WVU, Marshall face off in unconventional Friday matchup

To small towns across America, Friday nights signify one thing: football.

More often than not, it is high school football played on the gridiron Friday evening. This Friday, however, a college rivalry will be renewed for the 10th time as Marshall hosts West Virginia in Huntington, W.Va.

Going against the prototypical Saturday game, The Thundering Herd and Mountaineers hit the field under the lights at 7 p.m. Friday in Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

"It just goes back to Friday Night Lights," said WVU running back Noel Devine. "It's like a high school game."

For defensive end Bruce Irvin, this is his first taste of what life is like for a visiting team heading on the road at the Division I-A level.

"I'm new at this," Irvin said. "The guys have told me this is a rivalry game, but for me since I haven't been here all that long, it will just be another game."

The last time the Mountaineers visited Huntington, W.Va., they found themselves trailing by four at halftime.

Devine recalls the harsh attitude of the heated up Herd fans.

"(There was) name calling; it was a hostile environment," the senior said. "We just have to go out and play our game."

Devine has been in Morgantown and the state of West Virginia long enough to realize what this game means to fans across the Mountain State.

"We've got a lot of people rooting for us and a lot of people rooting for them," Devine said. "We want to go out and own the state."

While it should come as no surprise that a pair of colleges located within state boundaries has bad blood between them, WVU safety Robert Sands feels Pittsburgh is the bigger rivalry.

"It is a fun game for the state," Sands said. "But with Pitt being in the conference, that makes it a more special game."

Linebacker J.T. Thomas feels this game will attract the attention of people from outside the state.

"Last year in the hotel, we were keeping up on the Friday games," Thomas said. "Teams from across the country will have our game on their TVs preparing for our game."

The Friday game also forces the teams to prepare in a shorter amount of time. The Mountaineer players say they know what needs to get done and will stick with their game plan. The players are not the only ones who lose time on the field, the coaches do as well.

"I know that the coaches have not been to their homes as much this week," said WVU head coach Bill Stewart. "We have had to spend more time here because it is a short week."

With the whole nation looking down on the campus of Marshall Friday, the lights will be bright, the stadium will be packed and one team from West Virginia will come out with bragging rights for a whole year.

"It's going to be exciting," said safety Terence Garvin. "There's not much better than a game under the lights."