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MARSHALL SPORTS
Line back to full strength
Marshall faces off against Southern Miss during the C-USA football game on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
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HUNTINGTON -- Darius Marshall's return remains in question. Marshall University football's two-time 1,000-yard rusher continues to rehab from last week's left ankle injury suffered against Southern Miss.
Best case scenario from a Marshall University perspective, Marshall plays this weekend. If not, more than capable backups Terrell Edwards-Maye and Martin Ward are preparing and set to fill a potential tailback void.
Regardless, Saturday's Thundering Herd tailback will be fronted by an intact offensive front. Injured and mix-matched the past two weeks, the Herd's offensive line has returned to opening-season form.
East Division power football meets West Division flash this weekend when Marshall (5-5, 3-3 Conference USA) hosts C-USA West leader SMU (6-4, 5-1). Kickoff at Joan C. Edwards Stadium is 4:30 p.m. and the game will not be televised.
Through eight games, Thundering Herd offensive line coach Mike Cummings lined the same starting offensive line -- left tackle Brandon Campbell, left guard Ryan Tillman, center Chad Schofield, right guard Jimmy Rogers and right tackle Daniel Baldridge.
C.J. Wood has supplanted an injured Campbell the past two games, however, and Landis Provancha and Campbell have alternated left guard starting roles the past two weeks.
Schofield was injured late two weeks ago against UCF but surprisingly toughed out a full-game effort the following weekend.
Facing a prolific SMU offense and opportunistic defense and special teams under second-year head coach June Jones, ball control certainly will factor Saturday. The Mustangs have won three straight, including last week's 35-31 victory over UTEP.
"That's the key," Thundering Herd head coach Mark Snyder said. "Chad Schofield was able to play the entire game so he got over that mental block.
"We were able to rest Landis Provancha and Ryan Tillman so they have had another week off, so we should be at full strength out here (throughout game week).
"But we will be smart and how much we work them against our No. 1 defensive players. But we should be at full strength on the offensive line. It helps to have those guys back at their original positions."
SMU's evolving defense hardly overpowers opponents, but 26 takeaways have led to a surprising late season division lead. Nine different Mustangs -- led by strong safety Rock Dennis with four -- have intercepted passes this year.
"They create a lot of turnovers; 16 interceptions," Snyder said. "They do a lot of moving. They are never static.
"They are not the biggest in the world, not like anything we have faced in the last three weeks (UAB, UCF and Southern Miss). They do a lot of moving and they know where their strengths and weaknesses are. They have bought into the coaches' system."
