By Rasheed Marshall | 5:30 a.m. Thursday
Former West Virginia quarterback -- and Pittsburgh native -- Rasheed Marshall spent 2001-04 in Morgantown attempting to manufacture seven points on each drive for the WVU offense. Each Thursday only at 'Eers to the Ground, Marshall, a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach in Pittsburgh now, gives his take to the Post-Gazette's Colin Dunlap on 7 points pertinent to Mountaineers football:
Point 1 - OK, the million dollar question. If you are Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, which quarterback do you start against WVU; the hot-handed Zach Collaros or Tony Pike, who is coming back from an injury?
Rasheed Marshall - Although it's already been announced, but I would've started Zach Collaros also. He has done a great job while filling in for Tony Pike and has helped the Bearcats remain undefeated. I'm not sure if Pike practiced at all this week but that would've been a big factor. I believe that no player should lose their position to injury but at the same time if your not fully recovered or didn't practice during the week then you shouldn't play. A lot of coaches follow that same rule while other don't.
Point 2 - Many West Virginia fans seem to be unhappy that the Mountaineers didn't blow Louisville out. Is that cause for concern or just an overreaction?
Rasheed Marshall - In my opinion it's just over-reacting. The win is most important thing. The number of points that you score week in and week out is only an indicator of a team having a good offense or the other team having a bad defense. The other misleading point to make is that fans like to compare the number of points other teams scored against opponents. One thing fans fail to realize and take into consideration is that it's all about match ups and schemes. For example, just because West Virginia scored so many points against a team doesn't mean that another team that runs a spread offense will do the same. Certain plays that West Virginia ran or different match ups that they created with their weapons all plays a part. Maybe a team ran a certain defense one week and changed it up the next.
Point 3 - Against Cincinnati, which plays this "fast-break" football of offense, what ways can the West Virginia defense slow them down?
Rasheed Marshall - There are actually a bunch of different ways to slow them down. The first way is by the WVU defense to force 3 and outs. Don't let Cincinnati get into a rhythm. Second, WVU can create an illusion of the game slowing down by limiting the substitutions. Create defensive packages where you can play all downs with the guys you already have out on the field. When you start doing a lot of substituting, that's when you run into trouble and Cincinnati can catch you off guard. Lastly, which is illegal to an extent, is for WVU to take their time getting up off of the player they tackled. Each ball carrier is taught to get right back to their position to get lined up.
Point 4 - The team is apparently taking a bus to Cincinnati for the game instead of flying. Your thoughts on that one?
Rasheed Marshall - I don't think that's to bad. We actually took a bus to Nippert Stadium to play the Bearcats when I was a Sophomore and I enjoyed it. It kind of gives you a little time to reflect on assignments and the game itself and also relax and catch up on a little bit of sleep.
Point 5 - If the Notre Dame job comes open, and you are Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, and the Irish offer you the job, would you leave for South Bend?
Rasheed Marshall -- That a hard question to answer. I think that really depends on how committed Brian Kelly is to Cincinnati and the financial side of things. Every coach talks about commitment but when the money starts talking a lot of things change. I'm not sure how much he's making at Cincinnati but I can almost guarantee that he'll make more at Notre Dame. He'll also be stepping onto a bigger stage by going there. That also calls for more pressure to win. So if he's up to that challenge and the money is right, look for him to leave Cincy.
Point 6 -- If Noel Devine is limited against the Bearcats with his ankle injury, who would you go to at tailback?
Rasheed Marshall -- I would like to see this play out two different ways. Option one is taking Jock Sanders out of his slot position and line him up at running back and use Tavon Austin in his place. Option two would be to leave Jock in the slot and turning the duties over to the speedy Freshman in Austin.
Point 7 - If West Virginia is to lose against Cincinnati, do you think the Mountaineers could be so emotionally down from that loss they could finish the season on an 0-3 streak, losing then to Pitt and Rutgers?
Rasheed Marshall -- That could be a possibility but I don't see it happening. Anything is possibly but losing three straight is highly unlikely for the Mountaineers.
An extra point - There is a photo on the internet of country music star Shania Twain performing with a Rasheed Marshall jersey on. What is that all about? Have you ever seen it? Here is it: Link:
Rasheed Marshall -- I actually gave it to her when we met up for lunch the day before the concert. HAHAHA...that's a joke. I was actually surprised to see her with the jersey on myself. Someone emailed me the picture from one of her concerts in southern West Virginia.
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Rasheed Marshall, also a former NFL player, is a certified strength and conditioning coach and an NCCPT Certified Personal Trainer in Pittsburgh who can implement a workout program for the casual athlete but also works one-on-one or in a group setting to refine football skills for the serious football player of any age. Rasheed works to maximize the potential of athletes by incorporating position specific skill development, speed and agility training and a strength and conditioning program where you get results.
Rasheed can be reached at RMarshallTraining@Yahoo.com or by calling Amerifit Fitness Club in the South Hills at 412.341.3033.
Posted
Nov 12 2009, 05:28 AM
by
Colin Dunlap