Marshall's defense wants to present Ohio State problems.

There's just one hitch.

Marshall's defense has a problem of its own.

Veteran Herd middle linebacker Kellen Harris probably won't be available when Marshall plays Ohio State at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, here in Ohio Stadium.

"It's going to be close," said Marshall head coach Doc Holliday, referring to the hamstring injury that sidelined Harris for most of the preseason. "We don't want to play him in this game and risk losing him for the rest of the season."

Considering Harris was Marshall's fourth-leading tackler last season with 71 stops, erring on the side of caution seems to be a very good idea.

The problem is replacing Harris. The backups are Tyson Gale, who doesn't possess nearly as much athleticism, and T.J. Ross, a true freshman.

Both will play some.

But don't be surprised if Harris' absence means the Herd defense will use its nickel package more than usual with strong safety Donald Brown moving into the nickelback role.

And, actually, that's not a bad move. If nothing else, it will throw Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor a curve. Which is precisely the goal of Marshall defensive coordinator Chris Rippon.

"What we have to do is present problems for Pryor's blocking schemes," said Rippon. "We have to present problems for he and his receivers to be on the same page on every play. And we have to contain him. He's going to gain yards. He's going to complete passes.

"We can't let him turn a dropback pass into a 40-yard gain, which he does. When he runs the option, we have to get him to hold the ball and duck inside and tackle him or pitch the ball quick and run down the running back."

What it amounts to is Rippon wants to keep Ohio State guessing.

"They can't get a bead on what we do," he said. "There will be times when we show eight men up and we're going to drop them all (into coverage) and they'll see three guys. There are going to be times when they see three guys there and we're going to bring eight (on the pass rush).

"Pryor is going to have to have happy feet and we have to know our plan."

Rippon can operate like a mad scientist against Ohio State because the Herd really has nothing to lose. The Buckeyes are favored by 29 points and Marshall isn't given a ghost of a chance to win.

So, why not roll the dice? Why not see if this Marshall defense is going to be as good as it appears to be?

"Yeah, absolutely," said Rippon. "We're about the development of the Marshall defense as it pertains to the long haul of the entire season. This is a great opportunity on that way. Let's see against a quality opponent where we are in our development, fundamentally and understanding the package."

What's the worst that can happen? The last two times Marshall played BCS schools of this stature on their home turf, the results were a 52-10 loss at Virginia Tech last season and a 51-14 thrashing by Wisconsin in '08.

I don't believe it's going to be that lopsided this time. Look for Marshall to be competitive and beat the spread.

The score will be Ohio State 34, Marshall 13.

Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 304-526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.

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