Countdown to Kickoff
November 24, 2004 02:36 PM | General
November 24, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia (8-2, 4-1) visits Pitt (6-3, 3-2) for an 8 pm Big East game on Thursday, Nov. 25, at Heinz Field (65,000) in Pittsburgh. ESPN (Mike Tirico, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Jill Arrington) will provide national television coverage of the 97th annual edition of the Backyard Brawl.
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| Sophomore Jason Colson has helped West Virginia's rushing attack to a fifth-place national ranking this week.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
Twenty two Mountaineers seniors will be making their final regular season appearance in a West Virginia uniform Thanksgiving night, including Pittsburgh native Rasheed Marshall. The 22 seniors have a combined record of 28-19 entering the Pitt game, and were part of the 2000 Music City, 2002 Continental Tire and 2004 Toyota Gator Bowls.
West Virginia is 55-54-2 in regular season finales including a 45-61-4 mark in road finales.
Here is Thursday night’s Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – West Virginia had its TEN-game home and Big East win streak snapped on Saturday, Nov. 13, when Boston College defeated the Mountaineers 36-17.
9 – West Virginia is averaging 35.3 points per game in its last NINE meetings against Pitt dating back to 1995. West Virginia lowest scoring output during that span was a 17-point effort in a 23-17 loss to the Panthers in Morgantown in 2001.
8 – Mountaineer quarterback Rasheed Marshall is currently EIGHTH in the country in passing efficiency with a rating of 156.29. Marshall has thrown 18 touchdown passes against only six interceptions while completing 61.7 percent of his pass attempts.
7 – West Virginia cornerback Adam “Pac-Man” Jones has now had three games with SEVEN or more tackles including a season-high nine stops in the Central Florida win. Jones is the team’s top tackler with 65 while also leading the team with three interceptions.
6 – Pitt has only lost SIX of its last 23 Big East games and has a 29-12 mark over its last 41 games under Coach Walt Harris.
5 – West Virginia’s rushing offense is ranked FIFTH in the country this week. The Mountaineers are averaging 258.3 yards per game on the ground and have run for at least 200 yards in eight of 10 games this year.
4 – West Virginia will be playing its FOURTH game on a natural grass surface Thursday night at Pitt. West Virginia defeated Central Florida 45-20, defeated Connecticut 31-19 and lost at Virginia Tech 19-13 so far this year.
3 – Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko has been impressive over his last THREE games, completing 81 of 127 pass attempts for 994 yards and 11 touchdowns.
2 – West Virginia has won the last TWO meetings against Pitt by scores of 24-17 in Pittsburgh and 52-31 in Morgantown. Pitt still holds a commanding 58-35-3 advantage in all-time series play, though West Virginia has won eight of the last 11 meetings.
1 – Mountaineer quarterback Rasheed Marshall has accounted for at least ONE touchdown in every game this season. Marshall is responsible for 22 touchdowns this year and broke an 89-year West Virginia record of 66 touchdowns responsible for held by Ira Errett Rodgers in WVU’s last game against Boston College. Marshall now has 68 touchdowns responsible for.
Enjoy Thursday night’s game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete post-game coverage, photos and more.
