WOAY – Both Marshall and West Virginia opened their 2021 football seasons Saturday in the state of Maryland, with the Mountain State’s two squads experiencing opposite results.
The Thundering Herd gained the momentum early in a 49-7 win at Navy, giving Charles Huff a winning start to his tenure as head coach. Redshirt Rasheen Ali ran for the first three touchdowns of the day, as he finished with 59 yards and four scores. Sheldon Evans added two more touchdowns on the ground, while Grant Wells threw for 333 yards. Luke Zban threw a 30-yard touchdown for the Herd’s final score. Marshall plays its home opener next Saturday against North Carolina Central; the Eagles have 2018 Bluefield High School graduate Mookie Collier on their roster.
West Virginia was looking for their first road win since Black Friday 2019 as they visited Maryland, but the Terrapins made plays down the stretch to win 30-24. Both teams scored points on their opening drives, as Leddie Brown would be one of the Mountaineers’ offensive leaders with 74 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. Jarret Doege threw for 280 yards and a touchdown to Brown, but WVU committed four total turnovers throughout the afternoon. West Virginia hosts LIU next Saturday in Morgantown.
