the league with three honorees each on the 11-person preseason all-conference team.

Around the NCAA

In Push to Play, College Football Stars Show Sudden Unity

The blending of athletes’ #WeAreUnited and #WeWantToPlay movements showed players asserting themselves in ways that have been uncommon in college sports. At the movement’s core is an eight-word declaration from college athletes that directly challenges the fear that higher education leaders and others around the country are pushing: “We all want to play football this season.”

Sources: Power 5 conferences talking about no fall football

Commissioners of the Power 5 conferences held an emergency meeting on Sunday, as there is growing concern among college athletics officials that the upcoming football season and other fall sports cannot be played because of fear of the coronavirus. No major decisions were made on Sunday night, but it has been reported that the commissioners talked about trying to collaborate if their respective presidents do decide to cancel or postpone fall sports.

The NBA is fining analysts for providing analysis

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was fined by the NBA for comments he made while working as an analyst for TNT, a role that the league allowed him to hold since his team is not playing in the NBA bubble. The NBA continues to show that it wants complete control of all narratives that are pushed by the league and things that are said by its players, and it will punish anyone who goes against this.

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