WVU trailed 14-3 at halftime and 14-6 after three quarters and 21-6 with under six minutes to play, but still found a way to pull out a 24-21 OT victory over Marshall (0-2).
The Friends of Coal Bowl almost became what everyone in Morgantown always calls it, a trap game, a game that always seem to cost the Mountaineers a lot but gain them nothing. Last night was one of those nights, except in one sense. WVU gained a career defining drive from sophomore QB Geno Smith. The final drive of regulation was more than just spectacular, it was epic, it was stuff of legend and it came in a hostile environment in a "rivalry" game against an in-state opponent that has been starved for just one victory against their big brother football school and Smith prevented that with a final drive for the ages.
With the ball at the 2 yard line and down eight points with 3:09 to play, the Mountaineers went to work on a 98 yard drive.
On that final drive Smith went 9-12 for 75 yards and the touchdown that led to the eventual game-tying score on the two point conversion. A conversion which had Smith completing another pass to the back of the end zone to Jock Sanders to tie the game at 21.
On the first drive of overtime, the Mountaineers drove to the Marshall 2 yard line before calling on Tyler Bitancurt to easily slice through a 20 yard FG to take a 24-21 lead.
Marshall tried to counter on their drive, but failed to gain a single first down and the Thundering Herd had to settle on a 39 yard attempt by Tyler Warner that just fell shy of the goal posts.
With that missed kick, Marshall lost their tenth conecutive game to a ranked opponent, a streak that began in 2004. And with the win the West Virginia Mountaineers improve to 10-0 all-time against the Herd.
This contest was the closest game this series has seen since these two teams renewed their rivalry in 2006.
And one has to think that Smith put forth a season defining performance last night, his numbers reflected such a performance. He was 32-45 with 316 yards passing and that touchdown on the final drive. Smith went 17 of 22 for 168 yards in the fourth quarter and in overtime.
Even though the Mountaineers offense chugged all night, Smith never committed the big error that could've cost them the game. He instead played with the poise of a veteran and at many points last night made throws that were down right impressive and even stood his ground in the pocket when facing pressure to complete some tough passes.
Noel Devine followed up on his 111 yard peformance last week with a 112 yard effort last night, he's on pace for another 1,000 yard season and maybe a potential trip to New York City at the end of the season.
The great thing about last night's game is that the Mountaineers pulled it out, but the negative is that this game was much closer than it ever should have been, was it a fluke, was it a sign of nerves, or was it the high energy and emotion from Marshall that almost made the difference?
It may have been a little of all three and the question now is whether this team is still a worthy Big East title contender, but I guess after the first week of Big East action and what occurred last night, you could easily ask that question about all the Big East title contenders.
Photo Courtesy All-Pro Photography
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