So what exactly has gone down the past two weeks?

Consecutive, convincing non-conference losses to Big East brethren West Virginia and Cincinnati have diffused enthusiasm from Marshall University football's 3-1 start. All involved recognize the Thundering Herd (3-3, 2-0 Conference USA) entered those elevations in competition as underdogs, but the manner of each defeat had fans searching for answers into the wee Friday night hours and into Saturday.

Three was a cursed number in Friday's 33-10 home setback against UC. Mark Cann threw three interceptions, was sacked three times and the Herd committed three penalties; any head coach normally would take that low volume of flags, but these were costly, and one negated a long Darius Passmore gain.

Joan C. Edwards Stadium's 'White Out' stage was ideally set for a memorable, ESPN-televised win. Instead, a long night kicked off with Kase Whitehead's blocked punt rolling out of the end zone for a UC safety and 2-0 advantage it never relinquished.

"Just like last week, every time we would get the crowd into it we would do something to take the momentum away from ourselves," Marshall head coach Mark Snyder said. "I told them at halftime, 'Let's use this crowd. Let's give them something to cheer for.'"

Beyond Cann's 57-yard touchdown toss to tight end Cody Slate, hopeful fans rarely were afforded a chance. Cincinnati's defensive front simply mauled Marshall's offensive line, an advantage defensive end Lamonte Nelms called prior to kickoff. Postgame, Nelms' bookend mate added comment on the mismatch; the Herd managed just 2.9 yards a carry and Cann was pressured consistently beyond the three sacks.

"It kind of works together," said UC end Connor Barwin, who totaled one sack and two blocked punts. "The offense played so well running the ball that it really gave the D-linemen a chance to really get our rest. And every time we went out there we were ready to go.

"We felt like their two tackles (redshirt freshmen Ryan Tillman and C.J. Wood) were young, so we could take advantage of them. (UC head) coach (Brian Kelly) said 'work your speed on the outside' and I think that's how we got pressure on them."

Kelly, commenting that "it was our ability to control the line of scrimmage that allowed us to win this football game," offered particular praise to Barwin, Nelms (one sack) and his defensive line.

"We were able to play seven and eight defensive linemen. I think that's the strength at the end of the day. We can bring in a second rotation, and that's a pretty good luxury to have anywhere."

CONTROVERSY STAMPED OUT BEFORE IT STARTS: Cann's second straight uneven performance spurred several queries during Snyder's postgame press conference. Yes, the redshirt freshman it battling redshirt freshman stumbling blocks, but the 6-foot-4, 240-pound lefty remains the unquestioned starter under center.

"He struggled again tonight," Snyder said. "He threw a couple good balls but he needs to perform better. He's young and he's going through a tough time now and it's not all just him. He's our starting quarterback. We win as a team, lose as a team.

"We got two weeks off and we're going to work on ourselves this week (Marshall is off week prior to playing at UAB on Oct. 18). We'll work on Marshall and use some different combinations in there (along the offensive line).

"But no, he's still our quarterback. There's no quarterback controversy. We're not going there. He's young. We've got to know that he's young. He's going through a little bit of tough time right now.

"And it's not all him. I just told those guys - we win as a team, lose as a team. There are a lot things you guys don't see, whether it be a route run or offensive line protection breakdown; there are a lot of things that go into a quarterback's play, especially when he's young.

"They were pressuring him. I don't know that they were sacking him all that much, but they were in his face and Mark had to let the ball go early. And again, that's a good defense we just played. Shoot, they're fast."

PERSPECTIVE: Indeed, Cincinnati was fast ... and big ... and strong. Suggesting Marshall's recent five-game stretch was challenging is akin to throwing out that Megan Fox is kinda pretty. The rough road began at Wisconsin, returned home for Memphis, trips to Southern Miss and West Virginia followed, capped by Friday night's meeting with Cincinnati.

Ten years ago, with the Thundering Herd in full championship mode, Games 2-6 read: home against Troy, at South Carolina, at Eastern Michigan, home against Miami (Ohio) and at Ohio. All were wins.

The preceding is neither spin nor an excuse for back-to-back subpar performances -- just interesting perspective mentioned while chatting with a buddy Friday night/Saturday morning in the Ernie Salvatore press box. There you go.

Anthony Hanshew covers Marshall football for The Herald-Dispatch. He can be reached at 526-2766. His e-mail address is hanshew@herald- dispatch.com.

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