The time for fawning over Marshall’s defense is up. We return to discussing offensive inconsistency.
And the Thundering Herd’s problems on the road. There is some overlap, for sure.
I’ve held the theory that the difference between an average-to-good team and a great team is the difference in level of play between home and road games. Play as well on the road as you do at home, you usually have something special.
That was the case with the 2014 Herd, which finished 7-0 away from Huntington. That was the first undefeated road campaign since 1996 and 1999, when the Herd didn’t lose to anyone. Before that, you have to go back to 1937.
You could say the Herd had a weak road schedule, and I almost agree. It turned out that Old Dominion was a 6-6 team with a few nice notches in its belt, and Alabama-Birmingham had a point to prove with the fate of its program in doubt. UAB finished 6-6, too.
Besides, the Herd bludgeoned everybody but UAB on the road, then stuck it to Mid-American Conference champ Northern Illinois in the bowl game. That Marshall team jumped off the bus meaning business and left stadiums with trash-talking swagger.
This edition of the Herd has suffered an ugly loss at Ohio and escaped Kent State in two overtimes, and now faces four of the last six on the road. That begins Saturday with star-crossed but athletic Florida Atlantic, and continues with later trips to Charlotte, Middle Tennessee and explosive Western Kentucky.
If the Herd plays at the level it did at Ohio, if faces an 8-4 regular season.
The “how do you win on the road” question is easier to ask than it is to answer. You can talk about leadership from seniors, juniors, the quarterback and anything else, but it doesn’t change the degree of difficulty.
More tangible is the Herd’s need to become more consistent on offense, and to make more big plays.
Don’t get me wrong — that side wasn’t inept. In the Herd’s 31-10 win over Southern Mississippi, Chase Litton’s 61-yard pass to Deandre Reaves was the Herd’s most artistic play yet.
But that was one of exactly two gains of 20 or more yards. We can add five double-digit runs and a pair of 15-yard passes, if you wish.
But the Herd needs more. And it needs to lighten the load on punter Tyler Williams, who punted seven more times Saturday. Williams has 44 in six games, two more than he had in 14 last year.
MU’s performance on third down gets the blame. It was 1 of 11 in conversions Friday night, misfiring on the last nine. On those downs, MU ran for 7 yards on four attempts and Litton was 1 of 7 for 7 yards and an interception. That’s 14 yards on 11 third-down plays.
And there’s your splash of reality. Converting a few more third downs — and keeping your defense fresher — is part of the recipe for road success.
n Marshall gets hammered for its strength of schedule, and the weekend’s results did nothing to rebut that.
Let’s start with Purdue, which gave up 326 rushing yards in losing 41-13 to what was an offensively challenged Minnesota team. Ohio, the only team to beat MU, did do what it’s supposed to in disposing of moribund Miami (Ohio) 34-3.
Kent State, whose defense earned MU’s respect, gave up 518 total yards in a 38-7 loss to 24th-ranked Toledo. Norfolk State eked out 167 total yards in a 27-3 loss to North Carolina A&T.
Florida Atlantic, MU’s opponent on Saturday, gave up touchdown drives of 91 and 83 yards in the final eight minutes to lose 27-26 to Rice. And in the all-time worst insult, North Texas lost to Portland State 66-7.
Yes, 66-7. It was 66-0 with 12:27 left. And yes, Portland State is a member of the FCS, in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings also have beaten Washington State 24-17, but still …
Dan McCarney, you are sooooooooo fired! Oh, wait, he was fired after the game. Less than an hour after the game, if my mental timeline is straight.
North Texas will be the homecoming opponent when Marshall next appears at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Oct. 24. That homecoming could take on a Southeastern Conference flavor, a game something along the lines of Alabama-Charleston Southern.
(By the way, the Mean Green gets a visit from WKU this Thursday. Have fun!)
There was good news on MU’s scheduling front. Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee played each other, though the Blue Raiders might want to forget the 58-28 wipeout.
Old Dominion and Charlotte did not play, as they prepared for their pillow fight Saturday in Norfolk. And Florida International reverted to Dr. Jekyll, thumping Texas-El Paso 52-12 in Miami.
n I’d have to triple-check, but in two weeks Marshall may be playing its first game against an interim coach since 2003, after Central Florida sacked Mike Kruczek.
Oh, that was weird. Kruczek was shown the door after the Knights lost to Eastern Michigan, and before the Marshall game. With Alan Gooch serving as interim coach, the Herd won a Wednesday night yawner 21-7 before friends, family and beer-drinking students at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Thirteen years later, George O’Leary’s largely successful UCF reign is in a heap of trouble after the Knights lost 40-13 to Connecticut. UCF, which started its season with a 15-14 loss to FIU, is 0-6 and the “Fire O’Leary” airplane banners are flying.
As that entertainment unfolds, the thought hit me: UCF was hit with scholarship reductions in 2012. (A one-year bowl ban was later lifted.) The maximum on initial scholarships was reduced from 25 to 20 for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 signing classes.
Does that seem familiar? It should.
Marshall was socked with a similar signing reduction for the 2002, 2003 and 2004 signing classes, as well as a reduced scholarship cap of 80. Not long after, the Herd was even lower on scholarship players and on the wrong side of .500 for several years.
More often than not, that’s the outcome. Enjoy the next few football seasons, UCF fans.