Thundering Herd to the rescue! With the season in doubt, irate fans calling for the coaches head and a team struggling to find an identity, (and hopefully some wins)the Mountaineers were desperate to find themselves holding the advantage on the scoreboard at the end of the day.Marshall arrived in Morgantown with an 0-7 record all-time against the Mountaineers and they would leave 0-8. The Mountaineers looked much improved in this game on both sides of the ball. In a game that was slow and somewhat boring and seemed as though neither team was doing much of anything, one team did. Pat White & Co. slowly and steadily racked up 493 yards of total offense with 319 of that coming on the ground. Patrick was very efficient, passing 17/21 for 130 yards and 2 TDs while Devine kept the Herd scrambling around, making poor attempts to tackle him while he tallied up 125 yards and 1 TD (his first of the year) on a mere 14 carries.
Defense was the story here, though, as, on the other side of the ball, Reed Williams had another good games leading the team with 11 tackles, 2 of those for loss. The defense as a whole forced 3 turnovers and the Marshall to a mere 158 yards of total offense. All-in-all it was a solid performance from the mountaineers as they defeated Marshall 27-3.- As Rutgers was headed to town, opinions varied about how the game would turn out. Some said it should be a blowout because Rutgers wasnt playing very well and had beaten only one opponent this season: Morgan State. Others thought the game would be much closer.
The game was much closer and the Scarlet Knights wouldnt go down without a fight, losing only by a touchdown, 24-17. Without Reed Williams (who will redshirt this year in an attempt to get healthy and play next year)WVU gave up 270 yards to the Knights, 198 of that coming through the air. The Mountaineers outperformed them slightly though, tallying 333 yards - 158 passing and 175 rushing. They built a 14 point lead and sealed a 7 point victory when Scooter Berry batted down a Mike Teel pass on 4th and 5 to take the ball away with 1:34 left in the game and the Mountaineers would run out the clock.
Things are looking up as the defense is hitting its stride and making up for the underachieving offense. If they continue to get better each week a Big East championship is still possible for WVU.
Next up: Syracuse
