By: Clark Johnson | WV Sports Chat
Huntington, WV – It has now been nearly a decade-and-a-half since Marshall and WVU last met on the gridiron. The series, which dates back to 1911, has been dominated by the Mountaineers. After a 69-34 victory for West Virginia in 2012, the series was not renewed, effectively ending the series with a 12-0 advantage for the Mountaineers.
Since Tony Gibson was hired as Marshall’s head football coach in December 2024, he has been adamant about a series revival with WVU. However, as we all know, that has not come to fruition.
In a recent interview with The HerdLine Podcast, Gibson, a former WVU assistant, called out the Mountaineers’ unwillingness to schedule a future series with the Herd.
“FOR YOUR MONEY GAME, POWER 4 GAME, IT MAKES THE MOST SENSE FOR US TO PLAY WVU. OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO PLAY US, THEY DON’T WANT TO PLAY US. IF IT’S A 2 FOR 1 DEAL WE’D BE ON BOARD. BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO PLAY.”
In the time that Gibson has been the Herd’s head coach, West Virginia has added Coastal Carolina, Southern Miss, and Akron to their future schedule. Had the Mountaineers wanted to play the Herd, they could have easily done so. Instead, they opted for opponents that would not draw as much attention as Marshall.
While Gibson is certainly correct in his assumption that WVU does not want to play Marshall, it is ultimately for good reason. At the end of the day, West Virginia has everything to lose and nothing to gain with a series against Marshall. A win would be nothing more than another tally in their stranglehold on the series. A loss, however, could have severe consequences for the Mountaineers.
Though the likelihood that Marshall would actually defeat WVU is slim to none, it is simply not worth the risk for the program at this time. The Mountaineers are focused on taking their program to the next level, not beating up on little brother for old time’s sake.
(Photo by Marshall Athletics)
