Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
West Virginia
Marshall Falls To West Virginia 24-7
10/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 17, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Marshall University gave West Virginia University all it could handle for much of Saturday's contest, however, running back Noel Devine rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns as the Mountaineers erased a 7-3 halftime deficit to post a 24-7 win the annual Friends of Coal Bowl at Milan Puskar Stadium, Saturday. The Thundering Herd posted a strong opening half, forcing two WVU fumbles in the first half. West Virginia's first drive of the game was also WVU quarterback Jarrett Browns last. The standout fumbled after rushing for a first down in Marshall territory when he was hit by Marshall defenders Ashton Hall and Brandon Burns. The two sandwiched the Mountaineer QB on the play forcing the fumble that was recovered by the Herd's DeQuan Bembry. Marshall then converted on its opening drive as Brian Anderson directed a 16-play, 64-yard drive that was capped off by a 12-yard touchdown run by Anderson.
After picking up a first down thanks to an 8-yard reception by tight end Cody Slate, the Mountaineers forced Marshall into a 4th-and-19, forcing MU to punt. West Virginia, however, was called for a personal foul on the punt attempt, putting the Herd offense back on the field with an automatic first down.
Marshall took full advantage of the second chance, marching the ball 47 yards over 13 plays to take the 7-0 lead. Brian Anderson ran it in for the score came on a third down scramble from the 12-yardline.. One of the biggest turning points of the contest came in early in the second quarter. Following a Marshall punt, holder Sean McClellan forced a fumble by WVU returner Jock Saunders. John Jacobs scooped up the ball, giving Marshall the ball at the WVU 24.
Darius Marshall carried the ball 17 yards over three plays to the 7-yardline, but on the fourth play of the drive, the junior fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Mountaineers to thwart a potential scoring opportunity.
The West Virginia offense, without quarterback Jarrett Brown after its first drive, struggled for the remainder of the half. Backup Geno Smith completed 5-of-9 pass attempts for 30 yards while the rushing offense of the Mountaineers gained just 35 yards in the half.
With 44 seconds left in the first half, a Tyler Bitancurt field goal put the Mountaineers on the board, making it a 7-3 game in favor of the Herd at halftime.
Marshall's defense was impressive throughout the first half. Forcing the two turnovers and limiting West Virginia to only two first downs and mere 84 yards of total offense. Marshall also held Devine to only 26 rushing yards in the first half. Meanwhile, Marshall's Darius Marshall entered halftime with 68 yards rushing. However, the second half would belong to the host Mountaineers.
In the third quarter, the Mountaineer defense forced the Herd into a three-and-out on its first possession. On its ensuing possessions, West Virginia's offense put together its best drive to that point.
On a drive that started at the Marshall 46, WVU drove the ball into the endzone in eight plays. The key play of that drive was a fourth down play in which Smith completed a 13-yard pass to Jock Saunders for a first down at the MU 14-yardline. On the next play, running back Noel Devine rushed the ball in for the score, giving the Mountaineers their first lead of the day with 10:49 left in the quarter.
Marshall's offense was held in check by the defense of West Virginia in the third quarter, gaining just 58 yards. With 12:31 remaining in the game, the Mountaineer offense struck again. Geno Smith connected with WR Alric Arnett for a 33-yard score giving WVU a 17-7 advantage. The game was put out of reach with under four minutes left as Devine rushed for his second score of the game, this one coming from 9 yards out.
Brian Anderson completed 17-of-35 passes for 149 yards. The junior threw two interceptions. For West Virginia, freshman QB Geno Smith, who came into the game after WVU's first drive, completed 15-of-21 passes for 147 yards and a score. In the second half, the freshman was 10-of-12 for 117 yards.
For the second consecutive game, Darius Marshall was held under the 100-yard mark. Marshall finished the game with 82 yards on 25 rushes, an average of 3.3 yards per carry.
Senior tight end Cody Slate was the leading receiver in the game. The MU standout caught ten balls for 102 yards. Marshall's Antavious Wilson caught two passes for 35 yards. Arnett was WVU's top pass catcher, hauling in three receptions for 55 yards.
For both offenses it was a tale of two halves. After gaining 139 yards of offense in the first half, MU was held to just 68 yards while West Virginia's offense, which produced 84 first-half yards, posted 229 in the latter half. Marshall is the first team this season to hold West Virginia's high-powered offense under 30 points in a game and was locked in a tight one with its in-state neighbor until WVU managed to score two fourth quarter touchdowns to pull away. The final score came with just 3:43 on the clock.
With the win, WVU improved to 9-0 in the series against Marshall. The teams will meet in Huntington next season and the final game of the current contract will be contested in Morgantown in 2012.
The Herd will return home next weekend after two weeks on the road. Marshall will face UAB next Saturday at Noon.
