MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Last season, former West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen made it a point to discuss “Horns Down” with the officials before WVU’s game at Texas. Even after the discussion, the Mountaineers were penalized twice for flashing the hand signal, which became a focal point in the offseason on whether teams will continue to be flagged or not.
At Big 12 media days in July, Greg Burks, Big 12 coordinator official, said it depends on when and where an opposing player flashes horns down, which is an obvious mocking of Texas’ “Hook ’em Horns.”
“By rule, anything prolonged and designed to bring attention to the individual rather than the team is a foul,” Burks said.
While Mountaineer fans may get carpal tunnel this week by taunting the Longhorns early and often, WVU coach Neal Brown doesn’t believe his team will have too many wrist problems.
“That’s much to do about nothing,” Brown said on Monday’s Big 12 Coaches teleconference. “We respect everybody we play — we’re not going to be disrespectful, but that’s not something we’re going to spend a lot of time on.”
Cowan will play
West Virginia bandit linebacker VanDarius Cowan will play Saturday against Texas following an NCAA-mandated four-game suspension, according to Brown.
However, Brown isn’t sure how much time Cowan will actually see against the Longhorns.
“He’s going to play some snaps at bandit, but this is really the first time he’ll play meaningful snaps in a college football game,” Brown said. “For all intents and purposes, this will be his first collegiate action. We’re going to play him and he’ll play some on special teams and some on defense, but it’ll be very much like a first game for him.”
Brown said Cowan has gotten reps all season and participates in the Monday Night Football developmental program, playing well in those situations. He shows athleticism on the edge and Brown looks forward to seeing what he can do in live action.
Rhule signs extension
Baylor coach Matt Rhule took over a program in shambles after sexual assault allegations under former coach Art Briles following the 2016 season.
In just two-plus years, Rhule signed a contract extension late Sunday to remain with the Bears through 2027, an obvious vote of confidence from Baylor’s administration about the job Rhule’s done.
Rhule’s wife “Julie and I sat down to discuss where do we want to raise our family right now?” Rhule said. “The commitment from Baylor to not just us, but our staff, the future of the program and just the quality of life that we have. We felt like this is what we wanted to do. There’s been other opportunities, and other coaches get other opportunities every year, but we’re in a really special place with really special people. We felt like this is where we wanted to work and live.”
In Rhule’s first season at Baylor in 2017, the Bears went 1-11, but in 2018, they turned it around to finish 7-6, including a win over Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl.
The Bears (4-0, 1-0) remain undefeated after sneaking past Iowa State last week. West Virginia will travel to Waco for a Halloween matchup Oct. 31.
