The Mountaineers travel to Huntington, WV
Saturday for a late morning showdown against the Thundering Herd.
Marshall
comes back home after a 31-3 loss which was a lot more of a blowout than the
score indicates. It took just over three
quarters for the Herd to put a field goal on the board, and by that time the
Miami Hurricanes had already dropped 24 points on Marshall.
The Thundering Herd had a tough time getting anything going
on the ground against Miami,
rushing for only 51 yards. Quarterback
Bernard Morris did most of the work passing 26 times and rushing 17 times.
The rushing attack may have more problems against a West Virginia run defense that only gave up 32 yards on
32 carries in their first game against Western Michigan. Marshall
did not pass particularly well either, going for 181 yards on 36 attempts to go along
with three interceptions by Bernard Morris.
Miami’s pass defense is, at least at this
point in the season, better than West
Virginia’s.
However, if Marshall
can’t find a way to run the ball against a solid Mountaineer line, it could be
another long day for Morris.
The Marshall defense did not
play particularly well, or particularly bad against Miami.
The Thundering Herd had a tough time against the Hurricane running
attack but could have stayed in the game had it not been for turnovers and
penalties. The Herd gave up 250 yards
rushing against Miami
meaning Steve Slaton and Pat White will be like Pavlov’s dogs come
Saturday. However, Marshall
did hold Miami
to only 86 yards passing, a stat Mountaineer fans wish they could see on their
side. But Rich Rodriguez only passes
when necessary. I would not be surprised
if Pat White only throws the ball 10-12 times in this game.
Last season the Mountaineers and the Thundering Herd played
for the first time in nearly a decade and West Virginia came out with an emotional
victory at home. This season’s game
should be just as emotional as two in-state opponents go after one
another. West
Virginia has never lost to Marshall and leads the series 6-0.
Game time is slated for 11:10 A.M., Saturday September 8th and will be televised by ESPN2.
Prediction:
WVU – 56 Marshall
– 17
Steve Slaton will get started early and be done in the
third quarter rushing for nearly 200 yards and two scores, to go along with a receiving
touchdown. Pat White will not throw the
ball much but will be accurate when doing so.
He will pass for around 100 yards and rush for another 100 scoring twice
on the ground and twice through the air, once to Slaton. Brown and the back-ups will be in by the
fourth quarter and continue the scoring rout.
The defense will be better in the secondary, but once WVU gets up early
it will be a passing barrage and Marshall
will add some points late in the game.
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West Virginia 