West Virginia vs Marshall Football Recap

West Virginia 34, Marshall 13

West Virginia ’s offense didn’t strike like a lightning bolt. Instead, the lightning bolts that marked the Mountaineers’ season opener came from the sky and truncated the Big East Conference favorite’s first football game of 2011.
 
However, when football was played, West Virginia showed the combination of gritty defense and ball-security offense that, if replicated, should lead to a productive season in the Eastern corner of the country. Big East teams have struggled on the offensive side of the ball over the past few seasons, so the particularly encouraging part of this contest against the Marshall Thundering Herd was that West Virginia’s quarterback looked more mature in the pocket.
 
First, here’s a rundown of the unusual events that took place in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Sunday afternoon and evening: Severe storms caused No. 24 West Virginia's season opener with Marshall to be stopped twice Sunday night and, after a total of 4 hours and 22 minutes in delays, the game was halted for good with 14:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, with the Mountaineers being officially recognized as a 34-13 winner.
As reported by the Associated Press, a joint statement issued by the schools' athletic directors said the decision was made to stop the game following consultations with the Big East and Conference USA commissioners' offices, plus the teams' medical staffs as well. Player fatigue and the forecast for more storms in the area were also cited as factors. Given the multiple stoppages, that was a very reasonable conclusion to make.
 
Now, about the ballgame, which was in many ways overshadowed by the weather…

The biggest takeaway from this tilt – actually, that’s precisely the wrong word – is that West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith didn’t allow Marshall’s defense to register a takeaway. Smith didn’t throw a single interception in 35 pass attempts. He completed 26 of them and displayed far more command in the huddle than he did last year, when WVU was guided by former head coach Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers’ offense was a train wreck in 2010 because it lacked a knowledgeable offensive presence on its staff. The defense carried the load for the team, and the offense could never catch up over the course of the whole year. New head coach Dana Holgorsen was brought into Morgantown to be the co-coach this season with Stewart, but when Stewart tried to dig up dirt on the new man in Appalachia, the WVU administration decided to sack Stewart and give Holgorsen the reins one year earlier than planned. This was certainly a source of turmoil for the program, but given the need to improve the offense, it might have been just the tonic Smith needed to be a better quarterback. More solid efforts like this one will put West Virginia in very good stead as the season continues. While West Virginia’s defense allowed just one score to Marshall (the other came on a punt return), the Mountaineers’ offense gained momentum over the first three quarters, with Smith gradually stretching the field and prying open angles in the Thundering Herd’s linebacking corps.
 
This is definitely something the Mountaineers can build on as they move forward under their new coach… and their improved quarterback.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer