It was presented by the West Virginia Governor and housed at the university which wins the annual matchup.

Facing a 21–6 fourth-quarter deficit, WVU outscored Marshall 15–0 on drives of 96 and 98 yards in the final 8:28 of the game.

The 2011 game, won by West Virginia 34–13, was unique because it featured an over 4-hour weather delay and was called with much of the 4th quarter still to be played.

Marshall would like to have an alternating site format for revenue purposes, while West Virginia would prefer a "two-for-one" arrangement if one were to be made at all.

[5] In June 2011 WVU athletic director Oliver Luck stated on the West Virginia television program "Decision Makers" that there were no plans to extend the series in the near future.

"[7] When asked if talks had taken place to renew the series WVU's Deputy Director of Athletics Mike Parsons state "No, not really.

"[8] West Virginia's reluctance to continue the series might be traced to its being bound by the initial Friends of Coal Bowl arrangement as a result of political pressure from the state government in Charleston.

[9] It is also debatable as to whether the Friends of Coal Bowl constitutes a true rivalry between the schools, as Marshall has never beaten West Virginia in the twelve-game series and there is a lack of mutual animosity between the Mountaineers and Thundering Herd.

At this point, there's no intent on my part to engage in any discussions because we're still dropping teams because of the Big 12 move," Luck said.

"[12] In an interview with Campus Insiders, Marshall head coach Doc Holliday (a former player and assistant at WVU), said, "the game should be played."