Battle for the Bell
SportFootball
First meetingNovember 11, 1905
Marshall, 6–5
Latest meetingSeptember 14, 2019
Marshall, 33–31
Next meetingSeptember 11, 2027
TrophyThe Bell
Statistics
Meetings total60
All-time seriesOhio leads, 33–21–6[1]
Largest victoryOhio, 59–0 (1908)
Longest win streakOhio, 6 (1958–1963)
Ohio, 6 (1973–1980)
Marshall, 6 (2001–2010)
Longest unbeaten streakOhio, 10 (1908–1938)
Current win streakMarshall, 1 (2019–present)
Locations of Marshall and Ohio

The Battle for the Bell is an American college football rivalry game played by the Marshall Thundering Herd football team of Marshall University and the Ohio Bobcats football team of Ohio University.[2][3] It is a regional rivalry, with the universities' campuses located about 80 miles (130 km) from each other, with a bell awarded as the trophy for the winner of the game. While Marshall and Ohio first played in 1905, they did not start playing for "The Bell" until 1997 when Marshall rejoined the Mid-American Conference.[4] With Marshall's move from the MAC to Conference USA in 2005, the rivalry game was on hiatus for several years. The series unexpectedly resumed in 2009 when the Herd and Bobcats faced off in the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, which Marshall won 21–17. A six-year contract between the schools began in 2010. The six-year series contract between the two schools was not renewed following the 2015 season. The rivalry resumed in the 2019 season, with additional games scheduled for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 seasons.[5] Ohio leads the all-time series over Marshall 33–21–6.

Series overview

Statistic Marshall Ohio
Games played60
Wins2133
Ties6
Home wins1422
Road wins611
Neutral site wins10
Total points scored in the series9501299
Most points scored in a game by one team44 (2014)59 (1908)
Most points scored in a game by both teams76 (1977 – OU 49, MU 27)
Fewest points scored in a game by both teams0 (1933)
Fewest points scored in a game by one team in a win6 (1905)8 (1934)
Most points scored in a game by one team in a loss35 (1969)31 (2019)
Largest margin of victory31 (1999)59 (1908)
Smallest margin of victory1 (twice)1 (1954)
Shut-outs of opposing team412

Game results

Marshall victoriesOhio victoriesTie games

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Winsipedia - Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Ohio Bobcats football series history". Winsipedia.
  2. "Battle for the Bell: By losing the bell Herd realized how special it is". West Virginia MetroNews. September 12, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  3. "MARSHALL FOOTBALL: Herd hammers Ohio, 44-14, to win "Battle for the Bell"". Charleston Daily Mail. September 13, 2014. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  4. "Football: A phone call, a lunch at Pigskin and riverboats: How the Battle for the Bell was born". The Post. September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  5. Kelley, Kevin (September 21, 2023). "Ohio reschedules football games against Marshall, Texas State". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  6. "Marshall vs Ohio". Special Collections.
  7. "Memories of Marshall; ex-player says shock of crash never ends". The Blade.
  8. "MAC Cancels Football Season. What Does It Mean For The Rest Of College Football?". College Football News. August 8, 2020.
Sources
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