GREENVILLE, N.C. -- This game couldn't be more cut-and-dried if it were tobacco hanging in a curing barn.

Smoke 'em, if you've got 'em.

But there are only two ways Marshall (4-4, 3-1 Conference USA) can smoke East Carolina (5-3, 3-1) at 3:30 p.m. today here at sold-out Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

No. 1, Marshall has to accomplish something it never has done.

Win here.

The Herd is 0-4 all-time against East Carolina in Greenville. In fact, only one game even has been close.

On the day of the horrific Marshall plane crash in 1970, the Pirates edged the Herd, 17-14.

But, otherwise, East Carolina has out-scored Marshall by a whopping 127-40 margin in Greenville.

Dowdy-Ficklen simply hasn't been Herd-friendly.

"It's a good environment," said Marshall head coach Mark Snyder. "Two years ago, we went down there and they had Military Day. ... it was a tough environment.

"We did not play very well and, again, we gave them life. ... two turnovers, a blocked punt. ... it gave that crowd life. We could feel the mood swing.

"It's a good environment, a hard place to play."

It has been an impossible place for Marshall to play.

So, obviously, the Herd has to change that trend.

Now, for No. 2.

Marshall has to mount a successful rushing attack today.

If the Herd can't run, the Herd can't win.

It has been that obvious.

In Marshall's four wins, it hasn't rushed for less than 179 yards. In the Herd's four losses, it hasn't rushed for more than 90 yards.

The breakdown is that definitive.

During wins over Illinois State, Memphis, Southern Miss and Houston, the Herd ground game rolled. In those four victories, Marshall rushed for 858 yards on 161 attempts with eight touchdowns.

But during losses to Wisconsin, West Virginia, Cincinnati and UAB, Marshall's ground game was stymied. In those four defeats, the Herd rushed for only 286 yards on 115 carries with two TDs.

In the four wins, Marshall is averaging 214.5 yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry. But in the four losses? The averages are 71.5 yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry.

So, it's obvious that the key to the game will be the interior of Marshall's offensive line versus East Carolina's defensive tackles.

"No question," said Snyder. "Inside. ... that's going to be the key. Our guards and center versus their inside guys."

Which leaves the Herd at a decided size disadvantage. MU center Brian Leggett is listed at a generous 6-foot-1, 283 pounds. Right guard Matt Altobello is 6-1, 291, while left guard Chad Schofield is 6-4, 316 pounds.

They will go head-to-head with East Carolina nose guard Linval Joseph, 6-6, 300-pound sophomore, and tackle Jay Ross, 6-3, 306 junior.

"We just have to rise to the challenge," said Snyder, referring to the size disparity. "They (MU's guards and center) have got to play over their heads and out of their minds this week."

That's because East Carolina is on a roll against the run. Led by Joseph and Ross, the Pirates held Memphis and UCF to a combined total of only 184 yards in ECU's last two games.

So, that's the two-fold scenario.

Can Marshall run the ball and win in Greenville for the first time? I think the Herd has a chance.

It will be Marshall over East Carolina, 16-13.

Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.

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