In Memoriam

I wasn't going to blog tonight, because I work early tomorrow and I'm planning to cover tomorrow night's marquee match-up, Penn State vs. Alabama, but a little something happened tonight. I turned on the TV to eat my dinner to the tune of some football, and an amazing story started creeping up. Really, truly, real-life inspiring and amazing. Then, however, something happened. Life happened. Sports happened. And it was taken away.

The game was between the Mountaineers of West Virginia University (ranked 23rd in the nation) and the Thundering Herd of Marshall. This is the primary rivalry between teams in the small state of West Virginia. They've faced off nine times since 1911 (that's the year before the Titanic sank) and the Mountaineers, of a school rightly called a powerhouse, has won every time.

Tonight's game wasn't supposed to be a big deal, sports-wise. Being nationally ranked, and with that huge historical edge to boot, WVU was supposed to clobber the Herd, who were coming off an ugly lopsided week one loss to The Ohio State University, the nation's second-ranked team. There were lots of statistics, but, let's just say no one expected this to be a three-point game.

However, from a historical standpoint, it was a biggie. Point A) You've heard of Marshall University, because everyone has, because, four years ago, a movie called 'We Are Marshall' was released, starring Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox, and detailing the program's struggles in the wake of the November 14, 1970 plane crash that killed all their players and all their coaches, about 75 people in all. It was the biggest loss in the history of NCAA sports. Anyway, this November will be the 40-year anniversary of said event.
Point B) Mary Jane Tolley, the widow of the coach who was killed in that crash, performed the opening coin toss, in attendance at her first football game in exactly 40 years. Point C) Marshall Head Coach 'Doc' Holliday, who grew up some 20 minutes from the campus, had his alma mater at Marshall but coached in the WVU system for years since. Tonight was beyond his first home game as Marshall head coach; it was his first time even in their new stadium.

Well, it was a surprise to everyone when Marshall opened the game on a hot streak. They counted a 55-yard rush from scrimmage on their first drive of the game, followed up a blocked WVU field goal with a 96-yard touchdown reception, and took a 14-3 lead into half time. The chants of "We. Are. Marshall." rang out, clearly audible on the television. Across the field, the 23rd-ranked team in the nation was in disarray.

With the crowd firmly behind them, the Thundering Herd added a touchdown in the third quarter, gave up one field goal and blocked another, and, with 8:28 to go, recovered a WVU fumble in their own Red Zone and looked to score to put the game away. On their second play from scrimmage, their freshman running back (somebody Martinez) lost a fumble at the four-yard line. In just over three minutes, the Mountaineers, led by sophomore quarterback Geno Smith, roll out 9 plays and 96 yards for a touchdown. 21-13.

After a short, unfortunate possession by the Herd, the Mountaineers took over again, with 3 minutes left, at their own 2 yard line. They drove-against a defense that had repeatedly stopped them cold in the first half (Marshall had players with 2+ sacks and 15 tackles)-98 yards to score, adding the two-point conversion to tie the game. 21-21.

It almost goes without saying that, in overtime, West Virgina kicked a field goal, stuffed the Marshall offense and let them kick a 40-yard field goal. There, Thundering Herd kicker Tyler Warner became a most-undeserving symbol of a night of drama, momentum, play, and, yes, history, when his high, arching kick fell just a few feet shy to the right. WVU wins 24-21.

I was crushed, and I know thousands of others were, as well. Gone was the 40-year-anniversary, they finally won, storyline. Gone was the they finally won, first in a rivalry since 1911 storyline. Gone was the coach's first home game for the school he grew up loving storyline. Gone, even, was the defeating a ranked team in their home opener storyline. Gone. Doc Holliday looked close to tears, the fans looked shocked, and I searched for a word to describe the general feeling. I think I found one.

From The Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Devastate-to reduce to chaos or helplessness

Now, since the game ended, I've had to reminded myself not to get carried away. The Thundering Herd didn't play a snap of this game in the memory of the 75 friends who died 40 years ago, or for those people's friends or families. They weren't playing for the widow back for her first football game in 40 years. They weren't playing for that tragedy. They weren't playing to heal anyone's hurt. And the Mountaineers, for beating them, most certainly are not villains.

Sports often makes for great drama, yes, in winning and losing, but that's what lost this game, sports. I don't know if the pumped, mile-a-minute Thundering Herd defense from the first half tired out. I do know that Geno Smith, star running back Noelle Devine, and the other Mountaineer offensive players just started to play lights out, finding every crease and every hole. I know that they earned a victory-a steep comeback one at that-from 15 points down in the opposing team's stadium by marching for over 200 yards of offense in less than six minutes, not to mention overtime. I do know that they never game up the game.

This loss was devastating, yes, for a lot of reasons. We miss, and hope to always remember and honor, the 75 people who died 40 years ago. But it was a good team playing better football than another good team, and playing it precisely when they needed to. That's how you win in sports.

On another note, tomorrow is Monster Saturday, with a number of huge matchups, including a rematch of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl for championship, Miami (13th in the nation) vs. Ohio State (2nd), Michigan and Notre Dame, Florida State and Oklahoma, and, the game I plan to watch, Alabama and Penn State. I think that one may be the only game where both teams' coaches are more well-known than any player (Joe Paterno, the all-time NCAA football wins leader, for Penn, and two-time national champion Nick Saban, of Alabama).

I hope I'm not hurting anyone's feelings with what I wrote about Marshall. I sincerely wanted them to win, and I wanted them to do it for all those historical reasons. But, at the end of the day, they lost a football game. Someone always loses. Maybe we can all say a prayer for the friends and families of those who died. And, of course, we can always remember them. They deserve that.