Mountaineers beat Herd, 24-7

MORGANTOWN — Marshall’s missed opportunities resulted in a fourth consecutive Friends of Coal Bowl loss.

West Virginia (5-1) defeated a competitive Marshall team, 24-7, Saturday before a Milan Puskar Stadium crowd of 54,432.

An unusual first half featuring turnovers, a faked punt attempt and an injured WVU started quarterback concluded with a 7-3 Thundering Herd advantage. A 16-play, 64-yard drive lasting 8:14 and aided by a facemask penalty flagged on WVU, resulted in Brian Anderson’s 12-yard touchdown scramble.

An opportunity for a two-possession lead was lost when Darius Marshall fumbled away possession at the West Virginia 8-yard line. Marshall’s next possession ended with Kase Whitehead narrowly being denied on a fake punt attempt.

West Virginia soon pounced trimming the deficit to 7-3 on Tyler Bitancurt’s 32-yard field goal.

A 29-yard punt positioned WVU near midfield for it’s next score. Taking over in Marshall territory, the Mountaineers assumed the lead for good on Noel Devine’s 14-yard touchdown run, providing a 10-7 edge less than five minutes into the second half.

A fumble by Thundering Herd tight end Cody Slate preceded the score that essentially decided the game. Five plays later, Geno Smith, subbing for injured starting quarterback Jarrett Brown fired a 33-yard touchdown pass down the right seam to Alric Arnett, extending the advantage to 17-7.

Devine, the nation’s No. 3 leading rusher added a 9-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter, providing a comfortable margin.

Marshall (4-3) returns to Conference USA play Saturday against UAB. Kickoff at Joan C. Edwards Stadium is noon and CSS will televise the game.