2 Rasheed Marshall

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Career: 2001-2004

Record: 28-21, Bowl Record: 0-3

Rasheed Marshall was the prototypical Rich Rodriguez quarterback. He did not have the biggest arm, but was mobile and able to make plays on the run. Marshall was forced to sit the majority of his freshman season in 2001, suffering an arm injury early on in the season. By his sophomore season, Marshall had become the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers. He would hold that starting position for the rest of his career, progressively improving each game. With Marshall at the helm, West Virginia had three consecutive winning seasons, leading to three straight bowl game appearances. Marshall finished his career with 54.5% completion percentage for 5,558 yards and 45 touchdowns. He was also quite talented rushing the ball for 2,040 yards and 24 touchdowns. Rasheed’s dual threat nature drew the eyes of NFL scouts, who would convince him to play as a wide receiver. His pro career never really panned out, unfortunately.

Memorable Game: The game that really stands out in Marshall’s career is his performance in the 2003 East Carolina game. WVU traveled down to Greenville, NC following a heart-breaking home loss to Wisconsin. The Mountaineers were in need of a quality win to get the season back on track. The Mountaineers controlled the tempo of the game with a quick rushing attack. Marshall would take advantage of East Carolina stacking the box to beat them through the air with roll out passes. Marshall only completed 11 passes during the game, but those 11 receptions were turned into 4 touchdown scores. West Virginia completely dominated ECU in every phase of the game, man-handling the Pirates 48-7.

Competition: A lot of talented Mountaineers have worn #2. They include Robert Sands, Darius Reynaud, Ellis Lankster, Dan Kendra, and Charles Emmanuel. Marshall got the nod as he was a big part of turning the Mountaineers program around in the early 2000s. Without such a talented quarterback running Rich Rodriguez’s up-tempo offense, the Mountaineers would not have been nearly as successful as they turned out to be.

Teaser: The final player in the countdown is arguably THE most talented Mountaineer to ever come through the program. This player can run, catch, and return the ball at any time for a touchdown. He showed off his wide arsenal of talents in a major bowl victory for WVU. I can’t wait to see this player down in Austin to show the Longhorns how we play ball. Also, I can’t help but think of this movie when I think of Texas. (WARNING: Strong Language)