Marshall Football

Marshall University lost the battle with West Virginia University, 69-34. Embarrassed? Put it behind you. It did not drop the Thundering Herd from the rankings; it did not count as a conference game.

It will help prepare Marshall for the Conference USA schedule. This game meant no more than a scrimmage for Marshall.

The final Friends of Coal Bowl meant everything to WVU—its No. 11 ranking, its reputation going into the Big 12, Geno Smith's Heisman hopes.

Mission accomplished, good for WVU.

Things weren't all bad for Marshall, though.

First, Herd QB Rakeem Cato showed he is much improved from last year and is ready for prime time. He threw 54 passes, completing 38, for 414 yards and two touchdowns. He made only two serious mistakes the whole game. 

Cato showed complete command of the offense and guided his team to 34 points against the No. 11 team in the nation. Against most teams, his performance would have been enough for a win and then some.

Ten receivers caught two or more passes each, with Eric Frohnapfel catching six, for 60 yards and a TD. Tommy Shuler caught five, for 47 yards and a TD.

Aaron Dobson, Jermaine Kelson and Travon Van each caught four passes. Marshall can throw the ball.

Marshall has running backs with speed. Serious speed. In a game that looked like a running-back tryout, Grooms averaged over eight yards per carry. Van also showed promise.

Special teams were special: The Herd had a blocked punt and went 2-for-2 on field goals. Kickoffs usually ended up with WVU starting short of the 25. Kickoff returns were brought out, usually with position beyond the 25.

In spite of giving up 69 points, the defense showed promise. Especially impressive was a goal-line stand that stopped WVU from scoring and Marshall's mostly containing Tavon Austin on those short passes.

A few big plays for WVU by some of the nation's top players were the difference.

Teams usually show their biggest improvement from the first to the second game. This Herd team has promise.

I can't think of one conference game it has no chance of winning.

I see this Marshall team finishing somewhere between 8-4, possibly even 10-2. You can count on bowling at the end of a conference race I believe the Herd have a shot at.

Marshall, you lost the game with WVU big time. But the rest of the season will be a different story.

Comments are welcome and appreciated.

Marshall, WVU will not play you again. Here are the cold hard facts why. We could talk about the wish of the fans and even politicians, but that is just not primary. Not anymore.

First, there is no such thing as automatic qualifier conferences after next year. When WVU was in the Big East, all they had to do for a BCS bowl was win their conference.

Other than conference games it was two cupcakes and an opponent that would fill your stadium. If you wanted a chance to be in the national championship game, a minimum of one of your non-conference games had to be with a ranked team.

Now each team is pretty much on their own. Winning a conference championship, even one of the "Big Five," is no guarantee of reaching the four team playoff. Five conferences and an at large? To fill one of four slots. Sorry, the committee doesn't have you ranked high enough.

WVU has to play nine conference games, five of those opponents are ranked teams. The Mountaineers only have three games left to work with. Every team wants at least one cupcake, sometimes two. Not anymore. Now you get one.

If WVU can play William and Mary, Towson and Liberty, why not Marshall? Because the "doctor" is in! Marshall is no cupcake, you're headed back to the old days when you were in and out of the top 25. So what is the benefit for WVU?

Other than one cupcake, here is what WVU requires for future non conference games; a regional opponent that fans can drive to and will fill the stadium. Marshall does that.

The opponent other than the cupcake can't hurt the strength of schedule part of your ranking. Soon, Marshall probably won't do that. Where's the problem? Marshall can fill your stadium and it's not a hard drive.

Television. ESPN, Fox, the new WVU third tier network; national coverage is needed, regional coverage is a must. Hey, FX  has got that covered this year! Marshall does that.

One more thing, recruiting area. WVU wants non-conference games to be with a regional opponent where they recruit. Problem. Robert Walker and a handful of others were great. But, not enough talented players live in the Huntington area. Ask coach Holliday, he goes to Florida too.

But I think you understand. New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Carolina or Ohio; all loaded with recruits. You need to play a team from there. Or two. Marshall doesn't fit that requirement and never will.

When Marshall is back, and I hope it's soon, WVU won't meet their requirements either. I wish they did, both ways. But coach Holliday will have similar requirements. Not too much top talent in the Morgantown area either.

Comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated! Care to predict the score?

Marshall is bringing a pretty good team into the WVU game, but where are the fans? 

Rakeem Cato, Aaron Dobson, Devin Arrington, Jeremiah Taylor and several other fine players are going to give you their best on Saturday.

Where is the fan support? Bleacher Report is the No. 3 most visited media site in this country. There are at least two articles written on the WVU page about the upcoming game, and comments are not only allowed, but encouraged!

So far I've seen one comment from a Herd fan responding to the chances of their team coming away with a victory in the final game. I would expect most of the comments to come from Mountaineer fans, but where are the Marshall fans?

Yes, WVU is heavily favored, but hasn't the Herd pulled off some pretty big upsets against other teams? Coach Holliday is building a pretty good program in Huntington, and he deserves a show of support from the fans.

Coach Holliday took Marshall to a 7-6 record last year with a Beef 'O Brady's Bowl win, and this year's team is expected to be very much improved.

If you don't want to respond to any of the articles on the WVU page, fine. Read them, and see what is being said. Then, come back here to your own page, and give your opinions and predictions. Show some support!

Comments are welcome and appreciated!

Wide receiver Devon Smith’s transfer to Marshall is the latest case study to the consequences of the Penn State saga.

According to ESPN.com, Smith has been cleared to play at Marshall for the upcoming season and will no longer be a member of the Penn State football team. Rather than hearing fans chant “We Are Penn State” in Happy Valley, Smith will hear the famed words “We Are Marshall” in West Virginia. Fans in Huntington are undoubtedly excited about the arrival of his sub-4.3 40-yard dash time.

“Devon is a great young guy, has tremendous talent and is one of the fastest players in the country,” said Marshall coach Doc Holliday. “He is a member of the Marshall family now and we’re excited about it.”

Smith, who was the same player to have accidentally run into Joe Paterno at practice and place him in the hospital with an injured shoulder and hip in 2011, was reported to have been dismissed from the team nearly two months ago, according to pennstate.247sports.com. This news came following the reported drug raid that took place at Smith’s house.

At the time, Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien seemed to have denied the report.

"I'm going to let the legal process play out a little bit," said O'Brien. "There's two sides to every story, and I stand behind Devon Smith. At the end of the day, we'll see what happens. If I have to make a disciplinary decision with Devon Smith, I'll keep it between Devon and I."

When ESPN first reported his leave on June 22nd, Smith said that he was leaving for “personal reasons” and did not mention any upcoming sanctions or a dismissal from the team.

Smith is only 5’7” and 147 pounds, but played in every game for Penn State last season. He caught 25 passes for 402 yards. Smith joins cornerback Derrick Thomas as the second player to have transferred from Penn State to Marshall for the upcoming season. Like Smith, Thomas left the program a month before Penn State received news of its extreme sanctions.

Both players will be eligible to play for the upcoming season because Penn State is otherwise ineligible for postseason play. Other players who have also chosen to leave Penn State in the past month include former roommates star running back Silas Redd (USC) and wide receiver Justin Brown (Oklahoma).

Brown admitted that he had been receiving death threats via Twitter since the announcement of his transfer. He joins kicker Anthony Fera (Texas) with word that he still plans to earn his degree from Penn State University. Fera and Redd were the two top scorers at Penn State last season, combining for 104 of the 251 points totaled by the Nittany Lions last season.

“Those kids didn’t ask to be in this situation, and it’s just a no-win situation for everyone that’s involved,” said Oklahoma receivers coach Jay Norvell. “They just tried to make the best out of the situation. Justin was a kid we reached out to because we felt like we needed a mature, experienced receiver that’s played, and he was interested in the opportunity here.”

The projected starter had missed time in the spring while recovering from a foot injury.

Of course, it’s worth remembering that Smith will also be dealing with alleged marijuana charges from an incident on March 14th related to a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Smith comes into his time at Marshall with one year of eligibility left as well as the option for a redshirt season.

This is an interesting case study for the former Penn State football player who is able to transfer freely, despite the marijuana charges, and play within the first game of the season if Marshall so chooses to put him on its starting roster. The speedy wide receiver is certainly considered to be a favorite to earn a starting role for the upcoming season.

Penn State had a remarkable impact on Smith’s career.

There is no doubt in my mind that what he continues to do at Marshall will be judged by the standards of Penn State and what happened while he was in college there at the historical time to be a Nittany Lion.

The young athlete from Maryland will enter a long journey towards redemption and redefining the fate of his career. Those who are familiar with Smith certainly believe that this is more than possible as he enters the end of summer camp.

Marshall opens its season against West Virginia on the road on September 1st.

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Tonight, I will be live blogging the 2011 Beef 'O'Brady's Bowl featuring the FIU Golden Panthers vs. Marshall Thundering Herd. I will update you on live scores, highlights and in-game analysis from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.

This is the bowl's fourth year of play and marks the first time the game will feature a Sun Belt Conference team. Normally, the game is a battle between the Big East and Conference-USA, but this season, the Big East failed to yield enough bowl-eligible teams.

FIU is making its second consecutive bowl appearance coming off its first back-to-back winning seasons. The Golden Panthers are 1-0 all-time in postseason play after defeating Toledo in the Little Caesers Pizza Bowl last year. They are led by head coach Mario Cristobal and finished the season with an impressive 8-4 record overall and 5-3 in the Sun Belt.

Marshall is making its first bowl appearance since the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl. The Thundering Herd are 6-3 all-time in postseason play. They are coming into bowl season on a hot streak winning four of their final six games. They are led by head coach Doc Holliday and finished the season with an 6-6 record overall and 5-3 in Conference USA.

This will mark the first time these two teams have played each other.

Conference-USA has had its struggles in the Beef 'O'Brady's Bowl losing all three games to the Big East. With no Big East team in the picture this year, the game is wide open for a new conference to take home the trophy.

Marshall is winning 13-10 in the fourth quarter.

Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow him on twitter @JWilburg or visit his website www.jamalwilburg.com

The BCS rankings will be severely impacted by the games that take place this week, and excitement is building for these meaningful bouts.

Virginia Tech and Virginia meet to determine which team will face Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. LSU and Arkansas face off to possibly determine who will play for the National Championship.  Pretty much every team in the Pac-12 South takes the field this week with a berth to the Pac-12 Championship Game on the line. All of these games are surrounded in excitement and being hyped up magnificently by media and fans.

However, none of these games is truly the most exciting or meaningful, from a football purist's point of view. The most exciting and meaningful game of the week is taking place in Huntington, West Virgina—a Conference USA matchup between ECU and Marshall, two teams with identical 5-6 records.

It may seem strange to proclaim a game between two teams with losing records the "best game of the week." However, it's a rather simple explanation as to why this is the case. 

The winner of the game becomes bowl-eligible, while the loser's season is over after the game.

The players at Arkansas, LSU, Virginia Tech and those other schools involved in high-profile games this weekend are playing for hardware and the right to call themselves champions. The athletes taking the field in Huntington this Saturday are playing for the opportunity to play one more game, and for the right to claim their efforts this season were successful.

Regardless of how the Arkansas-LSU game or Virginia-VT game turn out, the players on those teams still have more games remaining this season, and are assured of winning seasons. In the ECU-Marshall game, only half of the players in the stadium will get to play another game this season and avoid a losing record.

It may seem like this game really isn't all that important, because neither of the teams has a shot at the National Championship or a prestigious BCS game.

Try telling the players on the ECU and Marshall football teams that this game isn't important.

Try telling it to all of the seniors playing in this game, most of whom will be ending their football careers when the season is over. For them, this game is about earning the right to play competitive football one more time before they leave it behind them forever.

Try telling it to ECU's senior QB Dominique Davis, who transferred from BC after being suspended for academic reasons. Davis has never won a bowl game. For him, this game is about earning the opportunity to have one last shot at winning a bowl, and about giving back to the school that believed in him and gave him a second chance, one which he worked vigorously to make the best of.

Try telling it to Marshall's senior DE Vinny Curry, who is currently fourth in the nation in sacks. With very little fanfare, Curry has been one of the best defensive linemen in the country over the past few seasons. Curry never complained about the lack of recognition or respect, he just went out onto the field game after game and played his heart out. 

For him, this game is about earning the right to pour his heart and soul into a bowl game for a school and team that he has proudly represented for four years.

When it comes down to it, the Marshall-ECU game exemplifies the very best side of college football.  Forget the NCAA investigation at Miami, the scandal at Penn State or the bickering and chest-thumping coming out of the SEC West. 

The ECU-Marshall game is simply about football and earning the right to play it one more time this season.

Offense

Quarterback: A-

Running Backs: C

Wide Receivers: B+

Offensive Line: C+

Negatives on Offense: The offensive line still needs to be more consistent with run blocking.  Marshall needs another receiver to dominate opposite of Aaron Dobson, and the receivers need to come out of their breaks a little quicker. 

The running backs need to make more big plays by breaking initial tackles and helping out in pass protection.  Rakeem Cato should view the entire field before making a decision and never tip off where the ball is going by staring down a potential receiver.  

Positives on Offense: Cato is proving the necessary leadership from the quarterback position. Simply, the young man wants to be the vocal point of the Herd offense, and that is vital in the success of any football team. 

The route running from the receivers was sufficient throughout the afternoon, and adequate blocking on the perimeter provided some assistance in the running game.

Defense

Defensive Line: A+

Linebackers: B-

Secondary: C

Negatives on Defense: Marshall needs better underneath pass coverage from the linebackers, who should cause a lot more confusion for the opposition's quarterback. 

Tackling in the secondary needs to improve on the perimeter and down field, and they need to improve third down defense.

Positives on Defense: The game ball should go to the entire defensive line for smothering Southern Mississpppi's running game, penetrating through the offensive line and getting to Austin Davis all day long. 

The linebackers also played a huge roll in Marshall's run defense, with solid open-field tackling and forcing and recovering fumbles. 

Special Teams

 Punting: A

Kase Whitehead average 42.5 yards per punt on eight punts, placing five deep inside Southern Miss territory, with one leading to a Marshall safety. 

Teams that block a punt win the game 90 percent of the time.

Player(s) of the Game:  

P Kase Whitehead and DE Vinny Curry 

OFFENSE -

Quarterback - B

Running Backs - C

Wide Receivers - C

Offensive Line - D

Issues on offense:

True freshman quarterback, Rakeem Cato, didn't have an ample amount of time to throw the football due to the immense pressure from the Mountaineers' pass rush.  Despite Tron Martinez's 7.6 yards per carry average, the Herd offense couldn't truly establish a legitimate running game that could convert on third downs and down close to the goal line.  The offensive line had trouble imposing its will at the point of attack against WVU's defense with inconsistent run-blocking and dismal pass protection.

Positives on offense:

There is potential for the offensive line and running backs to have a solid running game this season if run-blocking can become more consistent.  Quarterback Rakeem Cato might be young but he has the tools to become a good pocket passer. When Cato scrambles outside of the pocket after protection breakdowns, he's running with his head up looking down the field to throw the ball to his playmakers. Fortunately, the wide receivers have improved from last season and superior route running needs to be the focal point of this receiving group.  

DEFENSE -

Defensive Line - C-  

Linebackers - D+

Secondary - F

Issues on defense:

Tackling was good at times, but extremely inadequate behind the line of scrimmage especially on Geno Smith. Lack of enthusiasm throughout the entire football game and no clear cut defensive leader with a mean streak.  Can't force punts and reluctant to blitz on third downs.  I understand the philosophy of not getting beat deep by playing corners far off the receivers, but good grief... I thought the corners were sitting in the stands.  Linebackers have to tackle better in open space and establish an underneath pass coverage.  Too many sacks left on the field.  Better play in the deep zone from the safeties.

Positives on defense:

Linebackers were able to get off blocks in order to help with run defense.  West Virgina didn't gash the Herd on the ground just through the air.  If teams are going to double team Vinny Curry then another edge rusher needs to step up and keep containment by getting to the quarterback.  The good news is Marshall has the athletes to get off the ball and penetrate in the backfield, now they just need to finish wrapping up the ball carriers in the backfield.