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MARSHALL SPORTS
Snyder wants DBs to provide tackles
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, August 30, 2008, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- Mark Snyder stated it simply concerning his team's No. 1 challenge this week.
"There will be no tourists on this trip," Marshall University's head football coach said. "Our DBs are going to have to tackle this week."
Indeed Thundering Herd defensive backs will not enjoy the luxury of sitting back and watching this week. Instead they face dual tests in Big Ten country. Yes, pass coverage always is stressed, but Marshall's secondary will play a real role in attempting to slow tailback P.J. Hill and No. 11 Wisconsin's punishing running game.
Marshall (1-0) and the Badgers (1-0) kick off at noon (EST) at Camp Randall Stadium. The Big Ten Network will televise the game.
Snyder recruits physical defensive backs, and D.J. Wingate, a true sophomore, and T.J. Drakeford, a redshirt freshman, largely won their starting cornerback roles for their tackling abilities.
Hill, a 5-foot-11, 236-pound power back, rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 38-17 victory over Akron, averaging 8.1 yards a carry. His backups, change-of-pace Zach Brown (5-11, 207) and John Clay (6-2, 237) combined for 158 rushing yards and two scores on 27 carries against the Zips.
"For the fact that we're playing against some very big backs, tackling is crucial this week as it is any and every week," said free safety C.J. Spillman, who led the Thundering Herd with 13 tackles in last week's win over Illinois State. "But tackling is very, very crucial this week for the fact that this will probably be the biggest backs we play all year.
"I like the challenge. It's something that lets us know that we can play on the same stage as everyone else.
"They have three big backs and that's a challenge that we're going to have to step up to. Some teams maybe have one big back. This team has three big backs.
"You get one down and you get ready for the other two. It's a challenge that we're ready to step up to."
Spillman (6-2, 190) also was Marshall's leading tackler last season with 131 stops. Wingate (6-2, 180), Drakeford (5-11, 184) and strong safety Ashton Hall (5-10, 193), a converted cornerback, combined for 12 tackles last week.
"Excellent tacklers," Drakeford said of the new-look secondary. "We work on that every day. That's what we (pride ourselves) on, being one of the most physical secondaries in the country. That's going to take us somewhere.
"We've got C.J. as the ring leader and you can actually see his face right now -- it's kind of bruised up from last week but he came out and made a lot of solid tackles. D.J. made a lot of solid tackles. Ashton Hall is come-down safety hitter.
"Once you see everybody hitting like that, you want to hit like that too so we all just team up and do it."
Snyder, conceding that "we'll have our hands full trying to stop P.J.," boasts a much-improved, but youthful defense. Saturday's experience at sold-out Camp Randall Stadium will gauge the Herd's tackling progress after limiting Illinois State to 98 yards on 40 carries.
"It's going to be very, very important that they make your DBs tackle," Snyder said. "That's just the way it is when you play those kinds of guys. They're going to have to be on top of their game."
