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WVU vs. Marshall Grades

As you can see in the above photograh, Marshall fans will remember Friday's game forever. FOR-EV-ER!  WVU fans, on the other hand, will remember that game until the end of this post.  We have moved on and are ready for what looks like a decent Maryland team on Saturday.

Before we can move on, however, we must look back at our team's performance on Friday and grade'em out. Not everything was pretty, but you play to win the game and that is what we did. I'm read to move on, so let's grade the team...

Geno Smith: A ... The two 96+ yard scoring drives he engineered prove that he has poise under pressure and is going to be the real deal at WVU. He stepped up into the pocket and delivered perfect passes multiple times as pressure surrounded him.  The noise at Marshall's dump wasn't bad, but it was good practice for what he will experience in two weeks at LSU.

Jeff Braun: F ... I really don't like to call out specific players that have piss-poor performances, but good lord son, man up. He was stiff armed and then thrown to the ground on multiple plays.

Defense: C ... I don't know if this is too low or too high. The defense played spectacular at times, but also looked completely inept on many occasions. Sometimes it all seems like a little bit of history repeating with Casteel's defense. First, we tackle like a bunch of 12 year old girls trying to get in the front of the line for the newest silly bandz. Then, the Tandyman got beat deep again. Finally, when we needed it most, we put some plays together, forced a turnover, and came up with some big stops at the end of the game. How 'bout we put a full game together against a decent opponent?

Tavon Austin: A ... He has moves on top of moves and can break a play at any second. He is becoming our go to playmaker.

Noel Devine: B- ... That score may be a little harsh as he rushed for 112 yards and caught 10 balls for 62 yards, but he danced too much. There were two occasions where if he had run forward instead of jukin' and jivin' he would've picked up the first down and kept the drive alive.  I know he can make big plays, but sometimes the smart play is better.

The Friends of Coal Bowl Series: D ... WVU has everything to lose and nothing to gain in this series. It doesn't make economic sense for the state and loses WVU money every time we are forced to play in Huntington. Think about it for a hot minute: If WVU and Marshall were not forced to play Friday night, Marshall would've brought a lesser team into Huntington and its fans would've spent money. Saturday, WVU would've hosted a better team than Marshall and it's fans would've come into the state to spend money.  That is more fans in the state of West Virginia and more money being pumped into the local economy.

Huntington: F ... The reason West Virginia is only Almost Heaven.