BIG EAST Marshall leads W. Virginia to 27-6 rout over Syracuse

The quarterback threw for three TDs and rushed for 87 yards.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Syracuse found out how difficult it is to harness West Virginia's Rasheed Marshall.
Marshall improvised for first downs with his legs and found receivers in the end zone, and now No. 15 West Virginia has sole possession of first place in the Big East.
"He's a running back who can throw the ball. He's elusive, a good arm, and he's able to find his guys open despite some scrambling," Syracuse safety Diamond Ferri said.
Broke McNabb's mark
Marshall threw for three scores and ran for 87 yards to break Donovan McNabb's conference career rushing record for quarterbacks in the Mountaineers' 27-6 win over Syracuse on Thursday night.
Marshall now has 1,605 career rushing yards, surpassing McNabb's mark of 1,561. In 2002, Marshall set the season mark of 666, formerly held by Michael Vick at Virginia Tech.
When asked if he should be considered as good a college quarterback as the pair, Marshall said, "Yeah. Heck yeah. If you ask me, I definitely do."
It turns out Marshall was prophetic. He told a teammate at the start of the season he thought he would break the record against McNabb's former team.
"It makes it that much better. There is an extra sweetness to it," Marshall said.
Record setting run
Marshall set the record on a 24-yard TD run that was called back when receiver Chris Henry was flagged for holding. Marshall was credited with nine yards on the spot foul.
Henry made up for the gaffe on the next play, hauling in a 25-yard scoring pass for a 17-0 halftime lead.
Earlier, Henry scored from 27 yards. It marked the second straight year he had two TD catches against Syracuse.
West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) amassed 279 yards on the ground against the league's worst defense, led by Jason Colson's 113 yards.
The Mountaineers held Syracuse to 66 yards rushing and stopped four Orange drives inside the 20-yard line without points, including twice in the fourth quarter.
Reyes did not play
Walter Reyes, Syracuse's leading rusher, was ill and missed his first game since the start of his freshman season, a streak of 42 contests. Reyes wore a jacket and a towel over his head on the sidelines.
"He was in bed all day with an antibiotic. There was no way he could play because he was sick as a dog," Syracuse (3-4, 1-1) coach Paul Pasqualoni said.
Reyes' replacement, Damien Rhodes, was limited to 67 yards on 20 carries, including a 2-yard TD run midway through the third quarter.