After going over Dave Clawson’s press conference, I’m hard-pressed to imagine how Bowling Green’s O-line can handle Marshall’s front, even at Doyt Perry Stadium. As you may know, the top-notch center (Ben Bojicic) is out this week and a few more, and a TRUE FRESHMAN will start at left guard (the left guard moves over to snap). … I just found out that one projected starter was knocked out before the season started.
If you recall, the last true freshman to start on the Marshall O-line was Doug Legursky in the 2004 opener against Troy. He had a fine career, of course, but that debut against DeMarcus Ware & Co. was not pretty.
How lean is BG’s O-line? The Falcons’ coaching staff pulled the second-string nose tackle across the ball and is grooming him to jump in as quickly as feasible. I have that item at the end of my BG piece tonight/Thursday.
As you see in comments on another blog item, the English soccer hooligan wannabes among the WVU fan base found Huntington this time around. Here’s another incident: A woman adorned in gold and blue saw a line of tables with tailgating food, put her arm on one end and swiped every dish off the tables. She smiled when called the appropriate names … she should have gotten decked.
These idiots didn’t show up in 2007. I guess that’s an unintended consequence of the new popularity of GPS units. …
So, Herd fans, have you heard the “we’ve got nothing to gain and everything to lose” line from WVU-dom as much as I have this week. What claptrap! Again, I haven’t heard the first complaint out of them about the scheduling of Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers negate all arguments here.
If memory serves me, this is the Herd’s first trip to a MAC stadium since 2004, when it lost to a very good … wait for it … Bowling Green team. And if you need to be reminded what Marshall left behind read this piece until you get to the $15 deal. Hey, I’ve got the fever!
Away from Herd-dom, what do you think about the SEC fining Mississippi State over the cowbells? Oh, for the love of God …
BG’s average attendance since the Herd left:
2009… 14,044
2008… 15,701
2007… 16,080
2006… 16,834
2005… 14,929
I’m going to take a longer look, but I bet this is one of the more solid programs at the gate.
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A point that is never brought up in the “we have nothing to gain and everything to lose” complaint: when Marshall competes closely with WVU in anything (much less beats them) its always attributed to some random factor: emotion, refs cheating, coaches stealing signals, the metallugry of aluminum in the Civic Center rims conspiring against WVU, etc.
What does Marshall have to gain? A good gate for one game, a lift to season ticket sales…okay, I’ll concede that. But until the day comes that I hear a gracious Mountaineer fan go so crazy as to admit “hey, you guys are a D-I football team and have good players,” I’ll continue to assume that, perception-wise, this series will never benefit Marshall. At least not locally, where it matters most.
I was at the game Friday night and I would like to say that it was nice to see Marshall finally show up and play the Mountaineers. I sat in a mostly Marshall section of the stands and I had a pretty good time. There was the usual friendly trash talk, and towards the end when it looked like Marshall was really going to pull it off, the talk got a little harsher. Then all of a sudden it got quieter, and quieter, until all I saw was the look. You know, the same look the Georgia, and Oklahoma fans had on their faces. I kept my mouth shut and actually offered my sympathies. I didn’t see any bad fans on either side before or after the game. The Mountaineer fans were just glad to get out with a win, and the Marshall fans were just trying to get out. I actually hope the Mountaineers keep playing Marshall. I’m sure you will finally win one and then maybe it will actually turn into a rivalry. Good luck with the rest of the season. I really mean that. I hope Marshall and Doc have a good season. See ya next year in Morgantown!
That argument makes some sense. However, when Penn State beat the Mountaineers 27 (or something close to that) straight years, I seem to recall wvu fans, like myself at that time, calling THAT game a rivalry. I’ll buy your assertion though that on some level it’s not a rivalry until Marshall wins. The game has become highly competitive and that is also a fact, but I don’t expect to hear any wvu fans or media writers to admit that much.
As for the fan behavior, most visiting fans were cordial and there should be some reports of appropriate behavior. However, I personally experienced and witnessed several incidents, and listened to some comments that were down right thuggish. Including being threatened and goaded to fight, which I wanted no part of. Two of their fans actually came up to me put there hands on my shoulder and shook me trying to get me to fight. I was definitely not the only one. Thank you for getting this part out there, its a true embarrassment to a proud university.
Once again, a very poor analogy by someone that obviously knows nothing about present day college football scheduling. WVU does have very little if anything to gain from a win over Marshall or Coastal Carolina from a win/lose perspective. What Coastal Carolina and like games do provide is a guaranteed home date with no return required. WVU has repeatedly said they would play MU 2 for 1. It’s MU that’s insisting on a long term, non-BCS home and home deal and that makes no sense from a win/lose perspective OR for a self supporting WVU athletic department that depends on football revenue to survive. Next time you make comments, have some idea what you’re talking about.
Unfortunately, MnM, I have a lot of idea about college football scheduling. You haven’t taught me a damn thing. … In fact, I’m actually on your side here: WVU should not be wasting your time dipping so far into the FCS barrel to fill out your home schedule. Fans should register protest.
OK, Marshall fans … He rolled out the “self-supporting” athletic department business. I’ll stand back and let you at him.
Oh; the great self supporting myth. Gotta give mountaineer fans credit, when a political talking point is established, the entire fan base repeats in lock-step. Please see Rich Rod’s testimony regarding monetary support from the state when he was being sued by wvu for breach of contract. Here’s a clue, state funding is a heck of a lot > the 0 number wvu fans throw around. Maybe I need to be more realistic, I mean, when has reality ever mattered in morgantown?