Morgantown, WV (My Sportsbook) - West Virginia's starting quarterback, Rasheed Marshall, was knocked out of the team's season-opening 24-17 loss to 21st-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday. He would go to the hospital for tests, but returned to the game. With just under six minutes to go in the first quarter, Marshall was leveled by Badger linebacker Alex Lewis after releasing a pass, and remained prone for some time. He did leave the field under his own power, but was replaced under center by Charles Hales. Marshall went into the locker room for evaluation and returned to the sideline in the second quarter. After warming up, he discovered that he was spitting up blood and was taken to the hospital with a suspected abdominal injury. He was checked out and cleared to play, and returned to his position on the team's second possession of the second half with a 17-10 lead. In addition to the hit on Marshall, Lewis also blocked a punt on the game's opening drive, which was recovered in the end zone by teammate Kareem Timbers for a touchdown. Marshall ran for 13 touchdowns and 666 yards in 2002, breaking Michael Vick's conference record for quarterbacks.
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