BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #4 WEST VIRGINIA

September 26, 2008


The honeymoon in West Virginia did not last very long at all for head coach Bill Stewart. After an opening week win over Villanova, the Mountaineers have fallen to East Carolina and Colorado, both as the favorite according to the College Football Lines.

This week WVU returns home and once again is favored, this time by by 15 and a half points against bitter in-state rival Marshall. The average margin of victory in the last two games of this series is 45-16 in favor of WVU. That is an awful lot of points to hope for from the Mountaineers, who managed just 17 in the last two games combines. What is more concerning is that while quarterback Pat White has completed 21 passes in the last two games, they have gone for a TOTAL of 115 yards. To have a total of 115 yards passing in two games is astounding?

The WVU team is going to struggle scoring points against just average defenses. They are a one-trick pony with Pat White or Noel Devine running the ball. Marshall comes into the contest with a 3-1 record, 2-0 in C-USA, but their lone match-up against a BCS conference squad was a 51-14 laugher at Wisconsin. Marshall has given up big chunks of yards this year, but most of that has come through the air...will WVU get healthy in their air atatck this week?

Look for West Virginia to right the ship, somewhat, but it will be mostly keyed by their defense as they pummel Marshall at the line of scrimmage.

Prediction:

West Virginia 27
Marshall 10