Jeff Casteel keeps hearing the comparisons and they amuse him.

But it’s not funny as in “ha ha,” but rather funny as in annoying.

His West Virginia defense is being compared to the 1996 Mountaineers, who led the nation in total defense.

Full Article at: The Charleston Gazette

Perhaps no one on the planet was happier for Doc Holliday when he finally got a head coaching job than was Steve Dunlap.

And perhaps no one in Huntington on Friday night will feel any more awkward about now having to face him.

“Strange,” Dunlap said this week. “It’s one of your best friends standing across the field looking at you. But that’s the business we’re in.”

Full Article at: The Charleston Gazette

Credit some good coaching up by West Virginia defensive backs Sidney Glover, Robert Sands and Brandon Hogan for the emergence of another productive player on the Mountaineers’ defense.

Terence Garvin said the three helped him over the summer and the results were shown Saturday in a 31-0 shutout of Coastal Carolina in the season opener at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Garvin matched last season’s tackle total with 10 against Coastal.

Full Article at: The Register-Herald

With the exception of his own family, nobody was happier for Marshall kicker Tyler Warner last week when he was put on scholarship by the Thundering Herd than WVU fullback Matt Lindamood.

As a fellow walk-on, he was happy for his former Parkersburg High teammate.

“I just called him up to congratulate him on getting his scholarship (a week ago Sunday),” Lindamood said. “I know how important that is.”

Full Article at: The Register-Herald

The annual Friends of Coal Bowl between Marshall and West Virginia Friday night won’t just serve as Thundering Herd coach Doc Holliday’s debut at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Two new video boards will be used for the first time when the Herd hosts the Mountaineers at 7 p.m.

The Daktronics boards are positioned beyond each end zone. One is mounted on the façade of the Shewey Athletic Building on the north end, while the other is behind the student bleachers on the south.

Full Article at: The Register-Herald

State rivals will square off in Huntington on Friday night, as the Marshall Thundering Herd welcome the 23rd-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers to town.

On opening weekend, West Virginia cruised past Coastal Carolina as expected by a 31-0 final. Members of the Big East Conference, the Mountaineers are led by Bill Stewart, now in his third season at the helm. There are 16 starters back between the offense and defense, so expectations are fairly high in Morgantown.

As for Marshall, which is a member of Conference USA, it had the unenviable task of taking on second-ranked Ohio State in Columbus to open the season last week. Put simply, the Thundering Herd were outclassed, as they fell to the Buckeyes in a 45-7 final. That lopsided defeat spoiled the debut of Doc Holliday, the new coach at Marshall.

Full Article at: Seattle PI

The final box suggests WVU’s 9-for-17 performance on third down Saturday was pretty strong and 10 percentage points above last year’s finale 42.2 percent figure.

For a team that’s trying to own time of possession every game and, at least for the time being, preserve and follow the defense, that’s an important number. And a deceiving one.

WVU followed empty third downs by scoring a touchdown and kicking a field goal on fourth down. No losses there. And three more empty third downs came at the end of the game with the reserve offense in the game.

So, in truth, the real offense was 9-for-14 … with a fourth-down touchdown and field goal. That’s a pretty good day for third down.

Full Article at: Charleston Daily Mail

Marshall football coach Doc Holliday admits, if it’s going to be considered a rivalry, both teams need to amass some wins.

“Everybody says it was a rivalry, but I say at some point for this to be a major rivalry we have to win that football game,” Holiday said on MetroNews Talkline Wednesday. “At some point that has to happen.”

Holliday and the Thundering Herd will attempt to make that happen Friday night in Huntington. Holliday says that won’t be easy.

“They’re just excellent,” said Holliday. “The ultimate compliment of any coach is how hard his team plays.”

Full Article at: WV Metro News

Yes, it’s time for our annual trek back to Fayette and Nicholas Counties to place ourselves at the mercy of both the New and Gauley rivers.

We’re heading out this evening… destination: Class VI.

We decided to treat ourselves this year and go with the “luxury cabin”, which has wifi. But, it’s probably still safe to expect some delays in content here on the site. Fear not, though, since things will be back to normal sometime Saturday afternoon… and we’ll be sure to bring you all the analysis of the game with our pitiful little brothers down south.

Jeff Casteel admits it’s always nice when his defense has more than half of the field to defend, as was the case during last Saturday’s 31-0 whitewash of Coastal Carolina – WVU’s first defensive shutout in nearly five years.

The last couple of years after Mountaineer scores, Casteel’s crew would typically huddle around the 50 yard line because that’s about where they expected to take the field after the kickoff team was finished chasing down the return man.

Either a poor kick or shaky coverage was usually the culprit, but against the Chanticleers last Saturday, West Virginia kicked off six times and the best Coastal could do was a return to the 27 yard line.

Full Article at: MSN