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SPORTS
Marshall football in review
HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University's football season included a little bit of everything.
Strong start? Check, at 3-1, including a 27-16 Conference USA-opening victory over Memphis.
Confounding losses? Oh yeah. C-USA setbacks at home against East Carolina, UCF and Southern Miss each were decided by one touchdown or less.
Redemption? A lopsided loss at UTEP represented a resounding regular season-ending thud. Still, Marshall earned a postseason berth and a 7-6 finish was capped by a 21-17 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl win over Ohio University. It was the program's first winning season since 2003.
Change? Yes, that too. Along the way, Mark Snyder resigned following five years as head coach. Defensive coordinator Rick Minter dutifully served as interim coach for the bowl game and Doc Holliday now heads Marshall football.
The Hurricane native has assembled his coaching staff minus a defensive coordinator. Former Marshall assistant Bill Legg returned to Huntington as offensive coordinator. Former Marshall quarterback Tony Petersen is back as co-offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.
Snyder assistants Phil Ratliff (tight ends coach) and Mike Cassity (secondary coach) were retained and are expected to team with JaJuan Seider (running backs), Zach Smith (wide receivers) and Fred Tate (defensive assistant).
A season of change is quite the understatement describing the Thundering Herd's run.
"We know what we have coming back," linebacker and leading tackler Mario Harvey said. "We have a lot coming back. We have a new coach and we want to win a conference championship."
Thirty-six players from Marshall's two-deep roster are expected to return. That deep group includes quarterback Brian Anderson, who threw for 2,646 yards, 1,000-yard rusher Darius Marshall and five of the team's top six receivers.
Antavious Wilson led the Herd with 57 catches and 706 yards as a redshirt freshman. True freshman Aaron Dobson emerged as a go-to deep threat, averaging 24.1 yards a reception and tying for the team lead with four touchdowns.
Fellow true freshman Andre Booker was a wild card. The part-time slot receiver and running back returned a punt 58 yards to the end zone against Ohio.
Youth certainly was served toward season's end.
"I think it's shown on the field," Anderson said. "I don't think a lot of people knew who Antavious Wilson or Aaron Dobson or Andre Booker were at the beginning of the season.
"Everybody knows now that they're big playmakers."
Defensively, top playmakers Albert McClellan, Ashton Hall, John Jacobs and Brandon Burns are gone to graduation, but seven defenders with at least 34 tackles return. Vinny Curry figures to fill McClellan's role as Marshall's top pass-rushing defensive end.
Curry, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound lineman, suffered what appeared to be a significant leg injury during the bowl game. Surprisingly, he returned to the field, but eventually was sidelined down the stretch.
"I was determined, but then I felt like I was being a disadvantage," Curry said. "But I wanted to do anything for these guys."
He should be fully healthy for spring practice, when Holliday and his revamped coaching staff begin working on the 2010 season, which kicks off Sept. 4 at Ohio State, followed Sept. 11 with a home matchup against West Virginia.
"We're going to work toward winning the C-USA championship and try to hold that trophy up next year," Curry said. "That's our main goal after we come back after the break.
"We're all going to buy in. I was talking to Darius (Marshall) and we were saying that we all have to buy in. This year is the first year we all came together as one.
"Holding up that (bowl) trophy is a good feeling. Now we want to know how it feels to hold up the Conference USA trophy."
Holliday is working toward just that, dispatching assistants Sunday to draw in prospects for immediate and long-term impacts. Offensive line and safety are top junior college priorities.
Marshall is admittedly behind in the recruiting game because of the December coaching change. Holliday, however, is known nationally as an elite recruiter and will attempt to close the gaps leading to the Feb. 3 national signing day.
"My only focus right now is recruiting and putting a coaching staff together and the rest will come later," Holliday said.
Let a busy offseason begin.
