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Snyder says Herd can be champions
Marshall coach Mark Snyder walks the sideline during the first half of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
Purchase this photoMADISON, Wis. -- Mere moments after a punishing 51-14 loss at No. 11 Wisconsin, Marshall University football was talking of lessons learned and surging forward.
The "real" season begins Saturday with the Thundering Herd's Conference USA opener against Memphis. Marshall's push toward a first C-USA East Division title begins with Saturday's 7 p.m. kickoff; Memphis is similarly staggering after surrendering 29 fourth-quarter points in a 42-35 home loss to Rice.
Hints at a shocking upset reared at festive Camp Randall Stadium when Marshall roared to a 14-0 second-quarter lead. Fifty-one unanswered points later, a humbled Herd tipped their cap to a Big Ten power and stressed perspective, specifically shifting focus to the Tigers, who eked out a 24-21 home win over Marshall last season.
"We just have to play like we played in the first half," Thundering Herd head coach Mark Snyder said. "I told the team just now that if we play like we did in the first half we'll be champions this year.
"I believe that. I felt that on the sideline, been around a lot of good football teams in my career. And I felt like the first half this team was where we needed them to be.
"Again, we come out in the second half and bad things start to happen, and I see ugly red flags start raising ... and that can't happen.
"There's going to be adversity."
Body-punching Wisconsin switched gears, placing the offensive onus on first-year quarterback Allan Evridge in lieu of All Big Ten tailback P.J. Hill. Marshall limited the power back to 57 yards on 18 carries, but Evridge played pitch-and-catch with wide-open receivers all afternoon, totaling 308 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-26 passing.
Memphis quarterback Arkelon Hall completed 29 of 38 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns with two interception against Rice. The Tigers boast tall, athletic wideouts, including Maurice Jones (6-foot-4, 215 pounds), who caught nine passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns Saturday.
"As you can see from a statistics standpoint they (the Badgers) threw the ball so that's something to get us ready for next week, knowing they're a pass-happy team," Marshall free safety C.J. Spillman said. "I feel that's going to be our main focus this week, along with stopping the run, because we're playing a team that passes the ball.
"That's going to be our main focus in the secondary."
Marshall's front seven more than held up against a Badgers running game that helped lead the nation in time of possession last season. Wisconsin managed 158 rushing yards after totaling 404 in its season opener, but its adjustment to exploiting open passing lanes proved a telling difference.
Thundering Herd players acknowledge the accomplishment of containing an elite ground game, while conceding that lessons are learned.
"We're a defense. We're a unit. One person messes up then we all mess up," Marshall defensive lineman Ian Hoskins said. "That's how it works and fortunately we have the opportunity to prepare for another week.
"We're not going to play any more games like this -- maybe UCF -- so we'll keep our same go-get-'em mindset up front. The way we approach things will probably be a little different.
"We're proud of what we've done. We want more. We want better. We wish he had zero yards. That's just us being greedy, but they had the ability to go three, four running backs deep and more power to them.
"But we're going to take this football game and build on it and learn."
Hoskins' offensive counterparts said much the same. Returning to the postseason and earning that coveted extra month of December practice that segues into spring practice remain team goals for 2008. That run begins Saturday night at Edwards Stadium.
"If we come out and play the first half like we played we'll win a whole lot more games," left guard Josh Evans said. "If we come out and play the second half like we played the second half we'll lose a lot more games.
"It's over now. We can't do anything about the loss, but we've got to start working toward next week. We can't do anything about what happened today.
"It's over, so now we've got to start working toward Memphis."
