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NEWS BRIEFS
Loss a tough one, but Holliday creating excitement
A huge crowd of Marshall and OSU football fans who couldn't make the trip to Columbus were able to come out and catch the season opener on a big screen projection presented by Kindred Communications Thursday, September 2, 2010, at Harris Riverfront Park in Huntington.
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HUNTINGTON -- Fans would have preferred a win instead of the 45-7 season-opening thrashing against No. 2 Ohio State on Thursday night.
But those who packed Harris Riverfront Park to watch the game on a giant screen by the river said they've already seen signs of a new era, and they're excited.
"The way the players and coaches talk and come out at practice, you can just see the whole attitude of the team has turned around," Jack Calhoun, of Kenova, said. "It's a new effort. It's a different style of football altogether."
That style of football has been provided to the Herd by the source of much of the excitement for the 2010 season, new Head Coach Doc Holliday, who left his mark on the team before the season even began with his no-nonsense approach to player conduct.
Holliday's efforts to clean up the team, which include the suspension of three players for off-field incidents the morning of the team's first practice of the season, haven't gone unnoticed.
"Doc's brought discipline and hard work to this team," Scott Pierson, of Huntington, said. "It makes a big difference in the game and how the community sees the team."
Calhoun, who was watching the game with his friend Larry Methax of Huntington, agreed.
"They just need to know that everyone in the community is behind them and watching them," he said. "Football can teach you a lot about life, and I'd say a lot of these guys are getting that tonight."
Then again, Calhoun, Pierson and every fan who spoke with The Herald-Dispatch Thursday evening said even though the coaching style and demeanor have changed for the better, a couple of things remain the same.
"Like Coach Pruett said, 'We play for championships,'" Dale Queen, of Ashland, said. "Before, it seemed like the guys were playing just not to lose, but, now, it looks like they're playing to win, and that's what the fans like to see."
Even if the team doesn't always go undefeated, Methax reiterated Calhoun's supportive sentiments.
"We want to see the team play hard, and we want the team to know there is a whole community behind them no matter what."
