West Virginia @ Marshall preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2009 ) Marshall 7, West Virginia 24

It’s billed as the Friends of Coal Bowl, but truth be told, there’s not an abundance of friendliness between in-state rivals West Virginia (1-0) and Marshall (0-1), who meet Friday night in Huntington, W. Va.

The rivalry became a little more testy earlier this year when WVU assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator John ‘Doc’ Holliday left to become the head coach at Marshall. Holliday was shunned for the head job at WVU, following the unexpected departure of Rich Rodriguez to Michigan in 2009.

Leading up to National Signing Day in early February, a few players who had committed to WVU reportedly began leaning toward Marshall to play for Holliday, an outstanding recruiter who played at WVU in the mid-1970s. That stirred the ire of many WVU fans, but Mountaineers head coach Bill Stewart, who succeeded Rodriguez, said this week in a teleconference call with reporters that there is no animosity between him and long-time friend Holliday.

That might be true, but it doesn’t mean WVU fans, and more importantly Mountaineer players, won’t use that as a rallying call to crush Marshall on the Thundering Herd’s home turf Friday night.

The schools first met on the gridiron in 1911, but have played each other only nine times, with WVU winning all nine. The rivalry was revived in 2006 at the urging of West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin.

West Virginia, ranked No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this week, is coming off a dominating 31-0 season-opening win against Coastal Carolina of the Football Championship Subdivision. Marshall lost to No. 2-ranked Ohio State 45-7, with the Thundering Herd’s only touchdown coming on a special teams play.

West Virginia’s offense is spearheaded by senior tailback Noel Devine, a Heisman candidate who rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game early in the fourth quarter against Coastal Carolina. Sophomore quarterback Geno Smith looked poised in his first start for WVU, completing 20-of-27 passes for 216 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while not being sacked. Devine and wide receivers Jock Sanders and Tavon Austin accounted for 332 of WVU’s 402 yards total offense against Coastal Carolina.

West Virginia’s defense also was impressive, but don’t forget that it was against an overmatched Coastal Carolina team. Marshall should be at least a little more formidable opponent and definitely will be pumped emotionally for the Mountaineers. The problem for the Thundering Herd is that so will the Mountaineers for this in-state rivalry that might be a little more heated this season than in years past.

The Mountaineers have won the last four meetings by an average score of 24.5 points. The last time the Mountaineers played in Huntington, WVU won 48-23 in 2007.