A buzzer-beater over Marquette wasn’t what West Virginia coach Bob Huggins had in mind with a showdown looming at No. 4 Purdue.

Da’Sean Butler’s 20-foot jumper with 2 seconds left lifted the sixth-ranked Mountaineers to a 63-62 victory over Marquette on Tuesday night.

West Virginia (11-0, 2-0 Big East) overcame a five-point deficit in the final minute and its lowest point total of the season to improve to its best start since a Jerry West-led team won 14 straight to begin the 1957-58 season.

Butler fouled out of a blowout loss at Marquette last season but this time kept the Mountaineers in a game in which they trailed for most of the second half. He scored eight of his 17 points over the final 12 minutes.

His performance prompted Marquette coach Buzz Williams to call Butler “the best player in the league.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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There is probably one reason above all others that West Virginia’s offense has been successful enough this fall to average 450 yards and rank in the Top 20 in the country: versatility and flexibility.

One of only three teams in the country that rank in the top 30 teams in both rushing and passing yardage, the Mountaineers have not only made a living off of mixing the two with great success, but also in varying what they do within those areas. West Virginia can throw long, short and in between and can attack in the running game with either speed or power.

And perhaps the Mountaineers are on the verge of adding yet another element to that offense, at least the ground portion of it. Late in last Saturday’s 34-13 win at Syracuse, they took Shawne Alston for a test drive and liked what they saw.

Alston is a combination of more power than Noel Devine and Jock Sanders and more speed than Ryan Clarke. And he could see more action Saturday when West Virginia (4-1) plays Marshall (4-2) at Mountaineer Field.

“He’s kind of a tweener. He’s in between where [Devine and Sanders] are and where Ryan [Clarke] is,” West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said. “He’s bigger than [Devine and Sanders] and he’s a little faster and more agile than [Clarke]. It’s just tough getting him in the game when you have those three.”

It might be easier now that Alston has been given a shot and shown some of his potential. It was nothing earth shattering, of course, but the 6-foot, 218-pound true freshman from Hampton, Va., carried six times and gained 19 yards. He gained 8 yards on his first carry when still surrounded by most of the first-team offense.


Click here to read the full article – By Dave Hickman of WVgazette.com

Smith, a 6-foot-4, 190-pounder from Miramar, Fla., was the prized recruit in the Mountaineers’ 2009 signing class. He was expected to battle for the No. 2 quarterback job behind Jarrett Brown right away and eventually take over the position.

Click here to read the full article – By Brian Bennett of ESPN.com

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