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MARSHALL SPORTS
MU notebook: Offense shows muscle in scrimmage
Comfortable operating a new offense at a hurried pace, Mark Cann efficiently, if not spectacularly, enjoyed a productive outing.
Questioned for much of preseason camp, offensive linemen protected Cann and other quarterbacks. Running lanes also were pried open, leading to 227 rushing yards.
Tailback Darius Marshall provided the signature highlight, muscling through a C.J. Spillman tackle attempt and sprinting 49 yards to the end zone.
Overall, Marshall University's football scrimmage Saturday featured an offensive counterpunch after being bullied for much of preseason camp.
"In practice we get in different situations, but today we were actually first down and driving the ball," said Cann, who completed 11 of 16 passes for 67 yards. "And that's obviously game-like and that was good for us."
Moments earlier, Cann's head coach said essentially the same.
"We were finally playing football," Mark Snyder said. "You guys come to practice every day; you see segments. You don't see first, second, third down, moving the chains, game plans, strategy.
"And again, we didn't show hardly anything of who we're going to be today on either side of the ball. But I thought they executed like expected. I was pleased."
Brian Anderson threw for 105 yards on 14-of-20 passing, and Wesley Beardain connected on one of three attempts for 11 yards (Jonathan Garner was sidelined because of a hand injury). The Green team totaled 410 yards of offense en route to a 55-33 fully-officiated jersey scrimmage victory.
Redshirt freshman Terrell Edwards led all rushers with 82 yards on 17 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown. Cann, Marshall and true freshman Jordan Taylor added goal line scoring runs.
True freshman Martin Ward presumably slept well Saturday night after taking 14 handoffs for 57 yards and adding 36 yards on four receptions.
"My coach (Jared Smith) said, 'be ready'," Ward said. "So you look for the unexpected and the unexpected was I got a lot of carries.
"I had to get ready and it showed. I had to get my wind up."
Ward's wind was tested midway through the 94-play scrimmage, carrying five consecutive times for 25 yards, moving the chains eight more yards on a pass from Cann and then rushing for four yards on the next play.
"I was looking to the sideline but I was like, 'I can't give up'," Ward said of the seven-play stretch. "As long as I hold onto the ball and get positive yards, I'm good. That's what I was thinking.
"Don't give up and don't let them know you're tired, because they will take advantage."
Sophomore wide receiver Bryant Milligan continued his stellar camp with four catches for 37 yards. E.J. Wynn's 27-yard reception was the scrimmage's longest pass play.
"It was real big for the offense to do well," Milligan said. "The last couple of years the defense has bullied us. It's good to get this confidence and continuity for our team."
LACK OF LAUNDRY: Offensive success Saturday was as much about what the Thundering Herd didn't do.
Yellow flags rarely were tossed, save for a few false starts and offsides calls. Marshall committed 83 penalties last season, compared to 58 by opponents.
"We had some but nowhere near what I thought we would have," Snyder said.
The Green team once was flagged for delay of game, but otherwise managed the new 40-second game clock. It was a clean performance by a unit mixing and matching offensive linemen throughout the sun-splashed practice.
"That's how we've been practicing," Cann said. "Get up to the line, get the calls and running the play. We had the 40-second clock for the first time today, which was good for us.
"It was getting down there a few times, but we have to get used to that."
NOT A PROBLEM HAVING THIS PROBLEM: Marshall's near-embarrassment of running back depth again was displayed Saturday.
Darius Marshall, Edwards, Ward and Taylor combined for 220 yards. This without promising sophomore Jo Jo Cox, who sat out.
"Darius is the flash," Snyder said. "But Terrell did a good job too. I'm not taking anything away from Terrell. He held onto the ball, pass (protected) well, did everything we asked him to do.
"I have no complaints with Terrell. He had a good day."
GIVE AND TAKE: Snyder and his coaches scaled back hitting and tackling during camp, in an attempt to maintain health and depth entering the Aug. 30 season opener against Illinois State.
The strategy has worked, but there is a relative cost. Spillman's hit on Marshall's long touchdown run resembled the "thud" approach adopted this camp, making contact without taking players to the ground.
"Those are some of the things me and (defensive coordinator) Rick (Minter) have discussed," Snyder said. "There are things we have to live with early if we want to get into our first game healthy."
Darius Marshall aggressively finishes runs, but he didn't necessarily expect to sprint through Spillman, who led the Herd with 131 tackles last season.
"C.J., being a great tackler in the open field, it surprised me that I got loose from his tackle," Marshall said. "And once I saw daylight, I just ran."
NOTES: Antawn Booker, who has shared time on offense and defense this month, left Saturday's scrimmage with an ice bag on his shoulder. ... A crowd of approximately 300 attended the open practice, and about 100 season tickets were sold during the coinciding Choose-A-Seat Day event. Marshall has sold approximately 12,600 season tickets. ... Players have their first day off today before returning for two Monday practices. Seniors set Saturday night's curfew following the scrimmage.
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.
