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MARSHALL SPORTS
Marshall defense went back to basics
Illinois State running back Geno Blow is corralled by Herd defenders Maurice Kitchens, left, and T.J. Drakeford after picking up a few yards in the first half Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- Terms such as "frantic" and "multiple" have characterized Marshall University's defense under first-year coordinator Rick Minter.
Players have learned dual positions and they'll be utilized in a variety of formations, mixing and matching defensive fronts. This was the tailgate talk of Thundering Herd football fans prior to Saturday's season-opening kickoff against Illinois State.
So what proved the difference in Marshall's 35-10 victory before 25,661 in attendance at Joan C. Edwards Stadium? A return to basics of course.
A steady ground game, complemented by chain-moving screen passes on third downs, afforded Illinois State a 21:11-8:49 first half time of possession edge. The score was knotted at 7-7 until Darius Passmore's dynamic 88-yard touchdown reception from Mark Cann with 25 seconds remaining in the first half.
The script flipped in the second half with the Division I-AA Redbirds managing just 31 rushing yards on 17 carries after halftime.
"You can get as exotic as you want, but if you cannot play base football, your straight football -- this is what you have to do, this is how you have to execute it and this is how you execute it the right way -- if you can't play base football then you can't play," Thundering Herd middle linebacker Maurice Kitchens said.
Kitchens ranked second on the team with 10 tackles Saturday. Free safety C.J. Spillman led with 13 stops and underscoring Marshall's new-found defensive depth, 12 different players totaled at least four tackles.
Depth, size and an adjustment to Marshall's defensive base gradually ground down a game ISU squad.
"They are big," Illinois State head coach Denver Johnson said. "That is a big football team. I'm standing on the sidelines looking at my kids and looking at their kids in the huddle and there's a noticeable and significant difference just in sheer physical size of Marshall and Illinois State.
"Certainly I think, and I said this before the game, Marshall is a much-improved football team. The films that we watched last year and the team we played today, this is I think a markedly better football team."
Marshall (1-0) limited ISU to 98 rushing yards on 40 attempts (2.5 yards a carry) with a long run of just 10 yards. Other defensive highlights included five tackles for loss, including two Albert McClellan sacks, a Mario Harvey interception and nine quarterback hits.
Again, much of the damage was delivered in the final 30 minutes.
"We knew we were going to have to make some adjustments in the second half," Marshall head coach Mark Snyder said. "We all got in there, got our heads together and Rick (Minter) did a good job.
"We went back to playing just more base, sound, fundamental defense -- not moving our people as much and go mano a mano. Once we did that we pretty much shut down their running game."
McClellan's return from last year's season-ending knee injury sparked the performance. The All Conference USA defensive end admittedly isn't all the way back, but displayed 2006 form, running down Kevin Brockway for one sack and simply bulldozing a blocker into the backfield for another.
"It's good to have him back; I can tell you that," Snyder said. "I don't know how many plays he made but as you see what is almost a sack, when he's in there it's a sack.
"There's a difference. Football is a fine line. It's a game of inches believe it or not and he came up with a couple of sacks. He has that extra little burst. Those are big plays.
"It set us up for punt return and boom we had great field position."
McClellan, a junior who now combines strength at 252 pounds with disruptive speed, labored at times in his comeback. Players described Saturday's conditions as "muggy" and "soupy" (Kitchens admitted to four cramps), and McClellan was tested further by a first half bout with asthma. Still, McClellan's third quarter sack at ISU's 13-yard line on third down set up a 39-yard touchdown scoring drive.
"That burst, it felt good," McClellan said. "I don't know to describe it. Like I say, I never stop my motor and I was just going one, two, step and then I was full-go after that."
The test becomes much tougher this week with a trip to Camp Randall Stadium to face nationally ranked Wisconsin. Kickoff in Madison, Wisc., is noon (EST) and the game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
"They're going to be bigger and faster but I think we can match up to them because we have some bigger, faster players too," said Harvey, a junior linebacker. "They're probably going to underestimate us but we're going to show them a little something."
