Marshall vs. #23 WVU

[mister b]

I think WVU and Marshall should play since both are D-1 programs.

2 points of concern about the series in my mind...

1. Marshall has only been D-1 for only a decade and many folks hold that against both schools. Fair or not, many other programs are bashed for playing their weaker instate sisters. Tell me we don't look down our noses when Alabama plays instate D1 schools Troy State or UAB? The same goes for OSU vs Kent St et al and the same for UM vs all the directional Michigan D1 programs. Heaven forbid that OSU or UM play these schools at their place in a home and home series. Don't use the excuse Toledo or Central Michigan's stadiums are too small. At least WVU made a trip to Huntington for a game.

2. The series now stands at 10-0 in WVU's favor. For this game to be considered an "instate rivarly game" the other team needs to win a game once a decade or so, especially since Marshall has moved up to D1, don't ya think? They would add credence to their move with a win over WVU more so than winning a title in C-USA. Just my opinion.

Again, the series should continue but it needs to be a home and home series, which it isn't and Marshall needs to continue upgrade/enlarge their facilities for the sereis to be home and home.

I hope Marshall wins out.

[dazed&confused]

Not a fan of either team but Marshall should have won this game. Yes, they choked in the fourth quarter but did anyone else besides me think WV was holding in their own end zone. Safety! Marshall is up by ten and getting the ball back. C'mon refs, you can do better than that. Like I said, not a fan of either team but I know what my eyes tell me.

[Raiderball]

Late in the game the dcoordinator should have let his nuts drop and stop playing his safties 22 yards off the ball. You had to know they would find holes in the middle of the field. How many times do you let a team throw a screen, hit the flats, or throw on and shallow underneath crossing route without adjusting? NO excuses. The fumble on the 4 changed the entire game, if they come out with at the very least a fg game over.

I will say this, any WVU fan who is arrogant enough to say we have nothing to gain by playing Marshall needs to get a life. Name a state where there are two d1 programs in the state that don't play one another.

Obviously that comment was made for me. You tell me what WVU has to gain by playing this game. Big East (BCS) vs Conf USA (non BCS).

Marshall plays a great game and WVU plays bad. WVU still gets the win. Just like Pennington/Moss, best Marshall College team in history losing to average WVU late 90's.

[Raiderball]

A win is a win and as Buckeye fan......I know what it is like to beat Marshall by only a few points. I don't have short memory and will not knock a program for squeaking by an opponent!

By no means am I bashing WVU here, a win is a win and yes The Bucks won by the same point total, actually the exact same score. But when you are the team representing your conference and pre-season favorite to win your conference, they should have came into this game more focused and prepared. Granted Marshall playing this game is their "National Title" each season and they come in hyped and putting everything on the line to win this game, they played with more intensity and desire, but came up short. I think that falls back on coaching and Bill Stewart. I think he seems to be a heck of a guy, but I wouldn't want him to be head coaching the team that I root for and suuport, he'd make a great neighbor, not so much a head coach.

I have yet to see anyone predicting WVU to win the Big East (Pitt, UConn) but will agree with your point about Stewart and the intensity or lack of.

[Raiderball]

Not a fan of either team but Marshall should have won this game. Yes, they choked in the fourth quarter but did anyone else besides me think WV was holding in their own end zone. Safety! Marshall is up by ten and getting the ball back. C'mon refs, you can do better than that. Like I said, not a fan of either team but I know what my eyes tell me.

Did you also happen to see the Marshall receiver drop the ball before crossing the goal line and fumbling the ball out of the end zone? No touchdown, touchback, WVU ball on the 20. Don't give me the $hit about holding in the endzone. Missed calls happen in any game every weekend.

[marshallman]

WVU didn't play bad, they were getting it handed to them for 58 min. I agree on the defense not adjusting in the final 2 min. But look at how much of an improvement from last year Marshall looked against WVU. 9 starters back on OFF and 9 starters back on Def for WVU. Marshall has a new coach and new system. Marshall should by all rights have won this game but did play not to lose in the end. Last three games, Marshall had the lead at half time. Its going to happen sooner than a school in Ohio beats OSU, you can take that to the bank. It wasn't that long ago when Marshall almost beat OSU too. And, yes there was holding in the endzone, but I blame the defense for getting soft on two 90 yard drives to tie it up.

[dazed&confused]

Not a fan of either team but Marshall should have won this game. Yes, they choked in the fourth quarter but did anyone else besides me think WV was holding in their own end zone. Safety! Marshall is up by ten and getting the ball back. C'mon refs, you can do better than that. Like I said, not a fan of either team but I know what my eyes tell me.

Did you also happen to see the Marshall receiver drop the ball before crossing the goal line and fumbling the ball out of the end zone? No touchdown, touchback, WVU ball on the 20. Don't give me the $hit about holding in the endzone. Missed calls happen in any game every weekend.

Like I said, not a fan of either team so I didn't see the Marshall drop because I wasn't watching then. When I DID watch, Marshall WAS held in the end zone. Just wanted to clarify that.

[Peake]

"Marshall has only been D-1 for only a decade and many folks hold that against both schools. Fair or not, many other programs are bashed for playing their weaker instate sisters. Tell me we don't look down our noses when Alabama plays instate D1 schools Troy State or UAB? The same goes for OSU vs Kent St et al and the same for UM vs all the directional Michigan D1 programs. Heaven forbid that OSU or UM play these schools at their place in a home and home series. Don't use the excuse Toledo or Central Michigan's stadiums are too small. At least WVU made a trip to Huntington for a game."

HEre is the problem with your analogy. Alabama plays Auburn, who is not a sister of the poor. Again you are naming schools with multiple d1 programs in their state. The problem here is Marshall is the Auburn to WVU's Alabama. You are trying to compare a state with two d1 programs in the entire state to Ohio with 7 and Michigan with 5. No Michigan or OSU should not have to play C. Michigan, Toledo, etc, but if C. Michigan and Michigan were the only two d1 programs in the state, then yes they should play. Lets not forget a handful of these games came back whenever. Marshall has now led WVU three times at the half in a handful of years, and took them to OT and had a chance to win. If every opponent were dropped because they struggled to beat the other then we would not have games like Michigan-OSU. It took OSU something like 11 tries before they beat UM. If I am not mistaken do Tennessee and Memphis not play every season? I see Tennessee will visit Memphis this season. Tennessee 100,000+ v Memphis 50,000. Stop thumbing your nose.

Second they started the series in 05-06? This series is still very young.

[Raiderball]

Should OSU play UC every year? 1 for 1?

[avalanche]

There are 7 d1 programs in Ohio, I do believe imo they should.

There are two in WV. No excuse.

[mister b]

peake,

You missed my point on Alabama, UAB is University of Alabama Birmingham not Auburn. I do recognize the past history of the Alabama/Auburn series. Troy State and UAB are the weaker sisters.

WVU/Marshall has been played 6 times in the modern era, 4 games at Morgantown, 2 in Huntington and all are WVU wins. IF WVU wins the game in Huntington, then the next 2 are in Morgantown. There is no game scheduled after the 2012 game.

Again, I don't see a problem with them playing but I really think Marshall needs to expand their stadium but in terms of state wide support, they will always be #2 behind WVU, not thumbing my nose at them, just stating a simple fact. Most folks inside WV don't care if the series continues. They would rather see WVU restart the series with Penn State that was a long running series that ended with Penn State's entry into the Big 10.

How many times does UM play any of the directional Michigan schools away from the Big House? None. Why? Money. More money is generated when Marshall goes to WVU but at least WVU has ventured to Huntington twice, I don't think you will see UM play any instate schools anywhere but Ann Arbor. At least OSU gives the appearence of a road game and plays some of the instate weaker sisters at pro stadiums in Cincy or Cleveland with the crowd decidely in favor of the Buckeyes.

As I stated, if the series continues between WVU/Marshall, so be it. But it only exists because of corporate sponsership, I.E. The Friends of Coal Bowl.

If it does continue, the odds are Marshall will get a win, maybe several.

[Peake]

I didn't miss your point, I get it, but you are pointing out a team that plays in Marshall's conference to make the point they are a weak sister and Bama shouldn't have to play them. I hear what you are saying, but your analogy doesn't apply to WVU/Marshall because there are only two d1 programs in WV, there are multiple in Alabama (same w/ Michigan and Ohio).

Marshall just expanded their stadium, I don't see a problem. They are 8,000 behind the Memphis stadium, and Tennessee still goes there and it is filled by mostly Tennessee fans. I am not going to give WVU any kind of credit because they go to huntington, their stadium is what 65,000, there is not a 50-60,000 difference here.

My point, all of these analogies don't compute because Marshall is not Alabama, or Michigan, or Ohio State. They are 1 of only 2 d1 programs in a single state. If there were 4-5 different d1 schools in WV then your analogies would compute, but that is not the case.

[Just_A_Fan]

Besides dont these two school play each other in every other sport. I'm glad the gov steped in and made these two schools play in football. It brings alot of money to these two cities when they play each other mostly Huntington.

[mister b]

Marshall's stadium has been expanded twice from it's original capacity of 30,000 to 38,000 which is about 23,000 short of the Liberty Bowl's capacity. The percentage drop from Mountaineer Field to Joan Edwards stadium is probably the same as Neyland Field to the Liberty Bowl. You won't find Tennesse, UM or OSU playing at stadiums that bearly meet the NCAA's seating capacity for D1 football.

Also, the University of Memphis does not own or operate the Liberty Bowl. It was built by the city and is currently owned and managed by the Memphis Parks Services Department.

I never said Marshall was on the scale of an Alabama etc, where did you get that from?

While money will be generated for Marshall when WVU goes there, it is still a series that is mandated by the state government because the state population could really care less about the series and is solely funded by the private sector. Plus, it is not a home and home series, which it should be. Any D1 school playing another in state D1 program should agree to play the series as a home and home, regardless of the size of the 2 schools involved or their respective stadium capacities, this includes UM, OSU, ND et al. JMHO.

[85inside]

In no way should this series be a 1 for 1. If it has to happen every year, which isnt fair to WVU, it should be at least a 2 for 1. i personally think a 3 for 1 is fair. Bowling Green, Ohio U and other MAC teams(which is the conference Marshall should be in) dont get home games with WVU.

[Peake]

Marshall packed 41,000 this past game.

The National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide will play Duke this weekend in a stadium that maybe holds 25,000 if you don't count the walking deck.

Marshall is WVU's Auburn in terms of instate. Marshall is not WVU's UAB. That is my point.

Did or did not Ohio State go to WVU back in the 90's? Is that unfair to OSU? If every team is underserving based on how many people can be put into a stadium then I guess half of the conference shouldn't be able to schd WVU at home.

[mister b]

Marshall packed 41,000 this past game.

The National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide will play Duke this weekend in a stadium that maybe holds 25,000 if you don't count the walking deck.

Marshall is WVU's Auburn in terms of instate. Marshall is not WVU's UAB. That is my point.

Did or did not Ohio State go to WVU back in the 90's? Is that unfair to OSU? If every team is underserving based on how many people can be put into a stadium then I guess half of the conference shouldn't be able to schd WVU at home.

Marshall sold 3,000 SRO tickets. Their stadium seats 38,016.

Glad to see Alabama play a far lesser program on the opponets turf. A home and home series is what college football is about. Can we expect to see OSU at Marshall now that Marshall has played 2 games in Columbus? I doubt it but they should, both schools are D1 and are within a 2 hour drive of each other.

OSU and WVU have played 6 times, 1897, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1987 and 1998. OSU leads 5-1. The 2 games of the modern era (1987 and 1998) were home and home. The 1998 game was at WVU which #1 ranked OSU beat #11 WVU 34-17 during the first week of the season. So in the modern era, this is a home and home series. As an added note, the OSU game isn't the highest attended game at WVU, that belongs to the Miami Hurricanes.

[Raiderball]

Besides dont these two school play each other in every other sport. I'm glad the gov steped in and made these two schools play in football. It brings alot of money to these two cities when they play each other mostly Huntington.

This series might bring a lot of money to Huntington. Last year Marshall at WVU had the lowest attendance of any WVU home game.
It does nothing for WVU.

Look at season ticket sales in the two years the game has been played in Huntington. Sales are up in both years compared to other years because WVU fans will buy season tickets just to get in the stadium for the game. Tickets for the other games usually are thrown in the trash unless they can give them away.

[Raiderball]

How can you compare Bama/Auburn to WVU/Marshall? Conference game vs non conference game.
IMO it is more comparable to Bama/UAB or Auburn/UAB.

[seofan_via_dublin]

How can you compare Bama/Auburn to WVU/Marshall? Conference game vs non conference game.
IMO it is more comparable to Bama/UAB or Auburn/UAB.

THERE ARE ONLY 2 D1 PROGRAMS IN THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA.

MAKING WVU THE #1 AND MARSHALL THE #2.

IN ALABAMA, BAMA IS #1 AND AUBURN IS #2.

TO ARGUE ANY OTHER SCHOOLS MAKES IT INVALID BECAUSE WVU DOESN'T HAVE A 3RD, 4TH, OR 5TH OPTION FOR
SCHEDULING IN-STATE D1 SCHOOLS.

I don't see how you can't comprehend this. simple issue.