MORGANTOWN, W.VA. ? Rasheed Marshall told a teammate at the start of the season he thought he would break Donovan McNabb’s Big East rushing record for quarterbacks — against Syracuse.

Marshall was right on the mark.

He rushed for 87 yards and threw three touchdown passes, leading No. 15 West Virginia over the Orangemen, 27-6, Thursday night.

“Just playing against Syracuse, that being his former school, it makes it that much better,” Marshall said. “There is an extra sweetness to it.”

Marshall’s 87 rushing yards gave him 1,605 for his career, breaking McNabb’s mark of 1,561. In 2002, Marshall set the single-season mark of 666 formerly held by Michael Vick at Virginia Tech.

“Being mentioned in the same sentence as Vick or McNabb, those guys you see on Sundays making plays,” Marshall said. “Just to be in the same category and surpassing them is great.”

Chris Henry caught two TD passes against the Orange for the second straight season, and Jason Colson had 113 yards against the league’s worst rushing defense. West Virginia amassed 279 yards on the ground.

“They have got some great backs. But Rasheed is the best one,” Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni said.

The Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0) took sole possession of first place in the conference by scoring the first 17 points and stopping four Syracuse drives inside the red zone without points.

Syracuse (3-4, 1-1) now must win three of its final four games to become bowl eligible. Each loss by the Orangemen has been to a ranked team.

“Every single week is a challenge playing the schedule we have,” Pasqualoni said.

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.

West Virginia running back Kay Jay Harris (1) is pulled down by Syracuse defender Diamond Ferri during the first quarter. Harris and the 15th-ranked Mountaineers defeated the Orangemen, 27-6, Thursday at Mylan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va.

“He was in bed all day with an antibiotic. There was no way he could play because he was sick as a dog,” Pasqualoni said.

Reyes’ replacement, Damien Rhodes, breathed life into the sluggish Orange with a two-yard TD run midway through the third quarter to cut the deficit to 17-6.

But Syracuse, which managed just 66 yards rushing, turned the ball over twice on downs inside the West Virginia 20 in the fourth quarter.

Henry’s 47-yard catch midway through the period set up Marshall’s 22-yard scoring pass to Charles Hales, a backup quarterback lined up at receiver.

Syracuse’s Collin Barber missed two field goals, had one blocked and hit an upright with an extra-point try.

After Mike Lorello blocked Barber’s 46-yard attempt in the first quarter, Henry took a screen pass and went 27 yards into the end zone to put the Mountaineers ahead 10-0.

Just before halftime, Syracuse’s Marcus Clayton called for a fair catch but dropped the punt, and West Virginia’s Brad Palmer recovered at the 20.

Marshall then set the rushing mark on a 24-yard TD run that was called back when Henry was flagged for holding. Marshall was credited with nine yards on the spot foul.

Henry make up for the gaffe on the next play, hauling in a 25-yard TD pass for a 17-0 halftime lead.

The Mountaineers entered the game having scored touchdowns on 18 of 20 possessions inside the opponents’ 20.