Post by rainman on Sept 4, 2007 6:10:25 GMT -5
Not-so-friendly Coal Bowl
By Mickey Furfari
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— No. 3-ranked West Virginia will be playing Marshall in football at Huntington on Saturday for the first time in 92 years.
But Coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday that his Mountaineers are “excited” to be going down there, and it’s not because the 1915 team throttled the Thundering Herd by 92-6 on that only previous visit in a series which stands 6-0.
“It’s obviously been a very long time since we’ve been down there, and there’s a lot of excitement in the state about the game,” he told callers on the Big East media teleconference. “It’s been sold out for a long, long time.
“Our guys know we’re going to take a great shot from them. It’s going to be a highly emotional atmosphere.”
Rodriguez said it’s hard to compare Marshall, a 31-3 loser at Miami last Saturday, with Western Michigan, which fell a 62-24 victim to West Virginia here in season-opening games.
“I think every team has its own personality,” the veteran coach said. “We knew Western Michigan had some good skilled players. They got some big plays and we got some big plays.”
But he admittedly has a lot of respect for Marshall’s football program, head coach Mark Snyder and his excellent staff, and their players.
It’s going to be a very intense atmosphere in Huntington,” Rodriguez continued. “And our guys understand that from last year here when we were fortunate to get the win (42-10).”
He believes it will be even tougher this year, especially in MU’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium. While he doesn’t think the earlier-than-usual starting time of 11 a.m. will be a problem, he certainly believes the change of venue will make a difference.
“Anytime you’re on the road, and in a hostile climate, it adds something to it,” Rodriguez reasoned. “Also, it’s the third year of Mark Snyder’s system. He’s got his things in place. His kids play hard, and they’ve got the great passion and some talented athletes.
“As I’m sure Mark can attest, every year it gets a little easier from the standpoint of preaching your philosophy, your techniques, fundamentals and things you want in your program. So we know it’s going to be a tough situation for us Saturday.”
The Mountaineer mentor can’t recall ever experiencing such an early kickoff time. But he’s taking his squad to a hotel in Charleston on Friday evening, then heading to Huntington early Saturday morning.
Marshall, whose stadium seats only 39,000-plus, obviously will have far more fans in the stands than WVU. But Rodriguez expects some vocal support. The Mountaineer Marching Band also will be in attendance.
The Mountaineers concentrated in Monday’s practice on correcting mistakes they made in the season’s opening game. While he thought his team took good care of the football, Rodriguez noted that there were some dropped passes on both offense and defense.
“We’ve worked really hard (on both sides of the ball) caching a lot of balls,” he said. “And they all have pretty good ball skills.”
WVU coaches named these award winners for their performances in the first game:
Offensive champion, Patrick White; defensive champion, Reed Williams and Marc Magro; special tams champion, Adam Hughes.
Scout champions, Michael Pointer (offense), Eain Smith (defense); Justin Blankenship (special teams).
Hammer award, Reed Williams.
By Mickey Furfari
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— No. 3-ranked West Virginia will be playing Marshall in football at Huntington on Saturday for the first time in 92 years.
But Coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday that his Mountaineers are “excited” to be going down there, and it’s not because the 1915 team throttled the Thundering Herd by 92-6 on that only previous visit in a series which stands 6-0.
“It’s obviously been a very long time since we’ve been down there, and there’s a lot of excitement in the state about the game,” he told callers on the Big East media teleconference. “It’s been sold out for a long, long time.
“Our guys know we’re going to take a great shot from them. It’s going to be a highly emotional atmosphere.”
Rodriguez said it’s hard to compare Marshall, a 31-3 loser at Miami last Saturday, with Western Michigan, which fell a 62-24 victim to West Virginia here in season-opening games.
“I think every team has its own personality,” the veteran coach said. “We knew Western Michigan had some good skilled players. They got some big plays and we got some big plays.”
But he admittedly has a lot of respect for Marshall’s football program, head coach Mark Snyder and his excellent staff, and their players.
It’s going to be a very intense atmosphere in Huntington,” Rodriguez continued. “And our guys understand that from last year here when we were fortunate to get the win (42-10).”
He believes it will be even tougher this year, especially in MU’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium. While he doesn’t think the earlier-than-usual starting time of 11 a.m. will be a problem, he certainly believes the change of venue will make a difference.
“Anytime you’re on the road, and in a hostile climate, it adds something to it,” Rodriguez reasoned. “Also, it’s the third year of Mark Snyder’s system. He’s got his things in place. His kids play hard, and they’ve got the great passion and some talented athletes.
“As I’m sure Mark can attest, every year it gets a little easier from the standpoint of preaching your philosophy, your techniques, fundamentals and things you want in your program. So we know it’s going to be a tough situation for us Saturday.”
The Mountaineer mentor can’t recall ever experiencing such an early kickoff time. But he’s taking his squad to a hotel in Charleston on Friday evening, then heading to Huntington early Saturday morning.
Marshall, whose stadium seats only 39,000-plus, obviously will have far more fans in the stands than WVU. But Rodriguez expects some vocal support. The Mountaineer Marching Band also will be in attendance.
The Mountaineers concentrated in Monday’s practice on correcting mistakes they made in the season’s opening game. While he thought his team took good care of the football, Rodriguez noted that there were some dropped passes on both offense and defense.
“We’ve worked really hard (on both sides of the ball) caching a lot of balls,” he said. “And they all have pretty good ball skills.”
WVU coaches named these award winners for their performances in the first game:
Offensive champion, Patrick White; defensive champion, Reed Williams and Marc Magro; special tams champion, Adam Hughes.
Scout champions, Michael Pointer (offense), Eain Smith (defense); Justin Blankenship (special teams).
Hammer award, Reed Williams.
