West Virginia University's season opening home football game against in-state rival Marshall University has been moved to Sunday, September 4th. The game had originally been slated to be played the day prior.
↵The "Friends of Coal Bowl" as the game is obnoxiously dubbed, is the first game of the 2011 season for both squads, giving each a short week before their second game of the season. For the Mountaineers, that game is against lowly FCS school Norfolk State, while the Herd's next game will be against Conference USA foe Southern Mississippi. While inconvenient for both schools, neither could turn down a chance to play on national television. The game is scheduled to be televised nationally on ESPN, with a 3:30pm kickoff.
↵This will be the third time that the "Friends of Coal Bowl" will be televised nationally. Both games played in Huntington were also nationally televised. West Virginia has never lost to Marshall, though last year's game went down to the wire.