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The Daily Athenaeum
WVU’s Independent Student Newspaper
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The lowdown on Holgersen’s coaching options
danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2018
www.thedaonline.com
Jake Spavital to become head coach at Texas State BY JOHN LOWE AND CHRIS JACKSON
BY MADISON GREER STAFF WRITER
SPORTS STAFF West Virginia offensive coordinator will be the next head coach at Texas State, according to Keff Ciardello of the Austin American-Statesman. Spavital will replace Everett Withers, who was fired after three seasons. Texas State went 2-10 his first two seasons before going 3-8 in 2018. Texas State will formally introduce Spavital as the head coach with a press conference at 11 a.m. CST on Friday. Unlike most of his fellow WVU assistants, Spavital does not owe the University any money to terminate his contract as the Mountaineers’ offensive coordinator. WVU’s offense ranked among the best statistically under Spavital’s guidance. In 2017, WVU ranked No. 13 in passing offense and No. 20 in total offense. This season, WVU is No. 14 in total offense and No. 9 in scoring offense. Spavital’s quarterback, Will Grier, is one of the top Heisman finalists this year, with his 3,864 passing yards ranked fourth nationally and his 37 passing touchdowns tied for second nationally, both despite playing just 11 regular season games due to the cancellation of the NC State contest. Before serving as WVU’s offensive coordinator, Spavital held the same position at Cal in 2016. His head coach, Sonny Dykes was fired after his only season there after going 5-7. Between 2013 and 2015, Spavital was the offensive coordinator at
Gameday crime down from 2017
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PHOTO BY JOHN LOWE
During summer practice, Jake Spavital instructs his offence during a drill. Texas A&M, where he worked with the likes of Johnny Manziel, Kenny Hill and Kyle Allen. He served on Dana Holgorsen’s staff once before at West Virginia.
As the quarterback’s coach, he developed Geno Smith during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. As an offensive assistant, he holds a win-loss record of 62-37.
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will be taking his talents to Texas State.
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WVU Police saw a decrease in crime on gameday during the 2018 football season compared to the year prior. The most common violations during football gamedays in the 2017 and 2018 seasons were Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABCC) violations, according to WVU Police statistics. This occurs when underage students or visitors are sold or given alcoholic beverages, whether in the stadium or at tailgates. Last year, these incidents were reported and recorded 44 times, compared to this year’s number, which was 32. “We really watched out for the last couple of years since the alcohol came into the stadium, to make sure we really get ahold of abuse and try to keep that down as low as possible,” said UPD Sgt. Peggy Runyon. The next two biggest concerns of the 2017 and 2018 seasons were drug incidents and occurrences that required the help of EMS officials. While drug incidents decreased from 21 last season to 18 this season, EMS assistance rose from 17 last season to 29 this season. Although EMS incidents increased, Runyon said this is due to an increase in safety. “Any time someone has a seizure, or a nosebleed, or something like that, they call us and we have to make a record of that anywhere on campus,” Runyon said.
See CRIME cont. p. 3
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