SPORTS
April 26, 2013
Baltimore Sun reporter Don Markus and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland sports. Is the Atlantic Coast Conference being vindictive with Maryland regarding its basketball schedule for its final season? Don Markus: After seeing that the Terps have to go play at Duke and North Carolina, without a return game from either the Blue Devils or Tar Heels, my reaction was it was a, uh, going-away gift for leaving for the Big Ten in 2014.
SPORTS
Baltimore Sun staff | April 26, 2013
Here's a look at what national media are saying about the St. Louis Rams drafting former Dunbar star Tavon Austin with the No. 8 pick in the 2013 NFL draft. ** SI.com's Don Banks says the Rams gave up a lot to get Austin, but the West Virginia wide receiver could very well be worth it . St. Louis shipped its 16th overall pick to Buffalo to get to No. 8 for Austin, also throwing the Bills a second-rounder (No. 46), a third-rounder (No. 78) and a seventh-rounder (No. 222)
SPORTS
By Matt Vensel and The Baltimore Sun | April 25, 2013
One of my favorite assignments in the past year or so was the feature I did this week on former Dunbar and West Virginia star Tavon Austin, who for weeks has had talent evaluators in NFL organizations and in the media salivating about what he might do in the pros. One quote from my story really summed Austin up nicely. “I think the teams that view him conventionally as a slot receiver are being short-sighted,” Greg Cosell of NFL Films, whose opinion I respect, told me two weeks ago. “The teams that see him as the ultimate chess piece that can be moved all around and aligned everywhere on the formation are the teams that will get it right.” Now that we know that Tavon is heading to St. Louis, let's take a look at how he will fit with the Rams.
SPORTS
By Matt Vensel, The Baltimore Sun | April 23, 2013
Imagine the football field as a chess board, its synthetic green grass replaced with two-toned squares. Picture wideouts as rooks rocketing up and down the edges of the board and backs as bishops slashing through a front line of pawns. Tight ends and slot receivers are knights, slipping out to seize smaller chunks of ground. The quarterback, of course, is king, often times stationary but absolutely invaluable. Where does Tavon Austin fit into the NFL's weekly high-speed, hard-hitting chess matches?
SPORTS
By Matt Vensel and The Baltimore Sun | February 25, 2013
The NFL's annual pre-draft meat market wraps up Tuesday, but one of the players generating the most buzz at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis was former Dunbar star Tavon Austin. His 4.34 in the 40-yard dash Sunday validated the gigabytes of electrifying game tape the wide receiver compiled at West Virginia. Austin was already being viewed as a likely first-round pick after piling up 3,413 receiving yards, 1,033 rushing yards and 35 total touchdowns as West Virginia's version of Percy Harvin, the do-it-all playmaker for the Minnesota Vikings.
SPORTS
By Aaron Wilson, The Baltimore Sun | February 22, 2013
West Virginia star wide receiver Tavon Austin once embarrassed a proud Oklahoma defense with his unique brand of elusiveness. Almost casually last November, the dynamic former Dunbar standout repeatedly made the Sooners' safeties and linebackers fall to the ground with a series of body-twisting cuts. Primarily lining up at running back, Austin piled up 572 all-purpose yards against Oklahoma for the second-highest single-game total in NCAA history. He rushed for 344 yards and two touchdowns, caught four passes for 82 yards and gained 146 yards on eight kick returns.