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We dominated the game and lost. Same exact thing we did under Holgorsen year after year and game after game. Our players would out-play and out-hustle the other team, yet undisciplined penalties, a lack of fundamentals and questionable play calling and clock management would cause us to lose. The game Saturday against the Pokes resulted in the same exact script. Before I go any further, let me establish that I supported going after Coach Neal Brown before his name was even mentioned for the job, and I do still support him and haven’t given up on him. But he hasn’t yet shown me anything to back up a reason for believing in him. Last year was a complete joke. We blew four games, FOUR, in the 4th quarter. Blowing games in the 4th quarter is a result of play calling and clock management. We were either ahead, tied or within one score going into the 4th against Iowa State, Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma State. We could have gone 9-3 and should have at the VERY worst gone 6-6 and to a Bowl. On top of blowing four games late and giving WVU our first losing season in six years and only the second in seventeen years, ol’ Coach refused to bench a QB that was obviously not good enough to start in a Power 5 conference. Kendall just doesn’t/didn’t have the arm strength to make the necessary throws. People that do not know football saw our rushing stats last year and think that our Offensive Line was terrible, but that just isn’t the case. We couldn’t run the ball because no defense was afraid of our QB throwing the ball and therefore loaded the box. Kendall just couldn’t throw the ball downfield. Throw after throw looked like a wounded duck that hung in the air all day. He finished with 12 TDs and 10 INTs, that is absolutely horrid at any level but especially college where the year before – WIll Grier threw 37 TDs to 8 INTs. I understood starting Kendall out of the gate, he was highly rated from the time he was graduating high school through the time Lincoln Riley said that the QB battle between he and Kyler Murray was neck and neck. But after a handful of games it was obvious that he just didn’t have the arm for Power 5. Yet Coach refused to bench him and not even give a CHANCE to ANYONE and especially not Holgorsen recruit Trey Lowe that was supposed to be our future and could’ve been our Starter for the next four years as a Redshirt Freshman. No offensive line can run block when eight or nine defenders are in the box. And as far as pass blocking, we were very good. We gave up less than 2 sacks in half of all our games and our Left Tackle (Colton McKivitz) got drafted in the 5th round. If you’re wondering why I’m rehashing a lot of last year – I'm pointing out that this past Saturday was déjà vu. We absolutely dominated the Pokes and STILL got beat by 2 touchdowns. We had double digit penalties and multiple fumbles (one for a scoop and score reminiscent of 2018 against the Sooners). At one point we had nearly double the yards but were still down 17-0. Which brings us to the muffed FG that continues the mediocre Special Teams from the Holgorsen era. I picked us going 6-4 before the season started, hoping that Brown’s game management had improved over year 1 to the point that we would win a few of those games that come down to the wire in the 4th Quarter. Unfortunately, if what happened against Oklahoma State continues throughout the season, it will be another below .500 year when we should be a bowl team. I gave Coach Brown a pass last year, he had a new team, new program and new Conference, so I said, “fine, yes we had the talent to go 9-3 but I’ll give him a pass in the first year while figuring out what he has and what to do with it.” But he doesn’t get a pass this year. No one expects(ed) him to go 9-1, I don’t even care if we went 2-8 (because the only games that should be a given are Eastern KY and Kansas. You won’t hear it from the “academic Gods of the Big 10” but The Big 12 is the toughest Conference from top to bottom, the only bad team is KU) as long as we left everything on the field and it wasn’t more of the Head Coach blowing the games like it’s been for the past 8 years. Mountaineer fans deserve better than having that sick feeling of being the better team yet still losing that we've had for large portions of our history and especially since 2012. I still believe in Coach Neal Brown but he needs to right the ship starting this week against Baylor. If he gives us our 3rd losing season in 8 years, he's going to lose a lot of the base, including me. We just saw against Ok State how good we can be, they are supposed to be a favorite to win the Conference, along with OU and Texas - and we should have beaten them. So there is no reason for us finishing below 500 again. I don't buy into the mediocrity accepting motto of "Trust The Climb." We should've/could've won 9 games last year so there is not much "climbing" to do, we're already there.

This week, former Arizona Wildcat linebacker Tony Fields II committed to play for Neal Brown and the Mountaineers. https://twitter.com/t_fields1/status/1292995120661270528?s=21 Fields comes to WVU as a grad transfer and will be eligible immediately to play for West Virginia. However, while he may not be a household name that Mountaineers know, what Fields brings with him from Arizona is absolutely impressive. After landing with the Wildcats, Fields took no time making a name for himself. After a solid 2017 season that saw him finish with 104 tackles, 5 sacks, and one interception, he was named a “Freshman All-American” by ESPN and 247Sports. Certainly not too shabby of a feat for any player in the nation. He would follow that up with a solid sophomore and junior year that saw him finish with around 90 tackles in both seasons, while also adding 3.5 total sacks. Fields comes to WVU with an already impressive statistical presence at a big-time College Football program, and should be able to step in for the Mountaineers right away. So how good is he exactly? Well, take a look for yourself. Here is a highlight video of Fields put together by Traemaine Savea. https://youtu.be/4IUEE1OmbZE Give it a watch and let us know your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter!

West Virginia forward Oscar Tshiebwe has a very bright future playing basketball professionally in the NBA, but imagine if he chose to play football for the Mountaineers instead of basketball. This scenario was actually imagined by Jeremy Phoenix of the Raspy Voice Kids last summer before Tshiebwe had even stepped foot on the Coliseum floor.  Tshiebwe reposted the question"What If?" and replied "What y'all think?" https://twitter.com/Oscartshiebwe34/status/1144011759164018689?s=20 Although further exploration into the topic didn't go on, the bottom line is that Tshiebwe's size and athleticism would be virtually unstoppable if he was placed out wide as a receiver. At 6'9 and 260 pounds, Tshiebwe would be an absolute specimen as a wide receiver or tight end. His size is the not the only thing that would make him an offensive force; Tshiebwe also runs better than most athletes his size. According to West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins, "“He can really run.  I don’t know that I’ve had very many bigs or played against very many bigs that can run better than he does.” Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin both caught 114 passes in 2012 and share the record for single-season receptions at West Virginia.  That record would be difficult to surpass for Tshiebwe, who grew up playing soccer in Africa and has likely never played American football, but his upside and potential would be through the roof.  With real practice and time, he could easily grow into the most dominant offensive force in West Virginia football history. Not only could he be virtually unstoppable offensively, he would certainly excel as an edge rusher on the defensive line. His quickness, athleticism and length would be a problem for any offensive lineman.  Again, rushing the passer is something that football players are trained to do at an early age and it would take time for him to develop, but it's hard to imagine a more prototypical raw athlete to become a force on the defensive line as an edge rusher. Like LeBron James, who would also be an incredible football player at several different positions, Oscar Tshiebwe will likely never put on a helmet or pads, but he has the physical talents to be one of the very best players ever if he did.

The West Virginia Mountaineers are already stacked for next season with explosive athleticism, size and depth.  However, with Brandon Knapper transferring to Eastern Kentucky, Bob Huggins has one scholarship available and one player in particular has popped up as the final piece of the 2020-2021 West Virginia Mountaineers team. Frank Anselem, the 6'10 220 pound four star center from Suwanee, Georgia, has long been favored to choose between LSU, Alabama and Georgia.  However, he has opened up his recruitment and Bob Huggins and staff have reached out. Anselem currently holds 21 offers from many of the major programs from around the country, including Kansas, Florida, Auburn, Maryland, Arizona State, Oregon, as well as the aforementioned LSU, Alabama and Georgia. According to 247 Sports, Anselem, is an "athletic center with outstanding frame. Good size, wide shoulders and very long arms. Strong kid but not maxed out. Still raw on offense but physical tools give him very high upside. Has budding elbow jumper and hook shot but footwork and post moves can improve. Has chance to be high level rebounder and rim protector given size, length and athleticism. Still inconsistent but upside is very high. Projects as high major starter with professional upside dependent on development of skill." Anselem announced back in April that he is reclassifying from 2021 to the 2020 class and West Virginia has a remaining open spot that many other programs don't have.  Anselem, who has a huge upside, would be a perfect project and future potential replacement for Oscar Tshiebwe after next season.

Kenny Robinson, the former West Virginia Mountaineer turned XFL player, opened up in-depth on The Players Tribune today.  Robinson, who left Morgantown under suspicious circumstances, revealed exactly what happened and expressed remorse for his actions. Robinson started the letter to NFL General Managers by saying, "The past 18 months have been the craziest of my life. It started with a phone call in November 2018, near the end of my sophomore season at West Virginia." Robinson recounted receiving a phone call from his brother and sister, informing him that his mother had had a stroke.  His mother, who he loves more than anyone in the world, had a life-threatening emergency and he had to go visit here.  She recovered and he went back to school.  A few months later, however, he was driving to his mom's house and there were emergency vehicles there.  She had another stroke.  Again, she recovered and he returned to Morgantown for spring practice. Less than a week later, his mom called.  She told him that she had colon cancer.  In the letter to the GMs, Robinson said, "I went to my coaches, told them the news and went home to see my mom and be with my family. My mom hadn’t been working since her first stroke, and now she definitely wasn’t going back to work. So the biggest question — besides her health — was how we were going to replace her income and help support the family, especially with all the medical bills piling up. I told myself that I would put it on my shoulders. The rest of my family was already doing so much. I felt that I had to work harder than ever to achieve my dream of making it to the NFL so that they could lean on me and I could take care of my mom." When he returned to school, however, he made a huge mistake.  In his own words, "he got lazy with his schoolwork" and he started to have friends help him with his online classes.  A friend turned in his work at the time that he was supposed to be in a team meeting and the university became suspicious. He had a meeting with The Office of Student Conduct and was going to be investigated for academic dishonesty.  Following the investigation, he was kicked out of school. Robinson said, "I have no problem admitting it. I cheated. I got caught. I made a stupid decision, and I don’t have any excuses. I had the opportunity to do the right thing, and I chose to do the wrong thing. That’s it. I own that." Telling his mom what happened was the hardest thing in the world for him because he honestly thought it might kill her.  He thought about transferring, but decided to go to the XFL.  He was drafted in the 5th round by the St. Louis Battlehawks and was finally able to help his family, particularly his mother, financially.  That was huge for him. In his letter to NFL GMs, he closes by saying that he's the most NFL-ready prospect in the draft because he's already played professional football in the draft.  He went on to say that the NFL team that picks him won't be sorry. Although Robinson left Morgantown under less than ideal conditions, he will always be a Mountaineer and his explanation to what happened clarifies what many of us already knew.  With that said, we wish him the very best in the 2020 NFL Draft. Full article letter below: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kenny-robinson-jr-nfl-draft-letter-to-general-managers

Bob Huggins deserves to remain as the Head Coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers for as long as he wishes.  One of the very best to ever roam the sidelines, Huggins will be given the power to make the decision to retire when he's ready to step down. With that said, Huggins' current coaching staff is aging and desperately in need of an injection of youth and a breath of fresh air.  While Larry Harrison (65 years old), Ron Everhart (58) and Erik Martin (48) are outstanding, experienced assistant coaches, student athletes often relate and respond to coaches closer to their own age.  In addition, it would be far easier for a younger coach to form relationships with high school players and recruit them to West Virginia. I'm certainly not suggesting that any of the assistant coaches be fired, but a younger presence is needed and should be immediately hired.  While there are many outstanding young coaches in the country, none would be a better fit for the Mountaineers than former West Virginia point guard Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla, the former Fairmont State Head Coach and current assistant for the Boston Celtics, is exactly what the West Virginia basketball program needs.  During his two seasons at Fairmont State, Mazzulla led the Falcons to a 43-17 overall record and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Mazzulla serving as an assistant in Boston couldn't be a better situation for a young coach to earn experience.  There simply aren’t many better coaches to learn from than Celtics’ Head Coach Brad Stevens.  Stevens is one of the most intelligent, respected young coaches in the NBA and he’s a winner.  Mazzulla has a history of being around outstanding coaches.  Remember, Mazzulla played for West Virginia under John Beilein, another basketball mastermind. An ideal situation for the basketball program would be to hire Mazzulla in the offseason with the idea being that he would eventually take over as the Head Coach when Bob Huggins decides he wants to retire.  No promises should be made to Mazzulla and he should not be given a "coach-in-waiting" tag, but certainly the suggestion could be made that he is joining the staff with the idea of him eventually replacing Huggins. Mazzulla is passionate, he's young (30), energetic, smart (named to the Big East Academic All Star team three consecutive years) and, most importantly, he loves the West Virginia Mountaineers.  While all West Virginia fans wish that Bob Huggins could coach the team forever, that simply cannot happen, and planning for the future right now makes sense.  Joe Mazzulla is the future of the West Virginia basketball program.

In further response to the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA suspended both on- and off-campus recruiting for all sports until April 15. This move is another in the continuing disruption of college athletics in response to the coronavirus threat. The NCAA earlier canceled all of its winter and spring championships, including the men's and women's basketball tournaments and the College World Series in baseball. The Big 12 had implemented a recruiting ban through March 29. The nationwide ban will extend that into mid-April. The Big 12 also had suspended all conference competition through at least March 29. The Big Ten announced it has canceled all remaining athletic competition for the 2019-20 season. The earliest the conference will resume intercollegiate athletic competitions will be for sports in the fall 2020 season.

Pro Football Focus recently released early accolades for the Big 12 Conference with the start of spring practice. In a completely ignorant and biased turn of events, Texas Quarterback Sam Ehlinger was named “the best returning player in the Big 12 Conference.” While Ehlinger is a superb quarterback, ignoring a player like Chubba Hubbard of Oklahoma State is uncalled for. Last season, the Cowboys running back ran for over 2,000 yards. This is a feat that only a handful of players have ever accomplished in a single season. To ignore this is a blatant sign that the folks at Pro Football Focus may not be as knowledgeable about football as they appear to be. Though it cannot be changed, it must be noted that Hubbard was snubbed. Not only is the Oklahoma State the best returning player, but he is the best overall player. Ehlinger will have a successful season, but nowhere near the caliber of what Hubbard will accomplish this season. https://twitter.com/texasfootball/status/1237204113093525504?s=21

Darius Stills and the rest of his winter team rose to be victorious during the first annual “King of the Climb” Friday evening. Throughout winter workouts, players are divided into teams, and compete to earn points. Other players such as Jarret Doege, Austin Kendall, and Evan Staley, among others, were captains for the teams throughout the winter. Head Coach Neal Brown took to Twitter to congratulate Darius Stills and his team: https://twitter.com/nealbrown_wvu/status/1236441962011668481?s=21

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Spencer Macke has already become a fan favorite in the WVU Coliseum.  He is greeted by a standing ovation every time he enters a game and is given numerous screens by teammates to free him for open jumpers and opportunities to score. Every team has an underdog who works hard in practice and then sits at the end of the bench every game due to a lack of natural talent/athleticism.  For the West Virginia Mountaineers, this is Spencer Macke.  Although it's really not.  Spencer Macke is extremely gifted and achieved an incredible amount during his high school career. At 5'11 and 170 pounds, he has a very similar build as West Virginia's starting point guard Jordan McCabe.  McCabe is listed as 6'0 and 188 pounds.  Although McCabe clearly has the advantage as a ball-handler, is he really a better shooter or scorer than Macke? McCabe is currently shooting 29% from the field and 22% from three point range.  Macke, in comparison, is shooting 18% from the field and 25% from three point range in far less minutes during garbage time. In the blowout victory over the Texas Longhorns, Macke made his first field goal of his career, a beautiful three pointer shot that everyone in the Coliseum knew was money as soon as it left his hands.  More recently, Macke banked in a three pointer against the Missouri Tigers to the delight of the West Virginia student section and really the entire Coliseum crowd. https://twitter.com/Bonfiresports1/status/1219442672064221185?s=20   Jalen Bridges said it best: https://twitter.com/jalenbridgess/status/1205977573752287233?s=20 The leading high school basketball scorer and rebounder in the state of Kentucky is a preferred walk-on this year for Coach Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers.  Averaging 34.9 points and 15.8 rebounds last year at Silver Grove High School, a very small school close to Huggins' old stomping grounds of Cincinnati, Macke is the Mountaineer basketball player that no one was talking about before the season.  While Oscar Tshiebwe, Miles McBride, as well as JUCO recruits Sean McNeil and Tajzmel Sherman were all raved about, Macke went largely unnoticed. https://twitter.com/Smacke1313/status/1055974731822886913 Huggins first saw Macke play at the Adidas Gauntlet in Indianapolis while recruiting Oscar Tshiebwe.  Macke's game was going on next to Tshiebwe's game and took notice of the Silver Grove guard.  BlueGoldNews spoke with Macke at the end of the last year:  "After Oscar's game, Coach Huggins came over and watched the end of our game. He has also seen me play a few other times since then, but that was the first. He offered me a preferred walk-on spot during the summer.” Spencer Macke loves being a West Virginia Mountaineer and Mountaineer fans love him right back.  Although he will only play sparingly and in blowout situations, with continued hard work he could potentially see real quality minutes in the coming years for Bob Huggins' team. Don't sleep on Spencer Macke.  He's a bit undersized and lacks the typical athleticism of college basketball athletes, but he is a special talent and will contribute for the Mountaineers during his time in Morgantown.

  “I can’t control what those three blind mice do.” That line has become the most expensive rodent-related banter outside of Disney. The quote, and the $10,000 fine the Big 12 Conference levied against West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins because he uttered it, have become legendary on social media. For those just waking up from a week-long nap, Huggins used the “three blind mice” line as a pejorative aimed at the Big 12 officials who worked the West Virginia-Kansas game in Lawrence, Kan., Saturday afternoon. Huggins was upset about what he perceived to be inconsistent foul calls in the game. Mountaineers fans are in a fevered uproar online, with statements ranging from wanting to start GoFundMe accounts for Huggins to decrying the fine as a blatant violation of Huggins constitutional right to free speech. West Virginia fans are, to quote the kids, “raging” about the Big 12 punishment. Sorry WVU fans, but this is going to be a wet blanket thrown upon your inferno of outrage. But some of you really need to hear it. Let’s put out a few of these rage fires. The actions of the Big 12 were neither excessive nor draconian. This was Huggins third time publicly criticizing conference officials, and the $10,000 fine was in step with the conference’s progressive discipline regarding the issue. Huggins wasn’t fined any more than, say, TCU coach Jamie Dixon would have been if he were to receive a third-strike punishment in this area. This has nothing to do with constitutional free speech. Let me rephrase that. This. Has. Nothing. To. Do. With. Constitutional. Free. Speech. “Free speech,” as understood in the U.S., refers to the First Amendment protection. This protection only covers speech regulated by federal, state and local governments. It has nothing to do workplace communication. And that is what Huggins rant and subsequent fine fall under. It’s a workplace issue. If Huggins is imprisoned for mocking basketball referees, then call the ACLU. Not only wasn’t the officiating disparity in the game bad – it wasn’t a disparity. WVU was called for 18 fouls in the game. Kansas was called for 19. There is no orchestrated grand conspiracy by the Big 12 Conference to stymie West Virginia University athletics. Yes, many times when WVU has gone into Allen Fieldhouse, the Mountaineers have come out on the short end of the officiating stick. So has everyone else. And guess what? When Big 12 teams come into the Coliseum, they often get the short straw from the refs. There have been empirical studies showing that crowds are the biggest propeller for home-field advantage. But it’s not in the ways traditionally believed (the energy of the crowd boosts the home team, the crowd noise make communication difficult for the opponents). The biggest reason for the advantage is that officials are biased towards the home team. This isn’t part of a grand conspiracy. It’s human nature and subconscious bias. Calls that go against the home team draw a negative response. Calls that go against the visiting team draw a positive one. As humans, we want to be liked and we crave approval. Here’s a secret: Contrary to popular belief, referees are human https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070403112044.htm. Bob Huggins doesn’t need, nor does he want, your GoFundMe account. Huggins is millionaire. You are not. Huggins saves more than $10,000 a year by not wearing suits. He’s fine. If you want to donate to Huggins, support one of the cancer research charities he champions. Huggins knew he was getting the fine before he stepped to the podium. It’s likely he sees this as an investment in his team’s future calls. He loudly made his protestation known with the knowledge that while he would be fined, his protest will linger in the subconscious of conference officials. If just a few calls go his team’s way that otherwise would not, he will consider it money well spent. College sports fans are nothing if not passionate. And when they feel an injustice has been done to their team, the protests are loud and strong. The reaction to Huggins criticism of the officials and the fine that resulted are stark evidence to this. It’s great to be passionate. It helps to be rational.