THE SHOTGUN THROWDOWN: Mountaineer Field Mayhem

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HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE

Many would expect that a rainy and cold day in late October would result in a football crowd being disinterested in its team’s game, but that was not the case at Milan Puskar Stadium this past Saturday. The 45,613 West Virginia fans in attendance helped the Mountaineers upset Iowa State, 38-31. The crowd was roughly 15,000 short of the stadium’s capacity because of the rainy weather and WVU’s mediocre record, but that left over 45,000 true Mountaineer fans to cheer on their team and they did their part.

WVU head coach Neal Brown was extremely appreciative of the atmosphere that the fans created during the game, and he acknowledged how that intensity helped the team execute big plays on the defensive side of the ball. Brown now hopes for a big turnout with the same enthusiasm at this week’s home game against #11 Oklahoma State.

BIG 12 SEMIFINALS

The West Virginia women’s soccer team is facing Texas in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship tonight. The Mountaineers were able to knock of Baylor, 1-0, in the first round of the tournament, thanks to a goal by freshman forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran. WVU faced the Longhorns once during the regular season and the two teams came to a scoreless draw after a double-overtime defensive battle. This match will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ at 8:00 p.m. ET.

SENIOR NIGHT

The West Virginia men’s soccer team will also be in action tonight. The 10-2-4 Mountaineers are hosting Bowling Green in a Senior Night match at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium at 7:00 p.m. ET. WVU is on a three-game winning streak and hopes to continue that streak for its five seniors. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

WEST VIRGINIA ROUNDUP

• The defense has kept West Virginia competitive in almost all of its game this season. The WVU defense will be tested this week when it faces one of the top running back in the Big 12, Oklahoma State’s running back Jaylen Warren.
• 11 former Mountaineers were in action during week eight of the NFL season. Cornerback Rasul Douglas made the biggest play of the week for former WVU players, with his game-winning interception that helped the Green Bay Packers hold off the Arizona Cardinals, 24-21.

AROUND THE BIG 12

• Kansas and Kansas State kick off the Big 12 slate on Saturday with the Sunflower Showdown at noon. The Wildcats are big favorites in this conference rivalry game that will be televised on FS1.
• Joining West Virginia and #11 Oklahoma State in the 3:30 p.m. ET time slot are #12 Baylor and TCU. This long-standing rivalry will be played on Fox and the Bears are favored by a touchdown in this game.
• The Big 12 games for this week wrap up with Texas and Iowa State in the night game spot at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The Cyclones are favored by a touchdown.

AROUND THE NCAA

• The only college football matchup between two ranked teams this week is #13 Auburn traveling to #14 Texas A&M. The Aggies are favored by 4.5 points in this SEC showdown.

ODDS AND ENDS

• The Atlanta Braves are the 2021 MLB World Series Champions after defeating the Houston Astros, 7-0, in the sixth game of the series. This is Atlanta’s first World Series championship since 1995.

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