A sport that encapsulates and symbolizes the past, present and future of society's infrastructure is coming the Athens. Regardless of geographical location played in — the plains of the midwest, the dry fields of the south or the snow-brittled ground of the north — football is here.
A sport that encapsulates and symbolizes the past, present and future of society's infrastructure is coming to Athens. Regardless of the geographical location its played in — the plains of the Midwest, the dry fields of the South or the snow-brittled ground of the Northeast — football is here.
History of the "Battle for the Bell"
Athens, Ohio and Huntington, West Virginia have quite some history together, one that extends almost 110 years into the past. The rivalry goes so far back, the concept of “touchdowns” didn’t even exist in the game of football when the two teams first played.
On Nov. 11, 1905, the Thundering Herd defeated the Bobcats, 6-5, and since then, the two programs have played each other a total 58 times. Having kind of an “off-and-on” relationship since 1905, the Bobcats and Thundering Herd have played every year since 2009 after Marshall upset Ohio, 21-17, in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.
The Bobcats lead the overall series (32-20-6), yet since the establishment of “The Battle for the Bell” title in 1997, Ohio has only won four times — the last time being in 2013.
“The Battle for the Bell” slogan symbolizes the regional rivalry between the two programs, as the NCAA rivalry will break after this season until the teams meet again in 2019. Other “Battle for the Bell” rivalries include Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane, and the Victory Bell game pitting Cincinnati against Miami of Ohio.
Coming off its 45-28 win over Idaho last Thursday, Ohio will look to take back the Bell this season with redshirt senior quarterback Derrius Vick at the helm. In its first game of the season, Marshall beat Purdue 41-31 with help from safety Tiquan Lang’s two interception returns for touchdowns.
Last year, Marshall trounced Ohio, 44-14, in Huntington. Former Herd quarterback Rakeem Cato torched the Bobcats for 425 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Luke O’Roark | Sports Editor
Read up before the game:
Game Preview: “The game means an awful lot and you don’t have to look for ways to build the game up,” Solich said in a press conference Monday. “In itself, it builds itself up.” And he’s right. (Link)
Head Injuries in Football: On March 16, linebacker Chris Borland retired from the NFL. In most circumstances this would not qualify as headline news, but Borland was not your normal retiree. (Link)
Q&A with 'The Parthenon:' Post sports editor Charlie Hatch chatted with the sports editor for Marshall's student newspaper about Ohio's home opener against the Thundering Herd. (Link)
Staff Picks: How will Ohio perform against Marshall? Post staffers take a gander at predicting the game. (Link)
Ohio Starting Lineups
Offense
Defense
