LATEST

(Photo by Rogelio V. Solis)    https://twitter.com/treylowe10/status/1338588265755136006?s=21   Former WVU quarterback Trey Lowe is making noise in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. After a solid performance in the season finale, Lowe was named a Manning Star of the Week. The Collierville, Tennessee native helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 45-31 win over Florida Atlantic. He threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and added 70 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. It’s always nice to see former Mountaineers doing well at their new homes, and Trey Lowe has a future as bright as any of them.

(Photo by Houston Athletics) When Dana Holgorsen left WVU for Houston in 2019, it seemed like a bold but wise move. The Mountaineers had just finished an 8-4 season, and with relationships growing stale, it was very likely that Holgorsen could have been looking for a job at the end of the 2019 season had the Mountaineers struggled. Houston was certainly a step back considering they compete in the Group of 5, but for Holgorsen, the job security was just too great to pass up. When a program like Houston signs a coach like Holgorsen to an outrageous deal as they did, they expect results. Two seasons into the Dana Holgorsen era, they have yet to experience their desired results. Today, the Cougars completed their 2020 season with a 28-14 bowl loss to Hawaii, securing a 3-5 record. This is Holgorsen’s second straight losing season with the Cougars. In 2019, he helped lead the Cougars to a 4-8 record, bringing his total record to 7-13 at his new home. For a program that “expects better than 8-4” as Houston does, this simply does not get it done. Cougar fans are now beginning to grow restless with Holgorsen, and are letting their opinions be known on social media. https://twitter.com/bradpowers7/status/1342255436825673730?s=21 https://twitter.com/yesh222/status/1342257827235164162?s=21 https://twitter.com/boomercurt/status/1342255749108523009?s=21 https://twitter.com/iamcoachjlaw/status/1342254803846574080?s=21 https://twitter.com/daboog41/status/1342254900143665153?s=21 These tweets do not sound like a fanbase that is happy with their head coach. The results will have to come for Holgorsen in 2021, or he will very likely suffer the same fate as Rich Rodriguez did after he left for Michigan. The Houston program will begin to grow stale under his leadership if things do not begin to improve, which will prompt Houston to make a change. Just comparing Neal Brown at WVU and Dana Holgorsen at Houston, it seems as if the Mountaineers are winning this chess match - in an absolute landslide.

(Photo by WVU Athletics)    The John R. Wooden Award is given out every year to the very best men’s or women’s basketball player in College Basketball. Today, one of WVU’s own made the midseason watch list for the award. https://twitter.com/wvuhoops/status/1346968112864882689?s=21 According to Brian Messerly of WVU, Derek Culver was officially named to the Top 25 midseason list for the Wooden Award, recognizing his outstanding play on the court. Culver will have an opportunity to prove himself worthy of the award down the stretch, as he competes in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. So far this season, Culver is averaging 13.8 points per game, to go along with 10.3 rebounds.

(Photo by Barry Reeger - Tribune Review)    With a 32-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round, Tavon Austin and the Green Bay Packers will be moving on to take on either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the New Orleans Saints in next week’s NFC Championship Game. In this evening’s matchup against the Rams, Austin did not tally a reception, but did have two punt returns for a net of 17 total yards. His longest return went for 9 yards. Next week’s NFC Championship Game will kick off at 3:05 p.m. ET, and will broadcast on Fox.  

Coming off of an electric late-game win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, WVU will jump right into the SEC/Big 12 Challenge this Saturday.   They will be taking on the Florida Gators (9-4) in Morgantown with a 2 p.m. scheduled tip-off and a national ESPN audience. As with every game, ESPN's Basketball Power Index included a "matchup predictor" for this matchup, and it is heavily in favor of the Mountaineers over the Gators.   Currently, ESPN's BPI is giving WVU a 63.3% chance to knock off the Gators this weekend in Morgantown. Being that West Virginia is the 11th-ranked team in the nation and Florida is coming in unranked, this should not come as a surprise to any.   The two sides last met on December 4, 2018 in Morgantown. The Gators went home with a 66-56 win over West Virginia.

(Photo by WVU Athletics)    In front of a nationally televised CBS audience, West Virginia was able to defeat the 23rd-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in Morgantown, 91-79. Miles McBride, who has become a consistent force for the Mountaineers, finished with a career-high 29 points. He would also add 8 assists and 7 rebounds. https://twitter.com/wvuhoops/status/1358154155471245312?s=21   Taz Sherman would also put in a solid shooting day for the Mountaineers, adding 25 points, including hitting 4-for-7 from behind the arc. After leading by double digits at halftime, 44-34, the Mountaineers allowed the Jayhawks to tie it up, 47-47, in the opening minutes of the second half. However, they would close the game strong, and put the game away within the final five minutes. https://twitter.com/wvuhoops/status/1358157564198801408?s=21   West Virginia will have a couple of days off before traveling to Texas Tech on Tuesday. The game tips-off at 9 p.m.

According to a press release from West Virginia University, men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins has been named to the Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List. He was recognized on this list by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.   https://twitter.com/WVUhoops/status/1362809213735477252?s=20 Huggins currently has the Mountaineers at 14-6 and ranked 13th in the nation. He has done a terrific job navigating his team through the COVID-19 hindered season, and has dealt with the departure of Oscar Tshiebwe brilliantly.   The team's next challenge will be a trip to Austin, Texas to battle the Texas Longhorns, who knocked off WVU in Morgantown on January 9th, 72-70. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. and the game will broadcast on ABC.  

Sing it loud and sing it proud. https://twitter.com/paige_diggs/status/1367889481911562240?s=21 Earlier today, Paige Diggs, the Director of the 5th Quarter Program at WVU, shared a video of the football team working out. While we have seen several videos like this before, what they were listening to made it stand out from the rest. The team is joined together in singing Take Me Home, Country Roads as Mike Joseph leads the team in their conditioning. Watch the video in the tweet above.

The Climb is still on in Morgantown.   College Football News, an outlet dedicated to the sport, recently revealed their record predictions for the 2021 Big 12 Football season. West Virginia, being a member of the conference, was included on the list.   The outlet gave the best-case scenario, as well as the worst-case scenario for each team. The Mountaineers seem to have been given a solid outlook from the outlet, indicating that there is faith in the "Climb" outside of Morgantown.   Here is what the outlet predicts for WVU:   Best-Case Scenario: 9-3 Worst-Case Scenario: 5-7 2021 Prediction: 7-5   Of course nobody wants the worst-case scenario, but as for the other two potential records, they are honestly both solid for what will be the third year under Neal Brown.   Here are the outlet's projected standings for the Big 12 (including records): Oklahoma (11-1) Texas (9-3) Iowa State (9-3) Oklahoma State (8-4) Kansas State (7-5) West Virginia (7-5) TCU (6-6) Texas Tech (6-6) Baylor (5-7) Kansas (1-11)

(Photo by Gus Schlomer - Voice of Motown)  Today, the West Virginia Mountaineers (14-9, 3-7 Big 12) travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma looking for the regular season sweep of the Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-12, 4-7 Big 12). The first meeting between these two squads this season took place all the way back on January 11th. In front of a Tuesday afternoon crowd in Morgantown, the Mountaineers were able to conquer the Cowboys by a final score of 70-60. On Tuesday night, West Virginia finally snapped their long seven-game losing streak in a home contest against the Iowa State Cyclones, 79-63. Taz Sherman, who returned after suffering a concussion against the Baylor Bears, scored 16 points and tallied 8 rebounds while seeing the floor for 31 minutes. If Bob Huggins’ squad want to put together a small winning streak here late in the season, Sherman’s presence will be of the utmost importance. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, has struggled just as much if not more than West Virginia this season. Currently sitting with an 11-12 record, the Cowboys have dropped six of their last seven games, and will be looking to right the ship in a winnable game for both squads. The game is scheduled to broadcast on ESPN2. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

(Photo via BlueGoldNews/YouTube)   If you have two eyes and a fully functional brain, you can clearly see the Neal Brown era coming to a screeching halt in Morgantown. Sitting at 2-3 and 0-2 in Big 12 play, many are calling the Mountaineers the “worst” team in the Big 12. https://twitter.com/shehanjeyarajah/status/1576385015801614336?s=46&t=PsHS4H5AzvJCbVLDoD6pxg That’s just not going to get it done. It’s unacceptable. With that being said, should West Virginia decided to go in another direction, they will be looking for someone with a solid reputation as their head coach. Someone with experience, and someone who has shown they can notch signature wins. Here is my wish-list for potential replacements of Neal Brown:   Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) - I’m obviously shooting for the stars here. It would take a lot to lure Fisher to Morgantown, but it is possible. Things are not so hot for the national championship winning coach with the Aggies right now, so he could be looking for a fresh start. I doubt it, but one can dream, right? Tom Herman (Offensive Analyst/Chicago Bears) - Yes, he did coach for the Longhorns. Yes, West Virginia fans did hate him at the time. However, Herman did have some well-coached teams during his tenure with Texas. Coming into a completely new Big 12, I think Herman could be the perfect fit for the Mountaineers right now. If there was anyone I think could get this turned around quickly, it’d be Herman. Gary Patterson (Special Assistant/Texas) - Again, this is another former Big 12 coach. Patterson is easily regarded as the best coach in TCU history, and he has a knack for winning big games. That’s what West Virginia needs. This would also make the WVU-TCU matchup rather interesting. Bo Pelini (Former Nebraska HC) - Let’s get weird. Pelini is quite the angry and hostile character, but his teams at Nebraska won consistently. With how down the Mountaineers have been in recent years, that’s exactly what they need right now. So why not? Give him a shot. Ed Orgeron (Former LSU HC) - Would this man not be fun to have in Morgantown? I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love Ed Orgeron. To top it off, he’s also won a national championship with one of the best teams in College Football history. Will any of these men be WVU’s head coach? Unlikely, but never say never, as Jimbo Fisher said.

Former WVU Men’s Basketball player Gabe Osabuohein has earned his first chance at professional basketball. https://twitter.com/chargecle/status/1584625138066391040?s=46&t=rcXLN6CsFjTHsFWTl-Qq-g   The Cleveland Charge, an affiliate of the NBA G-League, recently revealed their roster for the upcoming training camp. Osabuohein, who is a crowd favorite in Morgantown, was included on the roster. The Canadian will have his opportunity to show his worth in the court in hopes of making the official roster. Stay tuned to The Voice of Motown as we will continue to update you on Osabuohein’s brand new professional career.  

(Photo by WVU Athletics)    It appears as if Neal Brown is going to remain WVU’s head coach going into the 2023 season. After much speculation, I have heard through a source that Brown will not be terminated despite a 3-6 record in 2022 (20-24 overall). Instead, the stipulation will be that Brown will have to replace his entire staff by choice of the university. Take that with a grain of salt, but I certainly believe it to be true. However, this will not completely fix many of the holes that the Mountaineers will enter 2023 with. While Brown has been trying to build the program the right way, through solid recruiting in the high school ranks, it may be time for him to pull a page out of Dana Holgorsen’s playbook. It is time to hit the transfer portal hard and often this offseason. The Mountaineers need players that are able to play right away. It is nice to have a solid development system, yes, but Brown doesn’t have the luxury of waiting around for the youth on his roster to come around. He needs experience and he needs it now. One position in particular is the secondary. West Virginia’s passing defense has been abysmal in 2022. Seemingly every quarterback they have faced this season (minus Grant Wells) has had an outstanding day against the boys in Gold and Blue. If this continues into next season, Brown will surely be relieved of his duties at that point. Landing some key transfers in the secondary through way of the portal would be massive for Neal Brown. To accompany that, he also need to make it a point to let ShaDon Brown go first. The secondary is his unit, and he is apparently not up to the challenge of producing a good enough product. Offensively, Brown needs to bring in some talent at receiver. Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Sam James both could potentially return next season, but they need some help. Adding depth to a receiving room that just appears to be so depleted would be huge for the offense. The pieces will be available for WVU to add, they just have to go get them. No more JUCO or FCS players, add players from Power Five schools who are looking to compete right away.   Neal Brown’s job could likely depend on it.  

(Photo by WVU Athletics)    Moments ago, star WVU defensive back Charles Woods announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal via Instagram. Woods, who has been limited in 2022 due to injury, came into the season as one of the highest rated players for the Mountaineers, per Pro Football Focus. He finishes his Mountaineer career with 36 tackles and two interceptions. The Texas native will be announcing his new home soon.

Armani Gainer, a star linebacker for the Florida State Seminoles, is currently available in the NCAA Transfer Portal. The former 247Sports four star prospect has been an active member of the Seminoles roster since 2019. He was the team’s active leading tackler, tallying 210 over 39 appearances. Earlier this evening, WVU Head Coach Neal Brown was pictured giving the talented linebacker a visit at his home. https://twitter.com/amarigainer/status/1600312158037811200?s=46&t=7ZlmapDjbTSCsgdr4fnF6Q Along with his recruitment attempts, WVU Quarterback Garrett Greene also reached out to the linebacker trying to persuade him to join the Mountaineers. https://twitter.com/garrett3greene/status/1600313275199107073?s=46&t=FIeWRW0XRANJU1LarL47GQ This is a position of need for the Mountaineers, as it is one of the many areas they lack depth on the defensive side of the ball. Should they be able to land Gainer, it would be a huge boost to Jordan Lesley’s unit. Gainer has one year of eligibility remaining.