Marshall Thundering Herd @ West Virginia
Mountaineers(-20.5)
Second play of the season. When I cap I take a look at the entire sheet of
games and circle 10-20 games that I initially like enough to dive a bit deeper.
To be entirely honest, I actually circled Marshall in this game as I normally
like taking the points in rivalries. I specifically remember the game last year
where WVU had a miracle comeback just to win the game SU. While I often dont
play a game I target early on, I will rarely go opposite of the initial read so
to say that I feel pretty confident with this play would be an understatement.
All signs point to blowout.
Lots has changed with the Mountaineer program since the last time we saw them
play. FINALLY MR. BILL STEWART is gone!! WVU has become bettable again! Noel
Devine has also moved his talents to the NFL and the offense will be reshaped.
Probably a good idea considering what they have coming back at the running back
spot. Dana Holgerson takes over the offense and brings the spread formation
with him. For what WVU doesn’t have at running back, they will make up for in
the air as a common trait with Holgerson’s offenses are being pass heavy. The
returning gunslinger this season is Geno Smith (241/372, 64.8%, 24 tds, 7 int
last year) who has shown improvement in every season thus far. They are going
to need to be deep at the receiver spot and I think at the end of the season we
see Tavon Austin being mentioned as a 1st team All-American. They
also return Brad Starks and Stedman Bailey who were steady producers last year
and both contributed 4 touchdowns. They only lose 1 starter on the offensive
line and should provide Geno with plenty of time to find his man.
The defensive is extremely inexperienced at this point. They suffer huge losses along the defensive line, especially the interior with Neild and Berry. They also play the awkward 3-3 stack and lose a lot of the players who filled those positions. What is nice about the Mountaineer D though is that they get players experience as they gain more playing time so while they don’t boast many returning starters, they don’t lack in playing time. The defense is always very good and especially in Morgantown.
Marshall on the other hand is going into the season in serious rebuilding mode. They have a new QB, RB and just a single returning WR. Not exactly a recipe for success in the first game of the season in a hostile environment. They also lose 3 offensive lineman, so to say that they have some holes and question marks is an obvious understatement. To expect anything out of this group in Morgantown would be unfair.
Their defense is a bit better off. They return a monster on the D-Line with Vinny Curry who is going to have to carry the unit. They return a single starter in the linebacker group and should be very weak. The secondary has 2 returning starters and a transfer who just came in from Tennessee. They struggled last season against spread offenses and we should not expect anything different here
So basically we have an experienced offense in WVU who will be ready to go this season after sleep walking through the last few years with Bill Stewart at the helm. Dana should have them ready to play and they are walking into the perfect storm. Marshall should struggle to get pressure on Geno and he will be standing back there picking which of his 5 receiving options he is going to hit. While the defense is a bit inexperienced, they look like veterans compared to how inexperienced the offense is at Marshall.. I expect domination from the opening kickoff and will be surprised if this isn’t somewhere in the 49-7 range.
Love The Hokies this Season .....
Glad
you are NOT HOMER
High on them ....
Schedule is a WET Dream on paper
Defense will be MUCH better
David Wilson should be A STUD
BOL Brother 
Oh geesh
Bibendi is back
Bidendi=welcher=loser=snake oil
Bibendi
Quote Originally Posted by bibendi23:
Well guys I have officially ruined my life gambling. I havent had a winning night in baseball in about a month and I just sit around watching these games without enjoying myself. I've also now put myself in a horrible position financially. I wish everyone here the best of luck but this isnt the life I want to be leading anymore. I will probably do a few write-ups for the Hokies games here and there but as far as wagering is concerned and the grind I have to get away for awhile. I hope everyone has a successful season
Established in 1995,
on it as well
ap
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