West Virginia

I've Got Five On It: Cincinnati

Published

1 year ago

November 10, 2024

Press Room

I’ve Got Five On It: Cincinnati

West Virginia bounced back, earning a 31-24 win over Cincinnati on Saturday, earning their second win in a row.

Staff writer Wesley Shoemaker picks out five things from the game yesterday that stood out and dives into each.

Koonz’s Krew

The main storyline surrounding WVU the last two weeks has been there is a new defensive coordinator in Jeff Koonz.

Koonz’s group showed up in a big way, forcing three total turnovers as they were able to get after Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby all night long. They had seven tackles for loss, three sacks, and three quarterback pressures.

There is not much that can change structurally for a defense through two-thirds of the season. However, they can change tendencies, and that seemed to be apparent. Pressure was a priority throughout the game, and they also went into some man coverage in spots. Koonz’s group forced three turnovers, and he passed his first test as defensive coordinator.

Special Teams Shows Up

All season long, head coach Neal Brown had high praise for his special teams unit.

For the first time all season, it seemed as though their special teams unit made a significant impact on the game.

WVU had three punts downed inside the 20-yard line, compared to just one for Cincinnati. On returns, WVU totaled 141 yards on kick and punt returns, compared to 55 total return yards from the Bearcats.

Preston Fox was really good on returns, and the Mountaineers were able to control field position. In a game where the offense did not have its best showing, West Virginia showed up big time on special teams, helping them in the win.

Managing Momentum

For the second game in a row, things seemed to be in complete control for West Virginia before the sky looked to be falling.

This time, it was an interception thrown by WVU, followed by an 80-yard touchdown on the very next play. Then, the offense went quiet for the Mountaineers while Cincinnati moved the ball down the field and cut WVU’s 17-point to just three.

West Virginia would then give the ball back to the Bearcats but made the biggest play of the game when they pressured UC QB Brendan Sorsby before they were able to force a backward pass which they picked up for a fumble recovery score.

Marchiol takes a step back

It was Nicco Marchiol’s second consecutive start, but it wasn’t his best game, especially considering how he played against Arizona State.

Marchiol had 156 yards passing, completing nine of his 15 pass attempts. Marchiol — and the offense as a whole — did not have their best game. This begs the question of what WVU should do if Garrett Greene is fully cleared and able to come back next week against Baylor.

It seems like a simple answer with how Marchiol played today, but Marchiol has done everything this staff has asked of him, and he’s just won games. He’s 3-0 as a starter and 2-0 this year, and his development from 2023 to 2024 is good for West Virginia going forward.

Starting November with a win

While it seems somewhat far-fetched, WVU did what it had to do. Start November with a win.

They are 5-4 with three games to go and are one win away from bowl eligibility. Even that seemed questionable a few weeks ago.

This team has fought with their backs against the wall, and all things considered, with a new coordinator, backup quarterback, and a road game, this was probably WVU’s best win of the year.

Everything is still in front of this Mountaineer team, and what matters most is what they seem to have — belief.

———-

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West Virginia

Man dies in southern W.Va. mining incident

Published

7 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Man dies in southern W.Va. mining incident

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A miner died Thursday after an incident at a coal mine in Wyoming County, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said.

The governor said it happened at the Lower War Eagle mine.

Morrisey released the following statement on Thursday evening:

“Denise and I were deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a coal miner today at the Lower War Eagle mine in Wyoming County. Our hearts go out to his family, loved ones, and coworkers during this sorrowful time.

“The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety, and Training responded immediately and is conducting a full investigation.

“Each day, West Virginia miners perform difficult and demanding tasks. They do this to provide for their families, to build the communities, and to forge a better future for the next generation of West Virginians. It is that work, their strength, and their dedication that defines our state and our nation.

“I ask that all West Virginians lift this miner’s family, friends, and community up in your prayers and keep them in your thoughts through the difficult days ahead.”

The victim’s name has not been released.

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West Virginia

Biggest Surprises and Disappointments from West Virginia’s 2025 Portal Class

Published

19 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

The transfer portal officially opens here in a couple of weeks, so before the madness begins, we’re going to take a look back at last year’s West Virginia portal class, highlighting some of the biggest surprises and disappointments.

Biggest surprises

West Virginia University offensive lineman Donovan Haslam | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

For this group, we’re keeping it all positive. These are players who rose above expectations and turned out to be pretty solid players.

OL Donovan Haslam (Austin Peay) – He’s far from a finished product, but he helped West Virginia get through some of its issues toward the end of the season when he replaced Walter Young Bear in the starting lineup. WVU will bring in competition for him, but he’s at least a capable option, just needs more development. That play he had dragging Diore Hubbard for a first down may have been a penalty, but it may have been the most determination we saw from a lineman all year.

BAN Devin Grant (Incarnate Word) – The stats may not show his impact, and sometimes that happens with a role player. His playmaking was very timely. Every time the Mountaineers desperately needed a sack, tackle for loss, or turnover, Grant delivered. He’s someone the staff would love to have for another year.

LB Ben Bogle (Southern Illinois) – Although he didn’t start, Bogle was the Mountaineers’ best run defender in the second level, and it really wasn’t close. As a matter of fact, he graded out as the best run stopper on the entire team. He’ll be in contention to start at the MIKE spot in 2026.

Biggest disappointments

West Virginia University Bandit Jimmori Robinson | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

Before I get started here, I’m not including offensive linemen Walter Young Bear and Kimo Makane’ole, simply because they did not come to WVU with big expectations. Yes, they played poorly, but this category is for players who didn’t live up to expectations, in one way or another.

RB Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa) – Obviously, this isn’t a performance-based performance as Edwards injured his hip in the Backyard Brawl and was eventually lost for the season. Not having his physicality really hurt WVU’s offense and its ability to run the football. Had he been healthy, perhaps they could have won another game or two.

RB Jaylan Knighton (SMU) – Who? Yeah, Jaylan Knighton, the guy who never played a down for the Mountaineers. The SMU transfer was expected to be the No. 2 to Jahiem White, which would have formed a pretty strong duo, albeit behind a bad offensive line. He had some academic issues that led to his dismissal in fall camp.

BAN Jimmori Robinson (UTSA) – Without question, the biggest disappointment of all. Robinson was expected to be an elite pass rusher for WVU and an all-league caliber player. I wouldn’t throw all of the blame at his feet, though. Some of it can be attributed to the late start with the NCAA, taking forever with his eligibility, which ended up going to court. Some of it could be the fit in the defense as well. Regardless, Robinson fell well short of expectations, finishing with just 0.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss one year after recording 17 TFLs and 10.5 sacks at UTSA.

West Virginia

WV Lottery excited about Powerball drawing, sixth largest jackpot ever – WV MetroNews

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

WV Lottery excited about Powerball drawing, sixth largest jackpot ever – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Lottery is one of the millions around the nation that will have their eye on tonight’s Powerball drawing.

The Powerball jackpot sits at $1.25 billion, an estimated cash value of $572.1 million. That marks the sixth largest jackpot in the game’s history, and it is just the second time where the game has seen back-to-back jackpots over a billion dollars.

The drawing will be at 10:59 p.m.

“It’s exciting for the lottery and it’s exciting for our players,” said West Virginia Lottery acting director David Bradley. “As excited as we are for our players and for the state and the revenue it generates, we always encourage our players to play responsible.”

Bradley says even if that billion-dollar ticket get hit elsewhere, there will be other big tickets to look out for tonight.

“We’re excited too about the other levels that win. People are excited when they win $5, $20, and $100, and we’re grateful for our players and our retailers and the people that support the lottery,” he said.

Bradley announced Tuesday morning during a lottery commission meeting that two other large tickets had been hit in the state in recent weeks.

A $500,000 ticket was purchased at Martinsburg Wal-Mart, and a $50,000 ticket was sold at the GoMart in Sophia.

In 2025 alone, four different million-dollar tickets were sold in the state. The most recent came a month ago from rural Hardy County at the Misty Valley Grocery in Mathias. Bradley said today that the ticket has not yet been claimed.

Earlier in the year, million-dollar tickets were sold at the Par Mar #17 in Hurricane and the Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro. Neither ticket was claimed.

“When you buy a ticket, make sure you sign the back of it. We encourage all of our players to be sure to check those tickets because you never know. We tell them to look in their car seats, under the car seats, in their book bags, in their purses, gym bags, and jackets.”

WV Lottery financial successes:

The lottery is coming off a strong month of November, where revenues totaled $109,626,000, which is about $14 million ahead of projections.

Total traditional sales for the fiscal year are up six percent — an increase of $31 million from fiscal year 2025. As of the end of November, the Lottery is nearly 13 percent ahead of revenue projections for the year.

So far this year, the Lottery has transferred nearly $300 million to the state for proceeds helping veterans and seniors, the state’s tourism department, the state School Building Authority, and the Promise Scholarship.

“At the Lottery, we do an awful lot of good and we’re important to the state budget. To do good for those programs out there, that’s what makes us happy. I want to make sure people know that when they play, it goes for a good cause.”

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