Marshall: My Name is Rasheed
November 05, 2003 09:56 AM | General
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November 1, 2003
Sometime during the early portion of the 2002 West Virginia University football campaign radio announcers and television personalities alike seemed to have some confusion as to the true identity of just who exactly was running the Mountaineer offense.
At one point Rasheed Wallace was guiding the attack. As in the forward who plays on the NBA's Portland Trailblazers? Sorry. Try again.
Then it was Rashad and Rashard who was the WVU signalcaller. Anyone heard of him? Didn't think so. Next.
Today, however, there are no more mistakes as to who guides the Old Gold and Blue.
"Just to clear it up, it's Rasheed Marshall," Rasheed Marshall says with a smile. "It's not really a big deal anymore. Everyone knows me now."
West Virginia's surprising 9-4 record and a berth in the Continental Tire Bowl last year sealed that deal. But it was what Marshall did in guiding the Mountaineers that made the media come to know and appreciate his name and it was the same effort that caused the Mountaineer faithful to love him for it.
Marshall, a Pittsburgh native, proved to be just as deadly with his feet as he was with his arm last year. He broke the BIG EAST conference single season quarterback rushing record with 666 yards, surpassing Virginia Tech's Michael Vick. He also scored 13 times via the ground. Through the air, Marshall passed for 1,616 yards and nine touchdowns.
That success has carried over to this year.
He became just the second quarterback in WVU history to rush for more than 1,000 career yards, second only to Major Harris. Marshall has also passed for nearly 3,000 career yards and his 93-yard TD pass to Travis Garvin against Virginia Tech was his ninth of the season, equaling his performance from last year.
"I feel I have the talent to do both equally well," Marshall says of which he prefers best - passing or running. "I'm excited to do both."
It hasn't always been the best of times for Marshall though. When Rich Rodriguez took over as the Mountaineer coach in 2001, Marshall was expected to contribute as Brad Lewis' backup as a redshirt freshman. But a broken wrist suffered in the season opener at Boston College forced him to the sideline and put a crimp in his progress. He appeared in just four games the rest of the season without a start.
"I missed a lot," he says. "It really set me back. But I was heavy in the games on the sideline and was paying attention in meetings and to detail. I felt I couldn't let myself slip even though I wasn't playing. I still had to stay on top mentally and be ready when the time came."
When it did, Marshall was ready to take charge and lead. He hasn't missed a start since. And his success on the field can be attributed to him being a student of the game based on his hard work in the Puskar Center meeting rooms.
"When I first got here I was into watching film," the athletic coaching education major says. "At the same time though, the coaches said I would be wasting my time if I didn't know what I was looking at or looking for. I think the biggest thing was learning how to watch film. You have to know what you're watching, how to watch it and how to break it down from there."
It's quite apparent Marshall has taken his game film knowledge and applied it on the field. He has been, in part, responsible for some of the biggest pass plays in Mountaineer history to date.
In WVU's near upset at Miami, Marshall hooked up with running back Kay-Jay Harris for 84 yards that set up WVU's first score of the game. It was the longest non-touchdown reception in Mountaineer annals.
Against Rutgers, Marshall hit Chris Henry for an 83-yard touchdown reception at the end of the first half, tying a Mountaineer Field record for the longest touchdown reception and tying for the fourth longest touchdown reception in school history. Both now pale in comparison to the toss to Garvin in WVU's 28-7 upset victory over No. 3 Virginia Tech. That play is now the longest in Mountaineer Field history and the second longest in program history.
"It's my job to get the ball in their hands," a modest Marshall admits. "I watch highlights every week and see 90-yard touchdown passes. I'm like ‘How can a defense let a guy get that wide open?' When I think about it though, all I have to do is get the ball in their hands and let them make a move and do the rest of the work. All those plays go hand in hand."
Throw in his uncanny ability to rush the ball and Marshall can easily make any opposition's defensive coordinator cringe.
Make no mistake about it ever again - from announcers to opposing players and coaches to fans, no one will ever forget who Rasheed Marshall is again.
Phil Caskey is the assistant sports information director in the West Virginia University sports communications office
