MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s 2025 season will come to a closure at some point Saturday afternoon.

Playing for little more than pride, the Mountaineers welcome seventh-ranked Texas Tech to Milan Puskar Stadium for a noon matchup airing on ESPN.

WVU will honor 40 seniors before kickoff.

“They’ve meant an awful lot,” said head coach Rich Rodriguez. “Sometimes it’s hard. Some of these guys have been here six months or less. How do they adapt? There’s not been one guy I’ve been like, ‘I wish he didn’t come here or he’s not a good senior.’ I’m really proud of that class. There’s been some tough moments for us this year and not everything has worked out for those guys like maybe they wanted it to or we wanted it to, but they’ve hung in and battled, and that’s been good for our program, so I’m really proud of them. 

Rodriguez and an entirely new staff worked to fill out the roster after the head coach was hired in December 2024 for his second stint with this title.

The Mountaineers (4-7, 2-6) struggled mightily for much of the season, but have been far better and more competitive across their last four games, which they’ve split. Sandwiched between a six-point home loss to TCU and a 25-23 setback at Arizona State in the most recent contest November 15, West Virginia secured a win at then-nationally ranked Houston and followed it up with a home seven-point triumph against Colorado.

Rodriguez credits a large group of seniors for helping the team stay the course and continue playing hard despite an 0-5 start in Big 12 play that featured four losses by an average of 27.8 points to start.

“Whether they’re a guy that’s been here one year or five or six years, they’ve worked really hard to help us get our program where we want to,” he said. “We’re a long way from getting there, but this senior class has helped us at least establish the culture.” 

Oddly enough, the resurgent play began for a senior-reliant team began with true freshman Scotty Fox Jr. at quarterback, and the matchup with the Red Raiders (10-1, 7-1) will mark the sixth straight start behind center for Fox.

Fox has displayed his fair share of positive moments across each of his last four starts, although this one comes against the top scoring defense in the Big 12 Conference at 12.3 points, good for a No. 4 national ranking.

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire expects Rodriguez to put Fox in position to make things stressful on the stingy Red Raider defense.

“Coach Rodriguez is an offensive guru. They’re going to tempo,” said McGuire, whose team also goes fast offensively. “You go back and look at his career, he’s kind of the king of tempo. He has playmakers. They do a great job of getting the ball on the perimeter.”

Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, in the running for a plethora of national honors, is the unquestioned leader of a unit that’s allowed 36 points during an ongoing four-game win streak and more than 20 points once all season, during the team’s only loss at Arizona State, 26-22.

“Jacob Rodriguez is amazing and he should probably win the Butkus and Lombardi and all that,” WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. “The Heisman is tough. You look at Heisman voting and it’s a quarterback award nowadays and occasionally you get a freak like a Travis Hunter or the kid from Boise [Ashton Jeanty] last year who’s the second all-time greatest running back in the history of college football and he didn’t win the award. It’s tough for a defensive-only player to win the Heisman, but there’s some other benchmarks as far as national awards that are maybe more relevant to defensive guys.”

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton has returned to play the last three games after missing the previous two with an injury, the first of which was the setback to the Sun Devils. Slightly north of 66 percent, Morton has the No. 1 completion percentage in the Big 12, and the senior has a lengthy list of weapons at his disposal, starting with a stellar ground game that features one of the better running back combinations in the country.

Tailbacks Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams have both been plenty productive. Dickey is third in the Big 12 with 944 rushing yards and first with 13 rushing touchdowns. Williams, whose 5.8 yards per carry average is slightly better than Dickey’s 5.6, shows 647 yards with five scores in the ground. 

“My analyst compared No. 8 [Dickey] to [former Rutgers and Baltimore Ravens running back] Ray Rice if that makes you feel better. It didn’t make me feel better,” Alley said. “He’s really patient. He’s a great visual runner. He can find holes and lets blocks develop and is kind of a one-cut, downhill, can run you over and outrun you, too, type of guy. 

“The other back they use [Williams] is more of the scat back, get him in space, outside run game, those type of things. He gets one step and he’s gone every time. He has one step speed. They don’t have a fear of using either of them the same way, but they’re slightly different in their skill sets.”

Wideouts Caleb Douglas, Reggie Virgin and Coy Eakin all have more than 40 catches and at least 500 receiving yards, while Douglas leads the group with 48 receptions for 696 yards.

With Arizona’s 23-7 victory against Arizona State late Friday, the Red Raiders and BYU are assured of squaring off next Saturday in the Big 12 Championship in Arlington, Texas. 

A victory Saturday in Morgantown all but assures Texas Tech, No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, of a berth in the CFP. A win over the Mountaineers coupled with Tech’s second victory this year against the Cougars next week, would almost certainly leave McGuire’s team with a top 4 seed and first-round bye in the playoff.

“It’s one of those deals where if you give me a chance to have a bye and have as much time as possible for this team to be as healthy as possible, one less game to where you’re not getting a lot of grey hair, losing hair or worried about somebody else getting hurt, I’d rather do that,” McGuire said. “But at the end of the day, we’re just trying to get in the mix and if we’re in the mix, then good things are going to happen.”

(WVVA) – Winter 2025–2026 looks to be mostly mild across Virginia and West Virginia, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac extended forecast, but residents in higher elevations should be ready for colder snaps and heavier snow at times. The almanac’s long-range outlook says overall temperatures will be near or slightly above normal for much of the country, while the Appalachians and parts of the Ohio Valley are expected to trend colder than average.

The big picture The Old Farmer’s Almanac points to a winter that’s “mostly mild—with pockets of wild.” That means most lowland and coastal communities in Virginia can expect milder, drier conditions with fewer snow days than usual. Meanwhile, the southern and higher-elevation Appalachian counties are likely to see colder conditions and a split snow pattern: lighter snow in the northern highlands and heavier amounts in the southern mountains.

West Virginia’s forecast varies by geography. Lower, western valleys should experience a chillier but manageable winter, while eastern and higher parts of the state may see more frequent snow events. The almanac places much of the Mountain State in a zone where snowy spells are more likely at key times through the season.

Timing to watch

Forecasters single out several windows for colder weather and potential storms: mid to late December, parts of January, and early February. For Virginia’s Atlantic corridor, the snowiest stretches are expected around the holidays, early January and again in late February. In the Appalachians, the almanac notes heavier snowfall chances in late December, late January and early February, especially at elevation.

What’s driving the forecast

The almanac cites several large-scale factors shaping the season, including a recent peak in solar activity, the Pacific moving from La Niña toward neutral conditions, and steady ocean oscillations that can influence storm tracks. Those shifts can push Arctic air south at times, producing brief but intense cold snaps that contrast with otherwise mild conditions.

Practical advice for residents

Even a mostly mild winter can produce disruptive weather. Officials and weather experts recommend simple steps to prepare:

• Check local forecasts often and be alert to changing conditions
• Keep rock salt and shovels handy and clear yards and driveways promptly after heavy snow
• Insulate pipes and drain outdoor faucets to prevent freezing
• If you must travel, carry an emergency kit with water, snacks, warm clothing and a phone charger
• For vulnerable properties, arrange for someone to check on heating systems and utilities

Why this matters

Milder winters can reduce the number of harsh cold days while increasing the risk of freeze-thaw cycles that affect roads, crops and infrastructure. In the mountains, heavier snow at higher elevations can mean travel disruptions and power outages. For gardeners and homeowners, a warmer winter may also affect pest cycles and spring planting times.

This outlook is based on the Old Farmer’s Almanac 2025–2026 winter forecast. For full regional details, visit the Old Farmer’s Almanac winter forecast page here.

Copyright 2025 WVVA. All rights reserved.

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the suspect, who had worked with the CIA in his native country, a “savage monster.”

As part of a Thanksgiving call with U.S. troops, Trump announced that he had just learned that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life.”

“She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her.”

The president called Beckstrom an “incredible person, outstanding in every single way.” The White House said he spoke to her parents after his remarks.

Trump used the announcement to say the shooting was a “terrorist attack” and criticized the Biden administration for enabling Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan War to enter the U.S. The president has deployed National Guard members in part to assist in his administration’s mass deportation efforts.

Trump brandished a print-out of a news photo of Afghan evacuees sitting on the floor of a military plane during the chaotic evacuation from Kabul in 2021 during his remarks. He suggested that the shooter was mentally unstable after the war and departure from Afghanistan.

“He went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts,” the president said. “It happens too often with these people.”

The shooter worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan

The suspect charged with the shooting is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29. The suspect had worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan, according to two sources who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, and #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war.

Trump blamed the asylum process in which Afghans who worked with U.S. forces arrived by plane for being ineffective and failing to ensure people were properly vetted.

“We have no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have full control over the people that enter and remain in our country,” Trump said. “For the most part, we don’t want them.”

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, declined to provide a motive for Wednesday afternoon’s brazen act of violence which occurred just blocks from the White House. The presence of troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has become a political flashpoint.

Pirro said that the suspect launched an “ambush-style” attack with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. As of Thursday morning, the suspect faced charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, but Pirro suggested the charges would be upgraded if one of the National Guard members died, as happened later on Thursday.

The rare shooting of National Guard members on American soil comes amid court fights and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem.

Trump issued an emergency order in August that federalized the D.C. police force and sent in National Guard troops. The order expired a month later. But the troops have remained in the city, where nearly 2,200 troops currently are assigned, according to the government’s latest update.

The guard members have patrolled neighborhoods, train stations and other locations, participated in highway checkpoints and been assigned to pick up trash and guard sports events. The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington following Wednesday’s shooting.

The suspect also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Shooting raises questions about legacy of Afghanistan War

A resident of the eastern Afghan province of Khost who identified himself as Lakanwal’s cousin said Lakanwal was originally from the province and that he and his brother had worked in a special Afghan Army unit known as Zero Units in the southern province of Kandahar. A former official from the unit, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Lakanwal was a team leader and his brother was a platoon leader.

The cousin spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.He said Lakanwal had started out working as a security guard for the unit in 2012, and was later promoted to become a team leader and a GPS specialist.

Kandahar is in the Taliban heartland of the country. It saw fierce fighting between the Taliban and NATO forces after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 following the al-Qaida attacks on Sept. 11. The CIA relied on Afghan staff for translation, administrative and front-line fighting with their own paramilitary officers in the war.

Zero Units were paramilitary units manned by Afghans but backed by the CIA and also served in front-line fighting with CIA paramilitary officers. Activists had attributed abuses to the units. They played a key role in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, providing security around Kabul International Airport as the Americans and withdrew from the country.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement that Lakanwal’s relationship with the U.S. government “ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation” of U.S. servicemembers from Afghanistan.

Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said. Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved under the Trump administration, #AfghanEvac said in a statement.

The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the U.S., many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and others over allegations of gaps in the vetting process, even as advocates say there was extensive vetting and the program offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

Lakanwal has been living in Bellingham, Washington, about 79 miles (127 kilometers) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said his former landlord, Kristina Widman.

On Wednesday night, Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who had entered under the Biden administration. The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Joseph Edlow said in a statement that the agency would take additional steps to screen people from 19 “high-risk” countries “to the maximum degree possible.”

Edlow didn’t name the countries. But in June, the administration banned travel to the U.S. by citizens of 12 countries and restricted access from seven others, citing national security concerns.

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This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of the suspect’s name. It is Lakanwal, not Lakamal or Lakanmal.

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Associated Press journalists Siddiqullah Alizai, Elena Becatoros, Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim, Gary Fields, Safiyah Riddle, Matt Brown, Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker, Jesse Bedayn, Evan Vucci, Nathan Ellgren, John Raby, Hallie Golden, Michael R. Sisak and John Seewer contributed.