Leading up to West Virginia’s game against Marshall a season ago, I stated the Friends of Coal Bowl isn’t a rivalry and won’t be until the Thundering Herd eventually wins.
They won in the offseason.
Marshall hired former West Virginia assistant and recruiting coordinator Doc Holliday as head coach after Mark Snyder was let go after going 22-37 in five seasons.
The Thundering Herd got one of the nation’s top recruiters in Holliday, who is one of the most respected college coaches in the state of Florida and, because of his recruiting reputation, is often underrated as a coach.
He left West Virginia quickly for Huntington on Dec. 17, of course sparking “traitor” allegations following the move, although in reality, it was a decision the 52-year old Holliday had to make if he wished to fulfill his dream of becoming a head coach.
His story and the matchup between his new team and the squad he coached for 18 years as an assistant will surely be the main headline for Friday’s game.
But it won’t be the only one that will make Friday’s game one of the most anticipated games in the series’ history.
It’s the annual Friends of Coal Bowl – the matchup between the state’s only Division I teams. It’s for “state pride,” as WVU tailback Noel Devine said.
And while Marshall has never beat West Virginia, it does have something this year that it hasn’t had in the past – hope.
That attitude stems from Holliday, who has already changed the culture of the program. Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium already has added new scoreboards and a new sound system. A stadium expansion is also in the works.
Holliday’s presence has also already made an impact by increasing the team’s athleticism. The team also already has nine commits towards next season’s recruiting class.
Three members of Holliday’s 2010 class at West Virginia were supposed to join the coach in his move to Marshall – Darius Millines, Fred Pickett and Travis Bell, although none are in the green and white this season.
Millines, a receiver, eventually signed with Illinois, Bell switched back to West Virginia and could see time at safety this season.
Pickett signed with Marshall but is not on the team’s roster following an off-the-field incident, after which he was dismissed from the team.
West Virginia’s Marquis Wallace, who failed to qualify for WVU, also went to Marshall, although he has to sit out the 2010 season.
There are connections between the two teams that have never been before.
Marshall is a program that’s ready to return to its success of the 1990s and one that’s ready to compete on a game-to-game basis.
If it’s going to happen, it’ll be thanks to a former WVU coach.
For now, consider this game an exception in the series. Friday’s matchup will finally have the atmosphere of a rivalry – a one-game rivalry, at least.
“We have to win this game at some point,” Holliday said. “For it to be a rivalry, we have to win that game.”
The chances of the Thundering Herd winning is helped by the team’s full week to compare for West Virginia.
It’s a nationally televised game on a Friday night in Huntington. In one of the first real rivalry games of this “rivalry,” anything can happen, and don’t be surprised if it does.
“There’s still that bitter taste in our mouths every time we play them,” said WVU linebacker J.T. Thomas. “It’s not just Week 2 for us. It’s Marshall.”