Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure.
And if there’s something we missed, be sure to talk about it in the comments.
West Virginia women’s soccer kept things rolling on Senior Day, handling Oklahoma State 2–0 to stretch their unbeaten run to 14 straight. The Mountaineers (12‑2‑3, 7‑0‑3 Big 12) controlled the match from the start, outshooting the Cowgirls 27‑1 and spending most of the afternoon in the attacking third.
Ava Arnold opened the scoring in the fifth minute, her second goal of the year off a corner from Anna Hauer. WVU doubled it early in the second half when Abbey Olexa finished a headed sequence from Ajanae Respass to make it 2–0. The Mountaineers piled up 13 corners and didn’t allow a shot on target as Bailey Herfurth picked up her 10th shutout of the season. Hauer and Arnold were both busy again, continuing a late‑season stretch where WVU’s attack has been relentless.
The win keeps WVU in the Big 12 title conversation heading into Thursday night’s regular‑season finale against Cincinnati. A win could lock down at least a share of the conference crown, depending on how things break elsewhere.
The men’s side ran into a tough one on the road, falling 1–0 at No. 25 Kentucky. WVU (10-3-2, 5-2-0 SunBelt) had chances early — including one by Pablo Pozos that hit the post and a few strong looks that forced saves — but a 72nd‑minute Kentucky goal was as the difference maker. The Mountaineers are still third in the Sun Belt heading into Friday’s regular‑season finale at home against No. 9 Marshall, with a top‑two seed and home‑field advantage on the line.
MOUNTAINEER ROUNDUP
- Rich Rodriguez said he saw steps forward in Saturday’s 23–17 loss to TCU, even if it didn’t show in the score. Scotty Fox threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns — the most by a WVU true freshman — and the defense looked much more settled, holding the Frogs to 343 yards after giving up over 500 per game the last month. The offense still couldn’t get much going on the ground, finishing with just 41 rushing yards, but WVU looked sharper and more physical heading into Houston, which the Big 12 announced is set to kick off at Noon on FS1 on Saturday.
- WVU men’s golf wrapped up their weekend at the rain-shortened Steelwood Collegiate in Alabama, finishing third in a 14-team field. Kaleb Wilson and Nick Turowski tied for ninth at three under, while Ryan Leach and Westy McCabe also finished inside the top 35. The Mountaineers end the fall season 55–14 overall before heading to Hawaii next week.
AROUND THE LEAGUE (AND BEYOND)
- Vanderbilt climbed to No. 9 in the new AP Top 25 — its highest ranking in nearly 90 years — while LSU dropped out after its third loss in four weeks. The Big 12 put five teams in the poll for the first time this season: No. 10 BYU, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 22 Houston, and No. 24 Utah.
- LSU fired Brian Kelly on Sunday after a 34–14 run over four seasons. The move comes with a $54 million buyout, making it one of the most expensive firings in college football history. Frank Wilson will serve as interim head coach as the Tigers regroup during their bye week.
- Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond is done for the season after tearing his ACL in Saturday’s 42–0 win over Oklahoma State. Hammond was starting in place of Behren Morton, who’s been recovering from a leg injury. Senior transfer Mitch Griffis took over and threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
- Colorado’s trip to Utah turned into a nightmare — a 53–7 loss that Deion Sanders called probably the worst beating he ever had. The Buffaloes gave up 422 rushing yards and trailed 43–0 at halftime. Colorado has to win three of its last four to reach a bowl.
- Oklahoma State’s Board of Regents approved a new four-year contract for athletic director Chad Weiberg, ending speculation about his future after the firing of longtime head coach Mike Gundy last month. Weiberg’s new deal comes as the school searches for its next coach.
VIDEOS OF INTEREST
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