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MARSHALL SPORTS
Four winning quarters mean four more weeks for Herd
HUNTINGTON -- For Marshall University football, the scenario is simple.
If Marshall doesn't come out and play for an entire game Friday against East Carolina, the season is over.
If the Thundering Herd comes out and plays for the full four quarters, they become bowl eligible and get four more weeks of football.
Marshall (5-6, 4-3 Conference USA) plays East Carolina (7-4, 6-1) in a 2 p.m., Friday, game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C., that is televised by CBS College Sports (Ch. 174 on Huntington cable).
"If we come ready and play a full four quarters, I think we can beat anyone," Marshall wide receiver Antavious Wilson said.
It sounds simple, but for this Marshall team, it has been easier said than done.
The only game of the year that a complete effort can be spoken of was a 59-24 win over Southern Miss, who remains winless entering the final week of the season.
In fact, Marshall's inconsistencies can be summed up in the last three games.
In home wins over Memphis and Houston, Marshall squandered three-score leads in the second half and held on for close victories.
The loss to UAB two weeks ago was the opposite end of the spectrum.
It was UAB who jumped out to a 24-point lead before Marshall came back within a score before falling 38-31.
Finishing games has plagued Marshall in other contests as well -- Tulsa and Ohio, for starters.
The Herd has not defeated a team with a winning record, and it hasn't put together two wins either.
Each time a disappointing scenario comes up, players rally and talk about correcting the mistakes for the following week's games.
This time, there is no following week.
If Marshall doesn't get it done, the team's season is done.
