Saturday, October 30, 2004
West Virginia escaped with a 35-30 win.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- Chris Henry caught a 39-yard scoring pass and set up another touchdown with a long catch before being kicked out of the game, leading No. 15 West Virginia to a 35-30 win over Rutgers on Saturday.
Rasheed Marshall threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Mountaineers (7-1, 3-0 Big East) beat Rutgers (4-4, 1-3) for the 10th straight time, but the most memorable moments of the game were Henry's pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Ryan Hart threw three touchdown passes for Rutgers, which made the game interesting by scoring twice after Henry was ejected.
First offense
With West Virginia leading 21-17 early in the fourth quarter, Marshall and Henry combined on a 69-yard pass to the Rutgers 6. After being tackled, Henry crossed his arms and started yapping at defenders.
Back judge Ron Boyd, who had called an unsportsmanlike penalty against Tres Moses of Rutgers for posturing after a first-quarter TD, did the same to Henry. Marshall eventually capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Miquelle Henderson.
On West Virginia's next possession, Henry caught the 39-yard touchdown pass from Marshall, beating Scarlet Knights cornerback Joe Porter for a jump ball in the end zone.
The two landed together. Henry tossed the ball at Porter and appeared to kick at him, drawing another flag.
As Henry walked to the bench, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez got in his face and tried to talk to him, but Henry didn't seem to listen. He was escorted off the field, occasionally looking at the Rutgers bench and later yelling at fans. A league official said he will not be suspended, because such punishment is only for fighting.
Within five points
Hart, who threw for 324 yards, found Clark Harris on a 3-yard TD pass and Brian Leonard scored from 2 yards out with 1:22 remaining to get the Scarlet Knights within five points. A two-point conversion pass was nullified by a holding penalty.
Rutgers' last chance ended when its onside kickoff went out of bounds after being touched by a West Virginia player. The Mountaineers then ran out the clock.
Pernell Williams, Marshall and Kay-Jay Harris scored on short runs to help West Virginia take a 21-14 halftime lead. A 5-yard run by Williams and a 7-yard run by Marshall staked the Mountaineers to a 14-0 lead after their first two possessions.