When last Marshall met Louisville - and won 17-13 - it was 2011 and Charlie Strong's voice boomed with disgust through the loudspeakers of gorgeous Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
Strong's Cardinals, members of the Big East, had just lost to Florida International and Marshall back-to-back at home, and Strong bellowed about the inability to defend the home turf.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was a mistake-prone freshman in his fourth game. When Marshall departed, the Cardinals were averaging just 18.8 points a game - and that included a contest against Murray State.
Was that five years ago? No, as the Cardinals prepare to make their first appearance in Huntington since 1977, it seems like a hundred.
Once a Conference USA member, the U of L has migrated to the Atlantic Coast Conference, survived Strong's departure to Texas and is suddenly in the conversation for the College Football Playoff. The Associated Press poll released Sunday lifted the Cardinals to third, which ties the 2007 West Virginia team for the highest-ranked team to come to Huntington.
Kickoff is 8 p.m. Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
I don't like to crown a champion or award spots on my Heisman Trophy ballot in September, but QB Lamar Jackson was indefensible in the 63-20 ambush of then-No. 2 Florida State.
After Jackson made the Seminoles look like Charlotte and Syracuse, Michael Vick chimed in via Twitter: "Lamar Jackson 5x better than what I was at V-Tech ... Enough said! #future"
Five times may be a slight exaggeration - not in my usual sarcastic sense, but legitimately slight. Jackson's numbers are preposterous.
He ran for 146 yards and four touchdowns against FSU, and passed for 216 and another score. He has accounted for 18 TDs in three games - more than 114 FBS programs have scored, total. He has 464 yards rushing and 913 passing - an average of about 457 total yards per game.
I have watched him in the first half against Charlotte and the first half against FSU, and I'm amazed by his ability to execute the zone read - yeah, kind of like West Virginia's Pat White in the previous decade. Defenses have to respect his throwing ability now, which opens up even more green spaces for him to dash through.
And now, he brings his act to Huntington.
Louisville coach Bobby Petrino praised Jackson's approach more than anything in his postgame press conference.
"I'm just proud of how he prepared for the game," Petrino said. "How he was able to stay calm. He's got tremendous confidence, he's a great competitor, and he really prepared for the game.
"You get nervous because he's so young, things going around and more interviews than he should have to do, but we do them anyway. But he was able to focus, concentrate and [be] a leader by how he plays the game."
Current athletic director Mike Hamrick's Herd lost to the Cardinals 56-0 in that 1977 contest, which matches the halftime score of the Cards' game with Charlotte. And if Marshall plays as horridly as it did against Akron ...
I won't say it. I won't think it.
nnn
Fire crews in Irving, Texas, responded Saturday night to a four-alarm fire at Conference USA headquarters. Quick action and good fortune helped crews contain the fire to the building's dumpster.
Didn't do much for the league's image, though.
C-USA teams all played FBS opponents, and it was ugly. Two wins, 11 losses, combined score of 564-299. Ugh-ly.
Congratulations to Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky for saving face and beating MAC teams on the road. The Blue Raiders took care of Bowling Green 41-21, while the Hilltoppers fended off Miami (Ohio) 31-24.
The league played six "Power 5" teams, with Texas-San Antonio losing late to Arizona State at the Alamodome, 32-28. Louisiana Tech lost a shoot-'em-up battle with Texas Tech 59-45.
Other than that, ugliness. Start with Kansas State 63, Florida Atlantic 7 and throw in Baylor 38, Rice 10; Florida 32, North Texas nil; and North Carolina 49, Old Dominion 22. North Texas gets "special mention" for gaining just 53 total yards.
And there are the intra-Group of 5 bouts. Charlotte committed the unpardonable sin of losing at home to Eastern Michigan (37-19) and Florida International lost at Massachusetts (21-13). Also, Army made the men and women at nearby Fort Bliss blissful by romping at Texas-El Paso (66-14). The Black Knights ran for 419 yards.
You know what happened to Marshall, which didn't exactly "protect the M" Saturday against Akron.
And in the ultimate groaner, Nick Mullens failed to complete a pass from the 9 on the final play as Southern Mississippi lost 37-31 at home to Troy.
With that, the league is 3-7 vs. other Group of 5 schools.
Ugh, ugh ugh-ly.
nnn
And finally, I have a standing rule on gambling: I do not bet on humans. Craps, roulette, cards, fine. I'm not laying a buck on an athlete, college or pro.
That said, I have a little fun with the line in my blog, where I remember the other reason I should never bet on football.
In my C-USA games, I went 2-10 vs. the line (accidentally left out Middle Tennessee pick).
No, I don't have a dumpster at my house.
Contact Doug Smock at 304-348-5130 or dougsmock@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @dougsmock and read his blog at http://blogs.wvgazettemail.com/dougsmock/.