WHAT YOU NEED NOW - CONTENT UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY
June 24, 2005
MU COUNTDOWN
#7– Aug. 30, 1997: Marshall's Inaugural Game Back at the Division I– A Level, Against WVU
by Grant Traylor
Huntington News Network Sportswriter
As Marshall officially winds down the final ten days of being a member in the Mid– American Conference, the talk has certainly shifted to Marshall football in Conference USA.
But, before shutting the gates on the MAC career, HNN would like to take a chance to look back at some of the great moments in Marshall football.
The following is one part of a 10– day series of the greatest football games over Marshall's eight years in the Mid– American Conference…from ashes to glory and beyond.
Here's a look at our #7 classic: The 1997 Division I– A Game Against WVU
HUNTINGTON– August 30, 1997 is a date that will forever live in Marshall history. It marked many new beginnings for the Marshall Thundering Herd: the first game back as a member of Division I– A, the first game back in the Mid– American Conference and the first time in 74 years that Marshall and West Virginia met on the football field.
When the Marshall– West Virginia game was announced, tickets were at a premium as was the anticipation. Immediately, citizens of West Virginia formed some opinion on the game and its impact on both schools.
As the game got underway, Marshall showed its rookie jitters, as West Virginia was able to take an early lead.
In a game that featured two future NFL quarterbacks, it was the running backs doing the damage as West Virginia's Amos Zereoue and Marshall's Llow Turner picked through each defense.
Zereoue's running led to a 28– 3 lead for West Virginia and it appeared that the Mountaineers were going to rudely welcome Marshall back to the Division I– A ranks with a blowout loss.
As West Virginia fans started celebrating a sure victory, Chad Pennington methodically started bringing the Thundering Herd back by hooking up with various receivers as the Mountaineers tried to eliminate Randy Moss.
Moss and Pennington hooked up in the end zone during a 28– point burst as Marshall stunned everyone by taking a 31– 28 lead. Marshall fans and West Virginia fans alike could not believe it, but the Thundering Herd continued to work even with the lead.
Pennington threw an interception in the fourth quarter and Zereoue made the turnover count as West Virginia took the lead for good.
Another late fourth quarter score set the final score at 42– 31, but if ever there was a moral victory, Marshall achieved that much in the contest.
The Thundering Herd could have folded in its first contest and it might have killed the psyche of the team for the rest of the season, but they showed the resiliency to fight back and that demeanor helped carry them to the 1997 MAC title.
The contest helped erase the thought that Marshall was the second– tier school in the Mountain State and that the teams were starting to be on level playing fields, unlike the meeting previous to 1997's game (an 81– 0 West Virginia victory).
While the 1997 contest had huge gridiron ramifications, it also had huge financial contributions to each university.
Now, with both schools signing an agreement for a seven– game series through 2012 and Marshall being more of a household name in the Division I– A football world, the series will financially be a fortune for the state and the level of competition will certainly improve.
And it all started with a new beginning: Aug. 30, 1997.
