West Virginia’s Sam James focuses on mental health, solid 2021
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia wide receiver Sam James used the offseason to focus on his mental well-being and put a tough stretch in the past. With a reputation for some great moments as well as mistakes, James is looking to return to the form that saw him catch 69...
AP: Big 12 presidents set to vote on adding UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, BYUVideo
The Big 12 is moving swiftly to plug the holes looming with the upcoming departure of Oklahoma and Texas for the Southeastern Conference. A person familiar with the Big 12′s expansion plans said the conference’s presidents are scheduled to vote on applications for entry into the league at a meeting...
West Virginia looks to fix mistakes after fading at MarylandVideo
West Virginia’s Neal Brown went into the season opener with cautious optimism and returned home with a mess. Now the third-year coach needs to figure out why things went totally wrong for the Mountaineers in the second half of a 30-24 loss at Maryland on Saturday. The Mountaineers scored three...
Tim Benz: Twitter shame-police are making me defend Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly
So it’s come to this. Twitter has fallen so deep into the ninth circle of hell that it has forced me to side with the head coach of Notre Dame football. And, yes, that head coach is still Brian Kelly. I need a shower and I haven’t even gotten to...
Anxiety abounds in Big 12 towns with eventual Oklahoma, Texas departuresVideo
AMES, Iowa — Sipping a beer with friends on a weekday afternoon at Wallaby’s Bar and Grille, Chris Clough explained life as an Iowa State fan. “You have to know that you’re going to see so many painful years and you just have to get over it,” he said, “and...
Turnovers catch up to WVU in season-opening loss to MarylandVideo
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns, and Maryland topped turnover-prone West Virginia, 30-24, on Saturday. With his brother Tua on the sideline watching, Tagovailoa threw touchdown passes of 66 yards to Dontay Demus, 18 yards to Chigoziem Okonkwo — and then a 60-yarder...
Mountaineers, Terps face off in 1st meeting since 2015
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — In both of Michael Locksley’s stints as a Maryland assistant, the Terrapins would play West Virginia regularly. To him, this series is significant — although the teams haven’t met in a while. “I think the people, the former players, and our fans that are really traditional...
WVU QB Jarret Doege ready to put rough 2020 season in pastVideo
West Virginia’s Jarret Doege knew he had some work to do after a poor finish to the 2020 season. The quarterback needed the offseason to improve in several areas, among them awareness in the pocket, arm strength, footwork and foot speed. He also reduced his body fat. With that effort...
Eventual departures of Oklahoma, Texas make for awkward Big 12 seasonVideo
Things quickly have gotten awkward for the Big 12 Conference. Whether eight will be enough for the Big 12 moving forward, there still are 10 teams this season. Second-ranked Oklahoma and No. 21 Texas, the only Big 12 teams to win national championships in the league’s first 25 seasons, aren’t...
Bob Huggins signs contract extension with WVU
West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins has signed a contract extension that will likely carry the 67-year-old Morgantown native through the end of his coaching career, the university announced Friday. Huggins will serve as head coach through the 2023-24 season, then reassess whether to continue in his current role or...
Iowa State, Notre Dame highlight AP preseason All-Americans
Notre Dame and Iowa State each had three players selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America team, led by Fighting Irish defensive back Kyle Hamilton and Cyclones running back Breece Hall. The preseason All-America team was released Monday, five days before the first games of the season kickoff. Penn State...
WVU tries to escape Big 12’s bottom half in coach Neal Brown’s 3rd year
Coach Neal Brown pushed for patience as he took West Virginia through a rebuilding first season, then made a bit of progress in his second. The challenge in Year 3 is getting more noticeable results. The Mountaineers are going to need marked improvement on offense to challenge No. 2 Oklahoma,...
Former West Virginia WR Kevin White works to shed bust label
METAIRIE, La. — Kevin White, the former West Virginia star receiver and seventh overall NFL Draft choice in 2015, says he’s been lucky in life, but decidedly less fortunate in his pro football career. “Unlucky with injuries,” White said after his first practice with the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday....
Big 12 teams face forfeits if virus keeps them from playingVideo
IRVING, Texas — Big 12 teams unable to play a game this fall because of covid-19, or any other reasons, will have to forfeit and be given a loss in the conference standings. The Big 12 released its game threshold policy Tuesday. A no contest would be declared only if...
Greensburg’s Mark Goetz upset as top seed at U.S. AmateurVideo
Mark Goetz’s summer has been filled with ups and downs. Earlier this week, the Greensburg native and West Virginia senior hit a high note when he won medalist honors at the 121st United States Golf Association’s Amateur by shooting an 8-under par 132 (6-under 64 at Longue Vue Club and...
Greensburg’s Mark Goetz earns medalist honors at U.S. Amateur, awaits weather delayed match play
All Mark Goetz wanted to do this summer was to qualify for the 121st United States Golf Association’s Amateur championship and make it to match play. Goetz achieved his goal and surprised many by winning medalist honors in stroke play. He entered match play as the No. 1 seed. The...
Legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden dies at 91
Bobby Bowden, the folksy Hall of Fame coach who won more than 350 games and built Florida State into one of college football’s great dynasties with two national championships, has died. He was 91. Bobby’s son, Terry, confirmed to The Associated Press that his father died at home surrounded by...
Tim Benz: SEC expansion isn’t just about trying to dominate the NCAA; it’s preparing for a world after the NCAA
As the drama continues to swirl around the Southeastern Conference’s attempt to absorb Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12, many characterize the advance as an SEC attempt to form a “super conference.” Wait. I thought that’s what the SEC was already. No? A lot has been written and said...
WVU pitchers Jackson Wolf, Ryan Bergert, PSU’s Conor Larkin chosen on 2nd day of draft
Two West Virginia pitchers and another from Penn State were chosen Monday on the second day of the MLB Draft. The San Diego Padres selected the two Mountaineers, senior left-hander Jackson Wolf and junior right-hander Ryan Bergert. Penn State senior right-hander Conor Larkin went to the Torono Blue Jays. Wolf...
West Virginia picked 6th, Oklahoma 1st in Big 12 preseason football poll
West Virginia was picked to finish sixth and Oklahoma was the choice for the sixth consecutive season to win the conference championship in the Big 12 preseason football poll released Thursday. Voting was conducted among media representatives. The Sooners topped the preseason rankings for the ninth time since 2011. They...
West Virginia to retire jersey numbers for Major Harris, Darryl Talley
Major Harris was an electric quarterback and linebacker Darryl Talley was a dominant defender at West Virginia. The two superstars will have their jersey numbers retired during the 2021 season by the West Virginia athletic department. Harris’ No. 9 will be retired during the Oklahoma State game Nov. 6, and...
U mad, bro?: Fans have anxiety about trading Adam Frazier, doubts about the Pirates draft, concerns about college sports
Anxiety about an Adam Frazier trade. Depression over the Pirates draft philosophy. And concerns over the future of college sports. That’s what filled up the comments section in the columns, email inbox and Twitter interactions for this week’s “U mad, bro?” We start with a tweet from Kenny. He agrees...
Sports law expert: Potential for big NCAA changes exist but are ‘not going to happen overnight’
Monday’s Supreme Court loss for the NCAA in the Alston case got a ton of attention nationally. But it could be years before a substantive change comes as a result. Michael McCann is a sports legal analyst for Sportico and was a longtime contributor to Sports Illustrated. He’s also a...
Tim Benz: Supreme Court mocks notion of NCAA ‘amateurism;’ now let’s mock goal of ‘fair’ NCAA economics
Pick a topic. Not just sports. Any topic. Now pick a handful of conservative people you know and a handful of liberal people you know and have them discuss. See if you can get all nine or 10 of them to agree. On anything. Let me know how that goes....
Tim Benz: Potential hurdles for 12-team College Football Playoff as 2nd round of approval looms
The recently released plan to incorporate a 12-team College Football Playoff was largely met with applause last week. But it’s still a long way from becoming a reality. Remember, the idea was merely crafted by a CFB playoff subcommittee comprised of Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey,...
