IT SEEMS fitting that the weekend after Marshall's 49-28 loss to Western Kentucky was dreary and rainy. It matched the mood among Thundering Herd followers.
Marshall has nine wins to its credit this season - more than two years combined in some points last decade - but there is a sense of emptiness to it all.
(And it didn't help that the basketball team fell 23 points behind James Madison later that day. A black, black Friday for Herd fans, indeed.)
The Herd enjoyed its two-year ownership of Conference USA's East Division. Never mind that Central Florida is long gone, replaced by two adolescent Florida programs. Middle Tennessee has replaced Memphis from that state. Southern Mississippi, now restored to contender status, flipped to the West.
Never mind that the Old Dominion and Charlotte programs are in their infancy and the Alabama-Birmingham program was kneecapped into a temporary hiatus.
That transformation was beyond Marshall's control, and the Herd will apologize to no one for its 21-5 league record since realignment. But WKU seized the division torch with considerable force on Friday.
With that result, the 9-3 record isn't fulfilling. That's a strangely positive sign for the MU program.
The Herd has one very good win, and it's not the one over 2-9 Purdue. The 31-10 win over Southern Miss looks even better after the Golden Eagles mashed Louisiana Tech 58-24 for the right to take on the Hilltoppers in the league championship game Saturday.
Since losing to the Herd, the Eagles have won six in a row, all by at least 21 points.
The rest of the resume doesn't pack such good feeling. For one thing, the Herd really finished third in the East, as it tied for second with Middle Tennessee, another new nemesis. The triple-overtime loss at Murfreesboro stings.
That Nov. 7 result represents the Blue Raiders' biggest win over the season. Friday's result is WKU's biggest win, at least to this point. The Herd's Sept. 12 loss at Ohio is probably the Bobcats' biggest win, the recent triumph at Northern Illinois notwithstanding.
It wasn't that long ago that beating Marshall wasn't that big a deal, and MU yearned for a sixth win. And remember, today's Herd went 9-3 with its star running back and standout right tackle injured, and with a true freshman at quarterback.
That said, this Marshall team needs redemption in the bowl game, and players should approach it that way. A test of character this will be.
nnn
Injuries are probably the biggest story of this season, with the Herd wearing out the "next man up" motto. The most damaging was that of Clint Van Horn.
Devon Johnson's injury was as unfortunate as it gets, considering how the former tight end/linebacker broke out in 2014 as a dominant runner. But when the Herd was held to minus-4 yards rushing in the first half Friday, Van Horn was missed a little more.
There are other stories, good and bad.
n Most pleasant surprise: Ryan Bee, the unheralded defensive end who is using his 6-foot-7 frame to his advantage. He didn't climb to starting end because of another injury; he stole the job. He and Gary Thompson have become a nice duo.
n Biggest disappointment, Part 1: Outside receivers. They had trouble separating from cornerbacks all season. Davonte Allen led the team with 56 catches for an uninspiring 696 yards and five touchdowns. He was given every chance to do better, much better.
Maybe Justin Hunt proves to be an upgrade in his senior year. Perhaps Raylen Elzy breaks out as a sophomore. Or maybe the Herd needs junior-college help.
n Biggest disappointment, Part 2: Kicker Nick Smith. He hit his first 12 field goals and was named a Lou Groza Award semifinalist despite a long of only 42 yards. Since then, he has gone 3 for 9 and missed a game-winner at Middle Tennessee.
n Player most taken for granted: Amareto Curraj on kickoffs. Forty-one touchbacks in 72 boots was a welcome sight. It's a shame he couldn't make a field goal at Middle Tennessee, either.
n Play of the year: Chase Litton's game-tying across-his-body touchdown pass to Allen on fourth down in overtime at Kent State. Considering how he fumbled on the previous play, he showed some moxie.
How would Herd fans feel about an 8-4 season with a loss to what would have been a 4-8 Kent State team?
n Best coaching performance, No. 1: Defensive coordinator Chuck Heater, Southern Miss game. Quarterback Nick Mullens was having a good year before that game and has been super since that game, but the Herd stymied him with 15 pass breakups, four sacks, 17 hurries, two lost fumbles and an interception. Mullens had the worst 314-yard effort you'll ever see.
n Best coaching performance, No. 2: Alex Mirabal, offensive line coach. His magic ran out last weekend, but he did something right in developing and juggling subs, and with bringing along Michael Selby at center. The situation could have turned ugly.
n Best position move: Starting Deandre Reaves at slot receiver and moving Hyleck Foster to running back. It's a shame Reaves needed all five years to develop into a starter.
n Not-so-good coaching moves: Let's start with lifting the redshirt from Elzy and then playing him in few or no snaps with a game on the line. He has two catches for eight yards in four games.
I'm not inclined to second-guess plays calls because I know the process is a bit more complicated than a coordinator calling a play from the pressbox. But first-down strategy at WKU needed to be creative and wasn't.
And finally, deferring the option after winning the coin toss Friday. If you're playing a quarterback the level of Brandon Doughty, it's time to set that philosophy aside and take the ball.
n Funniest moment of the year: Beating Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton. Coach Charlie Partridge ordered the Marshall flag be taken from the stadium and hung from a practice-field goalpost. In its only good road performance, the Herd ran for 326 yards and took the lead for good 17 seconds in.
n "I don't want to be here" visiting team: There is at least one team a year that isn't enamored with Huntington, and Florida International wasn't after a 52-0 thumping. Down 21-0, the Panthers already wanted to go back to Miami.
And now, so do Marshall players, because I figure they prefer a trip to the Miami Beach Bowl to play a former Conference USA team before Christmas. But I'm still projecting a Dec. 26 date with South Florida in St. Petersburg, with an 11 a.m. kickoff.
The Herd needs to be ready for it.