WVU sloppy in loss to Utah
West Virginia played its bowl game Tuesday, while Penn State gears up for the Fiesta Bowl.
Also in this column we take a look both the early signings by both schools as well as those at Pitt.
鈥橢ers sloppy in loss
Playing without star quarterback Will Grier, West Virginia struggled mightily in the Zaxby蘑菇视频 Heart of Dallas Bowl at the Cotton Bowl Stadium as it fell to Utah, 30-14.
West Virginia came in averaging 485 yards per game, good for 15th in the country, but it was limited to 153 yards by the Utah defense with help from the sloppy weather.
The Mountaineers only had 84 yards of offense heading into the fourth quarter.
A healthy Grier would have made a big difference but not all is lost moving forward as Grier and several of his key targets return next season.
Penn State ready for Washington?
The Nittany Lions arrived in Glendale, Arizona, over the weekend and are preparing to face Washington Saturday afternoon.
The game starts at 4 p.m. on ESPN.
A win would cap back-to-back 11-win seasons for Penn State, and improve its all-time record in the Fiesta Bowl to 7-0.
The Huskies may have the best defense that Penn State has faced all season, and it will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne calls the game.
Word is that he will call the game from the press box unlike his predecessor Joe Moorhead, who called it from the field.
I will be at the game and will have a first-person report in next week蘑菇视频 column.
Early recruiting results for local teams
Now that the early signing period has come and gone, let蘑菇视频 take a look at how the three local Division I teams did.
Heading into the February signing period where classes will be wrapped up, Penn State is fourth nationally trailing only Georgia, Ohio State and Texas.
Currently, the Nittany Lions have a trio of five-star signees, nine-four stars and 10 three-stars.
Micah Parsons, a defensive end who will enroll and start class Jan. 8, is ranked fourth overall, and is the top-ranked weakside defensive end in the country.
Wide receiver Justin Shorter is the 15th-overall ranked prospect in the country and running back Ricky Slade is the 25th-ranked recruit overall in the country.
WVU currently comes in at 31st with a pair of four-stars and 19 three-stars.
Strongside defensive end Dante Stills in the top-ranked 鈥楨er at 141 nationally while Aliquippa蘑菇视频 Kwantel Raines, a safety, is ranked 195 overall.
The Mountaineers have 21 signed commits and have room for a few more.
Pitt did not rank in the Top-50 after the early signing period and are ranked 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Panthers have 16 three-star players but no five-or four-stars.
Leading the way for Pitt is wider receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis, ranked 513rd in the country and Belle Vernon offensive tackle Blake Zubovic, ranked 515th overall.
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