MATCHING INTENSITY
September 01, 2011 10:29 AM | General
As soon as he began studying last year’s West Virginia-Marshall tape, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen knew right away which team was more excited to play the football game (Hint: it wasn’t the team wearing Gold and Blue).
“It was very obvious,” Holgorsen said Tuesday. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Some of West Virginia’s other new coaches also immediately recognized the great enthusiasm and effort the Marshall players exhibited in last year’s game in Huntington.
“It’s really amazing,” remarked offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. “I’m in charge of the PAT and you watch them on PAT and field goals and it’s crazy, they’re just knocking the line back. You watch them play against West Virginia and there are 11 guys flying to the ball every snap. It’s a deal where we are going to have to be ready to do that and match that.”
Shannon Dawson, West Virginia’s first-year receivers coach, lists a number of reasons why Marshall played with more enthusiasm - some evident, and some not-so-evident.
“Obviously it’s an in-state rivalry, this and that, but later on in the year, their season didn’t go the way they wanted it to so they might not have been playing as hard (in later games),” Dawson explained.
“Early in the year, teams that have a lot to hope for, especially when they are playing in the big rivalry game, are going to play extremely hard and then later in the year, if their season is not going as well, they will taper off. That may have also had something to do with it, but as Dana probably alluded to, they were excited to play West Virginia. They were more excited to play in the game than West Virginia was and it showed – it really did.”
Dawson said it was clear Marshall played faster and harder than West Virginia last year despite losing 24-21 in overtime.
“Now we pulled it off at the end, obviously, and everybody knows that, but the bottom line is that’s a game (West Virginia) probably shouldn’t have won,” he said.
Bedenbaugh said it will be the job of the coaches to make sure the guys wearing the Gold and Blue jerseys match the excitement, effort and intensity the guys in the Green and White jerseys are going to bring this Sunday.
“You’ve got to be excited to play,” Bedenbaugh said. “You only get 12 opportunities, and if you’re lucky you get 13, and this is why you have all of that hard work. You do all this stuff in two-a-days and in spring ball and over the summer to play this game. Coach (Mike) Leach used to always stress that you’ve got to be the most excited team to play.
“It’s amazing when you are excited and you have good energy how much better you play.”
Marshall certainly proved that last year in Huntington.
“It was very obvious,” Holgorsen said Tuesday. “And it wasn’t even close.”
Some of West Virginia’s other new coaches also immediately recognized the great enthusiasm and effort the Marshall players exhibited in last year’s game in Huntington.
“It’s really amazing,” remarked offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. “I’m in charge of the PAT and you watch them on PAT and field goals and it’s crazy, they’re just knocking the line back. You watch them play against West Virginia and there are 11 guys flying to the ball every snap. It’s a deal where we are going to have to be ready to do that and match that.”
Shannon Dawson, West Virginia’s first-year receivers coach, lists a number of reasons why Marshall played with more enthusiasm - some evident, and some not-so-evident.
“Obviously it’s an in-state rivalry, this and that, but later on in the year, their season didn’t go the way they wanted it to so they might not have been playing as hard (in later games),” Dawson explained.
“Early in the year, teams that have a lot to hope for, especially when they are playing in the big rivalry game, are going to play extremely hard and then later in the year, if their season is not going as well, they will taper off. That may have also had something to do with it, but as Dana probably alluded to, they were excited to play West Virginia. They were more excited to play in the game than West Virginia was and it showed – it really did.”
Dawson said it was clear Marshall played faster and harder than West Virginia last year despite losing 24-21 in overtime.
“Now we pulled it off at the end, obviously, and everybody knows that, but the bottom line is that’s a game (West Virginia) probably shouldn’t have won,” he said.
Bedenbaugh said it will be the job of the coaches to make sure the guys wearing the Gold and Blue jerseys match the excitement, effort and intensity the guys in the Green and White jerseys are going to bring this Sunday.
“You’ve got to be excited to play,” Bedenbaugh said. “You only get 12 opportunities, and if you’re lucky you get 13, and this is why you have all of that hard work. You do all this stuff in two-a-days and in spring ball and over the summer to play this game. Coach (Mike) Leach used to always stress that you’ve got to be the most excited team to play.
“It’s amazing when you are excited and you have good energy how much better you play.”
Marshall certainly proved that last year in Huntington.
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