Topic: Gazette: Little backs, big numbers

[ZackUSAF82]

WVU's Devine, Herd's Marshall rank among nation's top rushers

By Dave Hickman
Staff writer

MORGANTOWN - There certainly will be more than two players making an impact Saturday afternoon when West Virginia plays Marshall at Mountaineer Field.

It's going to be hard, though, to overlook the significance of Noel Devine and Darius Marshall. They are, after all, two of the top three rushers in the country.

West Virginia's Devine, despite being limited to 91 yards in a win at Syracuse on Saturday, was still named the Big East's offensive player of the week for his efforts. And while his rushing average slipped from 135 to 126.2 yards per game, he still ranks third nationally.

That's one spot below Marshall, the Thundering Herd junior whose 147.4-yard average is less than a yard shy of national leader Ryan Matthews of Fresno State. Marshall was tops in the country before he, too, slipped slightly last week with a 98-yard performance in a win over Tulane.

"If you like I-formation or spread formation, you'll see Darius Marshall and Noel Devine big in this game plan for both these universities,'' West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said Monday. "I just like watching good players play. They're both very, very good players, very talented.''

Link: http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/Marshall/200910120856