Dana Holgorsen’s first game as West Virginia’s head football coach may be remembered more for what happened off the field instead of on it.
After more than four hours of weather delays, the Mountaineers picked up an official win over Marshall in just more than three full quarters of play by a score of 34-13.
“I’m proud of the kids as far as how they handled the situation,” Holgorsen said. “It was important for us to be excited to play and they had a lot of energy.”
Junior quarterback Geno Smith completed 26-of-35 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Mountaineers to their first victory of the season.
“He did well. He kept the play alive a lot early,” Holgorsen said of his quarterback. “They put a lot of pressure on us and there were some times we didn’t pick things up and sometimes when we didn’t run our routes fast enough for Geno to get the ball out. It’s why you practice and play to get better.”
Nine players recorded receptions for West Virginia, led by redshirt sophomore Stedman Bailey, who finished with 76 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Ivan McCartney also tallied five catches for 31 yards and his first career touchdown.
The Mountaineers rushed for 73 yards, as true freshman Andrew Buie led all players with 15 carries for 36 yards. Fellow true freshman Vernard Roberts scored the only rushing touchdown of the game, which came on a 1-yard carry in the third quarter.
The West Virginia defense did not allow a touchdown in the abbreviated game, holding the Thundering Herd to just 187 yards of total offense.
Late in the third quarter, Marshall pulled within a touchdown of the Mountaineers after a Tyler Warner field goal made the score 20-13. It was in this moment junior receiver Tavon Austin made the play that would change the game.
Just when it looked like the Thundering Herd had gained some desperately needed pivotal momentum, Austin returned a kickoff 100 yards to give West Virginia a 27-13 lead.
The electric play was followed by a series of lightning strikes and rain eventually leading to a delay that lasted more than three hours.
After returning to the field, Marshall was forced to punt after three plays, and the Mountaineers capitalized on the opportunity with Roberts’ first touchdown of his WVU career.
Roberts didn’t see the field in the first half, but after Buie sustained a bruised collarbone, he began to see significant playing time.
Just like earlier in the game, after the Tyler Bitancurt extra point sailed through the
uprights, lightning struck again and the teams retreated to the locker room for what would be the last time.
With the score at 34-13 and 14:36 remaining in the final quarter, the game was officially called, and the Mountaineers were awarded the victory.
“I’ve never seen anything like tonight,” said Marshall head coach Doc Holliday. “Unfortunately, that’s the way it happened. It was the decision of the conferences and the athletic directors, so I had no choice.”
Holgorsen also commented on the way the game unfolded, acknowledging the situation was less than ideal.
“We have a 20 hour rule and these guys played eight,” he said. “It gets to a point where enough is enough. I understood the situation, everyone wants to play and play a full game, but it gets to a point where it would be hard for those kids to go back out there after eight hours.”
The first offensive series of the game for West Virginia was a lackluster three-and-out, which ended with Marshall junior wide receiver Andre Booker returning Corey Smith’s punt 87 yards for a touchdown.
Geno Smith then responded by driving the Mountaineers down the field on what looked like a drive headed for the end zone until the Marshall defense stopped Buie on three straight running plays inside the ten yard line. Bitancurt connected on a 27-yard field goal, making the game 7-3 in favor of the Thundering Herd.
With 13:51 remaining in the second quarter, Smith connected with Ivan McCartney on a five-yard strike, ending a 10 play, 62-yard drive in which he completed six of seven passes.
The West Virginia defense then forced a Marshall punt, and the following drive again ended with a Mountaineer touchdown when Smith hit Stedman Bailey for a 15-yard score.
With the lead at 17-7, the Mountaineer defense forced a third consecutive punt, which was followed by a Tyler Bitancurt field goal with 5:14
remaining in the second quarter.
Marshall was threatening as the first half was coming to a close, but after driving 72 yards the Mountaineer defense stopped the drive cold – but not before senior kicker Tyler Warner succeeded on a field goal attempt, making the score 20-10 in favor of West Virginia.
Marshall came out of the locker room and attempted to surprise the Mountaineers with an onside kick, but was unsuccessful. West Virginia couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity, and after three plays, the offense was forced to punt.
The two teams then traded scoreless series, with the 20-10 score remaining intact until 5:14 remaining in the quarter when Tyler Warner connected on his third field goal of the game.
The Mountaineers then scored 14 unanswered points, and after 4:22, the game was decided.