On a beautiful Morgantown Saturday, the West Virginia Mountaineers never really felt threatened by the Missouri Tigers. Despite horrendous turnovers, a rib injury to starting QB Skyler Howard, and settling for field goals of 19 and 21 yards; Missouri was unable to find the end zone until less than 2 minutes remained and the game was out of reach.

An opening day win over an SEC opponent is always awesome, but it can be argued that WVU answered few of the major questions that nagged at the team and its fanbase throughout fall camp. Let’s take a look at some of those questions.

Will Justin Crawford live up to his billing as National JUCO player of the year?

Yup. I’d say instant fan favorite. He was explosive and versatile against what will likely prove to be one of the best defensive front sevens that WVU will face this year. Asked and answered.

How will the defense fair after replacing nine starters?

Considering they ranked dead last in Bill Connelly’s Def % Ret, and only conceded 11 points, it would be easy to say that they did great. Gibby’s squad held the Tigers to only a field goal for over 58 minutes. This came in spite of backup QB William Crest’s fumble in the red zone. While you can’t give the defense credit for the missed field goal, you certainly can give them credit for bowing their backs and not letting Mizzou into the end zone on such a short field.

The defense did, however, give up 462 yards to an offense that had nearly as many questions as the Mountie defense. The new secondary dropped at least three interceptions and the Tiger receivers dropped plenty of balls that they should have reeled in after they had created plenty of separation.

As potent as the Missouri defense likely is compared to most of the Big 12, their offense is perhaps even more impotent. Offenses in this league don’t tend to make that many mistakes.

The jury, in my opinion, is certainly still out on what the defense will be able to do in conference play. I’m not very sure that we will have any more clarity regarding this issue after either of the next two opponents.

Will Skyler Howard make a jump in production in his second year as starter?

Skyler Howard certainly missed some throws. He still lost throws high over the middle. He was visibly diminished in the second half after returning from what has been described as a rib cartilage injury. Despite all of this; he was 23-35 for 253 yards. That’s 66%.

He did throw an interception after the injury on a long ball intended for Jovon Durante. That ball seemed to stay in the air forever, wobbling throughout. It was not a good throw, but Durante made a poor play on the ball and was too late to make any difference on the outcome of the play.

I don’t believe that Skyler answered this question for us yesterday, but if completing two thirds of his passes turns out to be a bad day, WVU ought to at least be in a position to win most games.

Any discussion of the WVU quarterbacks in this game has to include mentioning that, in very limited action, both backups managed to turn the ball over. William Crest was strip sacked deep in Mountaineer territory, and Chris Chugunov threw a pick over the middle in his only passing attempt.

Please remember, next time you are tempted to question Howard’s place as starter, that his reserves managed to commit two turnovers on one pass attempt when he went to the sideline.

Who will prove a consistent threat in the receiving corps?

It is hard to talk about consistency after one game, but through the first half it looked like Daikiel Shorts was the only one who could get his hands on the ball. He finished with eight catches for 131 yards. There is no denying the talent and depth of this unit, but when they get their opportunities, they need to capitalize.

Ka’Raun White produced a pair of nice plays in the second half and Shelton Gibson caught the ball six of the seven times it was thrown his way (though 6.5 YPC is a far cry from the gaudy numbers he produced last season), but Jovon Durante failed to make a catch.

It was great to see Shorts making an impact and looking like a go to target for Howard, but more consistency is needed from this unit to keep drives alive and finish more consistently in the red zone.

Conclusions?

The Mountaineers beat an SEC opponent on opening day. Hell, they even covered the spread.

It was great to see the offensive line live up to its billing. They pushed around a tremendously talented Mizzou front, opened up running lanes for the backs and gave Howard time to operate. With those guys paving the way and Rushel Shell and Crawford carrying the ball, WVU will have a very stable base on which to build their season.

26 points, however, wins very few Big 12 conference games. Settling for three points from inside the five yard line is not good; doing it twice is ugly. Carelessly turning the ball over usually results in some points for the other team, and Big 12 offenses that aren’t Kansas or Iowa State score more than 11 points.

Take this good win and use it to improve and build for the remainder of the season. Whether you like it or not, Dana Holgorsen’s job depends on it.

Perhaps the weakest unit on the West Virginia defense, at least on paper, the Mountaineer linebackers will have long road ahead of them as defensive coordinator Tony Gibson tries to replace three starters and two backups from last year’s defense.

The 2016 Linebacker Corps

Key Losses

The Mountaineers lost first team All-Big 12 Conference linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, Jared Barber and Shaq Petteway, all three of whom are currently on NFL rosters. West Virginia will also be without Edward Muldrow III and Isaiah Bruce, who both saw action in 2015 and graduated this past Spring.

West Virginia also lost a potential starter during training camp when true freshman Brendan Ferns went down with a knee injury, sidelining him for the season. Ferns has since underwent surgery, and is expected to recover in time for the 2017 season.

The Breakdown

SAM Linebacker

At least for the Missouri game, former walk-on Justin Arndt will get the nod at SAM. Arndt has impressed the West Virginia coaching staff enough to get the start in Xavier Preston’s absence while he is serving a one-game suspension. Arndt and Preston were locked in a position battle through camp, so it’s up in the air who will get the start after Preston rejoins the team.

Behind Arndt, and eventually Preston, is true freshman Zach Sandwisch. Sandwisch was the Ohio Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, and has put in enough work since he arrived in Morgantown to forgo a redshirt for his freshman season.

MIKE Linebacker

Al-Rasheed Benton steps into the middle linebacker role, and should be the most well-rounded player in the Mountaineer linebacking corps. Benton saw a decent amount of time last season, and looked solid. West Virginia will need Benton to use his experience and become a leader among the linebackers.

Spelling Al-Rasheed will be fellow junior Hodari Christian. Christian looked good during the annual Gold-Blue Spring Game at The Greenbrier in April, and should fill in nicely when Benton needs a rest.

WILL Linebacker

Redshirt senior Sean Walters is currently listed as the starter at WILL, which came as a surprise to most as the Mountaineer coaching staff have really been talking up David Long, who is listed as the backup. Walters saw some action at linebacker last season but was mostly used on special teams, where he really stood out.

In Long’s case, it may be a situation where the coaching staff is trying to motivate a player by pushing him to fight for a starting job. Last season, Tony Gibson noted that he was ready to burn Long’s redshirt because he had made such a great impression during practice as a true freshman. I believe by the time Big 12 Conference play kicks off Long will have claimed the starting job, but Walters will still be seeing a good amount of playing time.

Player To Watch

I’m going to go ahead with my gut feeling and name David Long as the player to watch this season. Dana Holgorsen and Tony Gibson couldn’t stop talking him up during the spring and summer camps, and I believe the cream will rise to the top, as they say.

Welcome, By-Godders. How would you like to join the staff here at The Smoking Musket? As football season closes in on us, we are in need of a couple new faces to help take our coverage of everything West Virginia University to a new level. Ideally, I’d like to have these positions filled as soon as possible, so please don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

Compensation: This is the probably the first question everyone will want to ask, and I totally understand. These positions are unpaid. I started out as a contributor just over a year ago, and I know firsthand that it isn’t ideal to not get paid for your time, but I assure you that being part of The Smoking Musket and SB Nation can provide you with a great opportunity to get your foot in the door of the sports media world.

If you would like to receive academic credit for your work at The Smoking Musket, I would be more than happy to fill out any paperwork you would need to make that work.

Duties: We are looking for writers who can meet deadlines, write clean copy and help us grow our coverage of all things West Virginia University. Ideally, I would love to have someone to help us strengthen our coverage of Mountaineers that have moved on to the professional ranks, have a finger on the pulse of West Virginia football recruiting, and help out with breaking news-type articles when the need arises.

Scheduling is flexible, but since the sports world never stops giving us content some weekend availability is preferred. Ideally, you’ll write at least twice a week on average. Possible assignments can range from game previews and recaps, player profiles, or even your own weekly feature.

Background qualifications: Ideal candidates for this position should:

• Have knowledge of and passion for the West Virginia Mountaineers as well as experience writing and covering college sports.
• A proven ability working in a deadline-driven virtual environment.
• Be able to write in line with and adhere to SB Nation’s best practices.
• Experience with recruiting coverage is a plus.

Don’t be afraid to apply just because you don’t have a killer resume. I got my start with very little to work with, and I know what it was like wanting to be a part of this world but afraid to apply. Don’t be. The main thing we are looking for are people who can write and want to write about West Virginia University.

Apply: If you’re interested, send an email to mikemillersbn@gmail.com with a resume and links to a couple writing samples.

The bad karma Tony Gibson has inherited over the last 9 games has to be wearing on the West Virginia defensive coordinator. He saw Karl Josephy, WVU’s top safety and an eventual first round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders, lost to a torn ACL during a non-contact drill.

Just last week, the top returning tackler for WVU, Dravon Askew-Henry was lost to a torn ACL from a non-contact drill. Coach Dana Holgorsen stated he landed funny after jumping for a ball. Now, the highest rated linebacker to ever sign with the Mountaineers, Brendan Ferns, has been lost for the season as well.

Ferns sustained the injury Monday during practice. The team took him for an MRI today and head coach Dana Holgorsen announced that Ferns was lost for the season.

Ferns came to WVU with high expectations from both himself and the coaching staff. Holgorsen stated he expected Brendan to start as a freshman and Ferns did not disappoint. When the depth chart was released, Brendan was listed as the backup middle linebacker.

Ferns injury marks third season ending injury for Tony Gibson’s defense and fourth major injury. The Askew-Henry injury and defensive lineman Jaleel Fields have both been lost for the season. Xavier Pegues is out until November.

Yesterday, the Manning Award Pre-Season Watch List was announced. The list includes 30 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2016 season. The winner will again be selected by a voting panel, which includes national media and each of the Mannings, after the bowls.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.

West Virginia’s own Skyler Howard was named to the Watch List. You wouldn’t know that if you visited Big12Sports.com, the Official Athletic Site of the Big 12 Conference. On their splash page they advertised “Four Big 12 student-athletes have been named to the watch list for the 2016 Manning Award” From the article:

 

Four Big 12 student-athletes have been named to the watch list for the 2016 Manning Award.

The Manning Award Watch List includes 30 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2016 season. Big 12 representatives are Seth Russell (Baylor), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State) and Pat Mahomes (Texas Tech).

Now wait a minute. Last time I checked, West Virginia and Skyler Howard will still a part of the Big 12 Conference. Skyler finished 5th in the conference in both passing yards (3,145) and total offense (3,647) while finishing 4th in passing touchdowns (26). Skyler enters the 2016 with a full beavy of offensive receivers who have seen Big 12 play and a senior laden offensive line.

You can see the full list here.

Robbie Kalland & Chip Patterson really know how to rile up a state. In their article posted on CBSSports.com, the duo selected the team they feel is playing the best football entering the 2016 season.

“With the college football season rapidly approaching, we got to wondering: What is the best team from each state of our union?

Specifically, this is not a list of the programs that have had the most all-time success in each state, but rather a look at what teams we believe are playing the best right now.”

When the duo got to West Virginia, the Mountaineers fell short of the requirements. Robbie and Chip ultimately chose Marshall as the team playing the best in West Virginia.

West Virginia: Marshall -- WVU is a good team, don't get us wrong, but it's hard to argue with Marshall's success under Doc Holliday, particularly the last few years. He and the Herd have amassed a 33-8 record with a 10-3 mark in 2015. Meanwhile, Dana Holgorsen and the Mountaineers are 36-28 since his arrival with a 8-5 record one season ago. The Herd are Thundering through the state right now.

Now, if you want to go strictly by record, then yes Marshall has played better over the past 5 years. Having only lost 8 games since 2011, Marshall has certainly garnered a better record, but does a better record mean you are playing better?

Marshall has only played four ranked teams since 2011, losing all four games. The Thundering Herd played #24 West Virginia, #13 Virginia Tech and #19 Houston in 2011 along with #11 West Virginia in 2012. After the first game of the 2012 season, Marshall has not played a ranked team in 50 straight games. By comparison, WVU played four ranked teams last year alone and has played 20 ranked teams since 2011. Would WVU have a better record if it had avoided 16 ranked teams on its schedule?

 

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

Football:

What JaJuan Seider knew of Justin Crawford was the running back had plenty of things to brag about after two seasons at Northwest Mississippi Community College. What West Virginia's running backs coach has discovered about his new pupil is he's doesn't have to worry about Crawford letting his past affect the future.

How much does West Virginia assistant Ja'Juan Seider adore his running backs room? Let us count the ways he gushed Monday.

Football coaches are, well, for the most part over-the-hill players at major colleges, hired for experience and knowledge they have rather than the athleticism they once displayed. At West Virginia, though, Dana Holgorsen has added a couple of new coaches who bring something different to the coaching game as assistants — cleats.

West Virginia Athletics:

Nicco Campriani, the 2011 NCAA air rifle champion and graduate of West Virginia University, won a Gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle on Monday at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

The West Virginia University Rifle team continues to shine in Rio. Former WVU shooter Nicco Campriani of Italy earned the gold medal in the men's 10 meter Air Rifle competition.  Campriani, a four time All-American, at WVU shot a final score of 206.1 to earn his second gold and third Olympic medal.

The No. 6-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team played to a 2-2 draw against Michigan this afternoon in the team's lone 2016 home exhibition match at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

Around The Big XII:

Former Houston head coach Dana Dimel didn't sugarcoat things when he said that he thought adding the Cougars to the Big 12 would be a bad move. Dimel, now the co-offensive coordinator at Kansas State, was the head coach at Houston for three years from 2000-2002. He didn't waste time getting to his point.

Around The NCAA:

Gus Malzahn has fallen from Nick Saban's Personal Tormenter to firmly on the hot seat in barely more than a year. Can he find the quarterback he needs to drag the offense back to elite? And will that defense ever improve?

For the first time in about four years, Kevin Sumlin has an A&M with strong experience. Is seasoning enough to account for last year's offensive issues and a schedule that features eight projected top-25 teams?

Four-star true freshman wide receiver Cordell Broadus left the UCLA football team in August 2015. Broadus, the son of Snoop Dogg, remained a student at the school and eventually rejoined the program as a walk-on the following March. As of fall 2016, Broadus has left again.

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Today's Miss Throwdown is Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte's girlfriend and Playboy's Miss July 2015. CLICK HERE for Kayla Rae Reid's Instagram.

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The 2016 football season is almost upon us. And it is about time. I’m ready for some “Let’s Go Mountaineers”, “Country Roads” and Tony Caridi. That got me thinking, this season’s schedule sets up so much better than last year’s death march in October.

Current Schedule

2016 WVU Schedule

For the first month of the season, the Mountaineers do not leave the area except for a “neutral site” game at FedEx Field against the BYU Cougars. If that game isn’t 75% Mountaineer fans, I’ll be disappointed.

The ‘Eers even get a bye week before traveling to Lubbock, Texas against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. They alternate home and away games throughout the season and end the season against the Baylor Bears.

There are still some things that could be better, so let’s take a look at how we could set the schedule up in the most ideal way possible. This exercise ignores the other teams schedule in terms of bye weeks, opponent and the like because trying to rearrange 12 different teams and their respective opponents is an exercise in futility. So here is my take on a revised schedule.

Week One - Missouri Tigers

I like the idea of starting the year off against Missouri. Its a good test for the Mountaineers. Missouri is breaking in a new coach and their offense is still a big question mark.

Week Two - Youngstown State Penguins

FCS games are still a reality of the schedule and so let us get this one out of the way early.

Week Three - BYU Cougars

Here is where I change the schedule. Instead of a bye week two weeks into the schedule, I want to immediately play the Cougars following Youngstown State. I don’t like having a bye week two weeks into the season. We just started playing football, let’s keep playing football!

Week Four - Kansas State Wildcats

Entering the fifth year of Big 12 play, the Mountaineers have always played the Wildcats later in the season. That hasn’t worked out so well so I like the idea of playing them early. The Wildcats are likely to start Jesse Ertz who got hurt on the first play of the game last year. He’s never faced the aggressive 3-3-5 so that should be an advantage to the Mountaineers.

Week Five - Bye

After four straight weeks of football, the players will need a break. Their bodies will be nicked and dinged up and a week off will give everyone a chance to heal. Plus next week is a long travel week, so it will give everyone time to adjust.

Week Six - at Texas Longhorns

I always hate playing Texas late in the year. They are a team that seems to lose their identity in the beginning of the year and then toward the end of the year realize just what kind of team they should be. The Longhorns most likely will also have a new signal caller and if you notice, I want to play those guys early. This could be the first conference home game for a freshman, who will likely have some nerves. So again, let’s play this guy early.

Week Seven - TCU Horned Frogs

After an away game with Texas, its back home against the Horned Frogs. The Horned Frogs also will be breaking in a new quarterback. TCU has been a thorn in the Mountaineers side, especially in Morgantown. This game, dependent on how good both teams are, could be a Gameday possibility in Week Seven. There is Ohio Sate vs Wisconsin, Ole Miss vs Arkansas, Bama vs Tennessee and not many other marquee games on the schedule.

Week Eight - at Iowa St. Cyclones

I know the Big 12 has “decided” that Iowa State is WVU’s “rival”. I’m glad they gave us someone but I fully disagree that it is ISU. Outside of one game where we simply stopped playing, ISU has not been competitive on the field with the Mountaineers. Maybe that will change with new head coach Matt Campbell, but I seriously doubt it. Having an easier game in the middle of the schedule will be nice.

Week Nine - Oklahoma Sooners

Here we go. I dislike playing Texas late in the year and I dislike playing Oklahoma early in the year. So I’m playing Oklahoma in Week Nine. This is the weekend before Halloween in Morgantown. It will be cold, it will be rowdy and if the Mountaineers play well up to this point, it could be a night game.

Week Ten - Bye

Again, after four weeks of football bodies are nicked and banged up so a week off will be good for everybody. Plus, the following week the Mountaineers are traveling.

Week Eleven - at Texas Tech Red Raiders

Lubbock is a weird, weird place. Its windy and colder than expected. The Mountaineers will have to face one of the nation’s top offenses. Having an extra week to prepare for Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid attack and the dual-threat nature of Patrick Mahomes, will be helpful for everyone.

Week Twelve - Kansas Jayhawks

Much like Iowa State, outside of a fluke 2013 game, Kansas hasn’t been competitive against the Mountaineers. Having an easier game near the end of the year will be helpful for getting younger players experience.

Week Thirteen (Rivalry Week) - at Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State is my pick for a rival in the Big 12, and I do use that term semi-loosely. The two teams have had some memorable games, from the upset in 2013 to the heartbreaker last year. Both teams are typically well matched and have playmakers on both sides of the field. I know Oklahoma State has the Sooners, who they play at the end of the season and Texas Tech but I think this could be a solid rivalry given time. The programs are more similar than you think.

Week Fourteen - Baylor Bears

This year, I fully expect Baylor to be a tirefire at the end of the year. With the departure of Art Briles and loss of different players, I think Baylor is going to be struggling to field a competitive team at the end of the year. But even if they are, the Bears have not beaten the Mountaineers in Morgantown and December in Morgantown is cold. I like the chances for the Mountaineers in December.

On October 1, the Kansas State Wildcats will visit Morgantown to square off with the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium in the first Big 12 Conference game for each team. The Mountaineers will be looking to exact some revenge on the Wildcats as Bill Snyder’s team currently has a five-game winning streak against WVU.

Last season, Kansas State escaped with a 24-23 victory over the Mountaineers in Manhattan, KS despite playing converted wide receiver Kody Cook at quarterback. A fourth quarter 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Morgan Burns ended up being the difference in the Wildcats’ win.

Let’s take a look at the 2016 version of the Kansas State Wildcats and what to expect when they come to Morgantown.

Game #4: Kansas State Wildcats

Wikipedia

Kansas State finished 2015 with a 6-7 record after falling in the Liberty Bowl to Arkansas. Despite the losing record, it was quite an achievement for the Wildcats to even make a bowl after suffering injuries to four quarterbacks during the season. Cook ended up having to start the last two games of the season with no other healthy options on the roster.

Entering the 2016 season, it looks like redshirt junior Jesse Ertz will be the Wildcats’ starter at quarterback, although Snyder has stated that Joe Hubener and Alex Delton will have an opportunity to win the job as well. Ertz was listed at No. 1 on the team’s depth chart entering last season as well before tearing his ACL.

Wildcat Offense: Conservatism Is The Name Of The Game

 

The Wildcats are never going to be confused for an air raid offense, but the unit should be better than it was last season based purely on the health of the quarterback position. Leading receiver Deante Burton returns and Kansas State is especially excited about junior college transfer Byron Pringle who registered nine catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in the team’s spring game.

Starting running back Charles Jones returns in 2016, but Snyder will be without four of his five starting offensive linemen from 2015 including Cody Whitehair who was a second round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2015 NFL Draft. The lone returning starter will be sophomore center Dalton Risner.

Defense Is Wildcats’ Calling Card

 

Snyder’s defense had an uncharacteristically down season in 2015 as the unit was torched by the likes of TCU, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. In those three games, the Wildcats gave up a combined 166 points as they couldn’t find a way to slow down those high-flying offenses.

The good news for Kansas State is that there are nine players returning with starting experience. With another year under their belts, one would think that there would be some better performances on the horizon.

Prediction: WVU Breaks The Losing Streak

The Mountaineers have only beaten the Wildcats once in six meetings between the two schools and have lost five in a row. With the amount of firepower returning on offense for WVU, and the home-field advantage, I expect the Mountaineers to finally down Kansas State, 36-27.

After winning last year’s conference title and making an appearance in the 2015 College Football Playoff semifinals, Oklahoma has been chosen as the favorite to win the 2016 championship by media representatives who cover the league. This year marks the fourth since 2011 in which the Sooners topped the preseason rankings. They have captured a Big 12-record nine league titles.

OU garnered 24 of 26 first-place votes and tallied 258 points. TCU picked up the other two first-place votes and totaled 222 points. Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas rounded out the top five followed by Texas Tech, West Virginia, Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas.

2016 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll

1. Oklahoma (24) 258

2. TCU (2) 222

3. Oklahoma State 202

4. Baylor 156

5. Texas 151

6. Texas Tech 141

7. West Virginia 126

8. Kansas State 88

9. Iowa State 59

10. Kansas 24

first-place votes in parentheses