3:30 kickoff perfectly suited for tailgating, even if it's at home!
A chance to remain ranked for at least one more week, and maybe even after the Big 10 resumes...
And now, why I'm really into this game. I graduated in 86, spent two years working in Fayetteville, NC, and got transferred to Myrtle Beach. A co-worker helped me find an apartment in her complex, and she became my best friend. She went to Marshall.
So we road tripped to Boone and Huntington for the games and had a blast. My first trip to West Virginia, and it sure was interesting. "Do Not Feed The Bears" signs at rest stops was a bit unnerving.
We went to her family's home in Parkersburg before going to her college roommates' place near Marshall I learned about indigents, marveled at the natural beauty of the state.
Marshall was at their zenith at the time, but the games between these two teams were always a toss up. I remember one year at their place we had the lead in the last minutes of the game but Marshall had driven to our goal line with seconds to play.
We trotted out two of the biggest DLs I have ever seen for the goal line stand, and the Marshall crowd audibly gasped and murmured at their size, but they got in for the score with just a couple of seconds left.
Only chance to win was to run the kickoff back, and of course, we had a play for that. Dang near worked too, laterals and great blocking and their crowd went from silent to screaming as our guys got the ball across the 50. That play seemed to take two minutes. They finally got us down and won the game, but walking out, you didn't see a whole lot of celebrating among their fans...much more of a sense of relief...and respect.
One year we beat them, but they went on to win the National Championship. Sherri said "National Champions! How do you like that?"
I said, "We beat you. You're not our national champions." She had nothing to say, but Sherri has the dark eyes that can shoot daggers and she was shooting them at me right then.
I'm hoping that we keep moving up to bigger fish to fry, but I will enjoy this trip down memory lane...as long as we win.
If they win, I'll be getting a call, and I can't shoot daggers with my eyes down a phone line.
I'll be wearing my lucky sweatshirt, which has never seen an App loss while I'm wearing it. 64 degrees this morning in Myrtle. We ready. Let's go!
(TLDR) Go App! Beat Marshall!!!
