West Virginia

WVSports – West Virginia LB Cutter making gains, growing

Published

7 months ago

June 9, 2024

WVSports – West Virginia LB Cutter making gains, growing

Ben Cutter found out a lot about himself and his game as a true freshman.

The North Carolina native was thrust into a large role than perhaps he might have initially expected due to the depth of the position.

Cutter played in 11 games and saw a total of 464 snaps but understands that even despite that experience he has a lot of learning still to do.

“I’m glad it happened though because I got a step forward on what I need to fix. I made a lot of mistakes but also did some good things. The mistakes are what I’m trying to focus on,” he said.

One of the biggest areas of focus for Cutter has been improving in the pass game. The 6-foot-0, 225-pounds, wasn’t asked to do much in pass coverage at the high school level with it basically restricted to dropping to the hash when the offensive lineman pass blocked.

At this level, linebackers are asked to understand route concepts and what’s happening on a play. And the faster that you can recognize what is unfolding, the faster it will allow you to play on the field.

It’s something that Cutter had to learn first hand in his first experience at the college level against Duquesne when he was playing the boundary and had to take wide receiver Tedy Afful in man coverage and carry him to the end zone. But at the start of the play, Cutter made a step toward the line of scrimmage and the Dukes’ wide receiver was able to get step on him and haul in a touchdown.

It’s not that Cutter played him all that bad, but it’s a wake-up call for how fast things happen at this level and the smallest mistake can lead to points for the opposition.

“Knowing route combinations, knowing where I need to be to affect the quarterback and bait them up. Just playing fast and playing comfortable,” he said.

Some of that is simply putting more effort into his film study in order to prepare and understand exactly what the opposing offense is trying to do on every play. That allows him to play faster.

Cutter has made leaps with his strength as well as a better understanding of how to use his hands. He also learned that taking care of your body in the weight room is something that is a necessity at this level in order to play at your best.

Cutter also has been working on his angles to the ball and avoiding some of the situations that occurred last season with his hips turned out and trying to tackle a running back with his hips squared to him. Mistakes are going to happen but it’s about growing from them.

“When you make the mistakes more than once you realize it and need to fix it,” Cutter said.

And that’s a good thing because the competition and depth in the linebacker room is as good as it’s been in recent years with a group that is hungry and fighting for reps. Cutter is hoping to make a sizeable leap forward and has been preparing as if he is going to be a starter, so he is ready for whatever role.

Cutter was a lower-rated three-star prospect coming out of high school and uses that to help propel his preparation in the off-season. He might not be the most talented option at all times, but he’ll make up for it in other areas that he can control.

“I wasn’t going to be outworked,” he said.

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West Virginia

Oklahoma State basketball vs. West Virginia: Prediction, picks for Cowgirls-Mountaineers

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma State basketball vs. West Virginia: Prediction, picks for Cowgirls-Mountaineers

STILLWATER — One quick look at the top part of the Big 12 women’s basketball standings tells you how big this West Virginia at Oklahoma State game is.

The Cowgirls (13-2, 3-1 Big 12) are tied for third place in the league with WVU (13-2, 3-1), and while there’s a lot of basketball left to be played, this game could be important as the standings shake out in late February.

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:

A duel of conflicting strengths

Though OSU’s offense has been struggling lately, it still remains the best in the Big 12, putting up 84.4 points per game. West Virginia, on the other hand, is the second-best defense in the league, giving up just 51.1 points per game.

The Cowgirls’ recent shooting struggles are the bigger concern. They’ve scored just 66 and 64 points in the last two games, most recently defeating Cincinnati 64-48.

Can Anna Gret Asi heat up?

A key piece of Oklahoma State’s offensive attack is combo guard Anna Gret Asi, but the senior hasn’t been seeing shots fall lately.

Over the last two games, Asi is 1 for 16 from the floor and 0 for 12 from 3-point range. That has dropped her 3-point percentage from 42.9% to 37.1%.

Cowgirls must avoid turnovers

OSU’s guard-heavy lineup has been reliable in taking care of the ball this season, averaging just 14.2 turnovers per game.

That will be critical in holding off WVU on Saturday. The Mountaineers rank fourth nationally and well ahead of everyone else in the Big 12 in turnovers forced, causing 25.9 per game.

How to watch OSU-West Virginia women

The Cowgirls and Mountaineers will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. Saturday. Streaming for the game can be found here. The OSU radio broadcast will be on KGFY 105.5 FM.

Score prediction for OSU-West Virginia women

West Virginia 64, OSU 63: A few key Cowgirls, like Asi, have been cold from the floor in recent games, and that trend is sure to turn in their favor soon. But West Virginia’s defense might be catching OSU at the ideal time to steal a road win.

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West Virginia

Which NFL Franchise’s History Most Compares to West Virginia Football?

Published

13 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Which NFL Franchise’s History Most Compares to West Virginia Football?

West Virginia is one of the most successful programs in college football history. As a matter of fact, they are the winningest team in college football without a national championship.

Is that a good thing? Well, yes and no.

It shows that the program has consistently won and is at a high enough level to be among the best programs in the country. However, it’s certainly not a label that Mountaineers fans are exactly proud of. The 1988 and 2007 seasons are still burned into the memory bank of WVU fans and getting back to the big dance in this day and age is a tall task.

The Mountaineers entered the 1988 Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame with an unblemished record and clobbered many of their opponents on their path to the big game. Unfortunately, star dual-threat quarterback Major Harris injured his shoulder on the third play of the game and wasn’t the same player the rest of the game. The Mountaineers would fall to the Fighting Irish 34-21.

In 2007, well you all Mountaineer fans know the story. But for those who don’t, West Virginia entered the final week of the season ranked second in the country and all they needed to do was beat a 3-8 Pitt team in the Backyard Brawl, at home, to secure a spot in the national championship.

The high-powered WVU offense went stagnant as star quarterback Pat White injured his non-throwing hand early in the game. White didn’t return until late in the fourth quarter and the Panthers were able to hang on to pull off the stunning upset, defeating the Mountaineers 13-9.

That was the last time WVU has been on the doorstep of a national title.

So, which team in the NFL has shared that same level of misery yet has been a consistently winning organization? That would be the Minnesota Vikings.

They have the best winning percentage of any team in the NFL who have yet to win a Super Bowl. Only the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and Kansas City Chiefs have a better winning percentage, but they all have Lombardi Trophies.

Now, technically, the Detroit Lions have the most wins of any NFL team without a Super Bowl win, but they have a winning percentage of .455, so it’s not exactly an accurate representation of the success West Virginia has had at the collegiate level.

West Virginia

Cover WV aims to empower West Virginians with insurance knowledge

Published

21 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Cover WV aims to empower West Virginians with insurance knowledge

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (WBOY) — Dozens of locations across West Virginia participated in the second annual Cover WV Day on Thursday, where more than 20 organizations offered free assistance to those who need health insurance or feel they are underinsured.

According to Cover WV’s website, more than 100,000 West Virginians lack health coverage, so this event aimed to bridge the gap and answer questions. Community Care Bridgeport Case Manager Zach Morehead said that uninsured people is something that he and his team “encounter pretty regularly.”

“As we all know it can be very confusing so we’re happy to walk you through it step by step, you know, really, take the gloves off and explain everything to you as much or as little as you need,” Morehead said.

Even if you were not able to get to the locations on Thursday, places like Community Care will still be able to help you out virtually or in person until Jan. 15. Morehead recommended coming in earlier rather than later.

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