Print |
E-mail to a friend
MARSHALL SPORTS
Chuck Landon: Marshall back to square one
Welcome back to square one.
That is precisely where Marshall finds itself after back-to-back blundering performances.
The Herd's second straight exercise in self-destruction led to an embarrassing 33-10 loss to a good, but not great, University of Cincinnati squad Friday night at Edwards Stadium.
And that sealed the deal.
The tremendous momentum Marshall received from what was perceived as a turn-the-corner road win over Southern Miss is officially gone.
The Herd needed to build on that surge, not throw it away with an endless series of stumbling, bumbling mistakes.
But that has been the case as Marshall's catch phrase suddenly has become, "We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot."
That's simply not acceptable.
Not with a string of six consecutive Conference USA games looming on the horizon after an open date this week.
Not with this being a make-or-break season.
Not with reaching the six-win plateau and a post-season bowl an absolute must for head coach Mark Snyder and his coaching staff.
If Marshall's players are going to repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot, isn't it time for Snyder to remove some of the troublesome ammunition from the gun?
And I'm not referring to the Herd's suddenly embattled quarterback, Mark Cann.
Overwhelming public opinion is pointing the finger of blame squarely at the redshirt freshman quarterback.
Cann is an easy target. Quarterbacks always wear a bull's-eye when it comes to the blame game.
But is Cann the correct target?
I don't believe so.
The bottom line is Marshall doesn't have another quarterback that could do better. If the Herd did, I'd be the first to say, "Hey, give somebody else a shot" and hope the new QB didn't shoot himself in the foot.
(There's that darned phrase again.)
The people's choice suddenly is Jonathan Garner, a Georgia Tech transfer who has yet to throw his first official pass for Marshall.
But is Garner going to complete more passes and throw less interceptions than Cann?
Not without an effective rushing attack. And not with defenders constantly in his face, sacking him, hurrying him and decking him after or during throws.
Now, we're getting to the crux of the matter.
The problem is Marshall's offensive line, not Marshall's quarterback.
It is getting absolutely abused.
In the Herd's consecutive blundering performances, the offensive line hasn't produced either running room or pass protection.
That's why Marshall has managed a meager 129 yards in 56 rushing attempts for a mediocre 2.3 yards per carry in the last two games.
And that is where Snyder needs to load some fresh ammunition.
I hear the jobs in the offensive line are going to be up for grabs during practices this week. That's good because the current starters aren't getting it done.
Cincinnati defensive end Connor Barwin, who had a sack, a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup, openly admitted that the Bearcats' defensive strategy was to exploit Marshall's two redshirt freshmen offensive tackles - Ryan Tillman and C.J. Wood.
And that's what happened.
Marshall isn't satisfied with the inside play of guards Josh Evans and Matt Altobello and center Brian Leggett, either.
So, now, it's necessary to regroup.
The momentum is gone. The good start is gone. The growing confidence is gone.
Welcome back to square one.
Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.
