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News Nuggets, 08.17.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Revved up West Virginia to ride quarterback's legs

MORGANTOWN — No. 10 West Virginia has had a running back rush for 1,000 yards in eight straight seasons. It might be time for a quarterback to lead the way for a change.

The elusive Rasheed Marshall is now the focal point of the offense as the Mountaineers go for a second straight Big East title and their first Bowl Championship Series berth.

The Mountaineers are looking for the senior to return to the form of two years ago, when he broke Michael Vick's single-season league record for quarterbacks with 666 yards rushing.

"I hope he gets 1,000 yards," West Virginia quarterbacks coach Bill Stewart said. "That would be a great goal."

No Mountaineer quarterback has ever done that, and with plenty of talent surrounding him, Marshall may not need to. But he's ready. "I'm always trying to climb the ladder," Marshall said.

With only two experienced quarterbacks last year, the Mountaineers tried to protect Marshall. Quincy Wilson got most of the carries while Marshall had 72 fewer than the year before. He was limited to 303 yards and four rushing touchdowns.

"All these quarterback running plays are the same, but they are being called more now," Marshall said. "We would use them in practice in the past, then in the game they weren't called. This year I think we will call more of them."

If that happens, the career records of other shifty signal-callers could be within reach. Marshall needs 383 rushing yards to break Donovan McNabb's Big East QB record of 1,561.

A much loftier achievement is the school career record of 2,161 set by Major Harris, a fellow product of Pittsburgh's Brashear High School. Harris led the Mountaineers to an 11-0 regular season in 1988.

"People are starting to see me as Rasheed Marshall and not Maj," Marshall said. "Now the questions don't come up as much. I guess I got my point across."

Marshall would need 983 rushing yards - 47 more than Harris' single-season school QB record - to break Harris' career mark and possibly put himself in select company.

Only seven Division I-A quarterbacks have thrown for 4,000 yards and rushed for 2,000 in their careers. Among them are Harris and Clemson's Woody Dantzler.

"I don't know about repeating anything or any kind of stats. I just want to play this season and enjoy it," Marshall said. "Whatever happens to this team, I am responsible."

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, who was Clemson's offensive coordinator during Dantzler's sophomore and junior seasons, is concerned more about Marshall's throwing than his running.

Marshall, who has 3,672 career passing yards, set a personal best with 1,729 a year ago, but the Mountaineers ranked last in passing in the league.

"He's got to get better with his accuracy and making better decisions in the passing game," Rodriguez said. "I'll be shocked if Rasheed doesn't have a great year."

First, Marshall must avoid injuries that have hampered him each season.

He broke his right thumb in West Virginia's spring game when his hand struck a defender's helmet. He missed one game last year with a concussion and parts of two others due to injuries.

An offensive line that returns five starters hopes to keep Marshall healthy.

Helping balance the offense are Wilson's successor, 235-pound senior Kay-Jay Harris, and junior wide receiver Chris Henry.

Harris, who was slowed by a sore ankle in preseason practice, rushed for 524 yards and averaged nearly 6 yards per carry as a backup last year.

Henry became only the second 1,000-yard receiver in school history, including eight catches of over 40 yards. His 1,006 yards were half of the team's total.

The defense has to replace All-American linebacker Grant Wiley, interception leader Brian King and cornerback Lance Frazier, but there is veteran depth at every position.

The program's third straight eight-or-better win season looks like a lock. It would be the first time that's happened in Morgantown in 20 years.

Despite an easier schedule — No. 22 Maryland is the only preseason ranked team on West Virginia's schedule — and a scaled-down Big East without Miami and Virginia Tech, Rodriguez is leery of the attention.

He capped the first day of fall practices with a warning: He'll personally run any player into the ground if he hears them boasting.

"Right now, we're not worthy of nothing," he told them. "Until we've got 105 guys doing everything right, we're not worthy."

Billikens local TV slates ECU volleyball match

The Saint Louis University department of athletics and Charter Communications have announced their live telecast schedule for the Billiken fall sports programs. The Charter Communications Information Network will feature three men's soccer games, one women's soccer contest and a volleyball match pitting SLU against East Carolina.

"We are delighted to continue our relationship with Charter Communications as they broadcast these five fall sports events," assistant director of athletics John Garrison said. "The Charter telecasts provide tremendous exposure for our men's and women's soccer programs as well as our volleyball team into the metro St. Louis television market."

Charter will begin its broadcast slate with the men's soccer game against Creighton on Sat., Aug. 21. The next telecast will be the Billiken men's soccer team versus Virginia on Sun., Sept. 12. The women's soccer team is featured on Sun., Oct. 10, against Charlotte, and the volleyball team's match against East Carolina on Sat., Oct. 16, will be aired. The final live Charter telecast is the men's soccer game against defending national champion Indiana on Sun., Oct. 31.

Charter Communications reaches more than 500,000 households in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Charter will distribute the games through CCIN, which is received by all its customers with basic or expanded basic programming service.

SLU/CCIN 2004 FALL SPORTS LIVE BROADCAST SCHEDULE

Sat., Aug. 21, Men's soccer vs. Creighton, 7 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 12, Men's soccer vs. Virginia, 3 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 10, Women's soccer vs. Charlotte, 1 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 16, Volleyball vs. East Carolina, 7 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 31, Men's soccer vs. Indiana, 1 p.m.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007