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SPORTS
MU notebook: Defense creating a buzz among fans
Practices primarily have been closed during Marshall University football preseason, adding to the intrigue of game week.
Two new coordinators equal new schemes, new playbooks and infusions of competitiveness throughout the roster. All involved enter with clean slates. No positions are locked down.
Stir in a heavy dose of new talent, and the Thundering Herd defense has sparked quite a buzz among Thundering Herd fans. Defensive coordinator Rick Minter's juggling in terms of looks and personnel adds to the mystery of how exactly to define this unit.
So just what can fans expect from Marshall's defense beginning with Saturday's season opener against Illinois State? Without tipping their hands to the Redbirds and future opponents, two veterans offered their synopsis of Herd defense 2008.
"We're going to be fun to watch," junior defensive end John Jacobs said. "We're going to be doing a lot of different things, a lot of different looks.
"It's not just going to be one set, four down and look the same all the time. We're going to be doing a lot of different coverages, a lot of different blitzes.
"It's going to be a little bit of everything."
A little bit of everything kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday against NCAA Division I-AA Illinois State. WOWK (Huntington-Charleston), WVNS (Beckley-Bluefield) and WBOY (Clarksburg) will televise the game.
Question is, with players learning at least two positions and fronts alternating between three- and four-linemen looks can early season gaffes be inevitable?
"I don't think so," Jacobs said. "The coaches did a good job in practice of making us switch gears all the time and forcing us to go from a more traditional defense we're used to to the new defense and then back to that.
"That happens every single day every time we practice so we're pretty used to being able to change gears."
An injury-depleted Herd defense allowed more than 34 points and 450 total yards a game in 2007. Free safety C.J. Spillman, who led Marshall with 131 tackles last season, said fans can look forward to a new-look group.
"You can expect a fast defense that's going to be flying around, anxious to get to the ball, a defense that's trying to create turnovers," the senior said. "That's something that we've really harped on throughout this training camp.
"I feel that with us harping on turnovers so much that we are truly going to turn the ball over. That's something that's needed to give our offense the momentum."
Marshall's troubling points- and yards-allowed stats from last year are trumped by the following - in 12 games, the Thundering Herd forced just seven turnovers and managed only 13 sacks.
Spillman, among the team's best interviews, paused in reaction to those numbers, momentarily speechless.
"I really don't know what to say about that," Spillman said, shaking his head. "That's just something you look at and say 'how is that possible?'
"But hey with the injuries we sustained last year it was kind of hard for turnovers to happen when you have people out there who are just learning what to do. When we have people out there just learning what to do they're not focusing on other ways to try to turn the ball over.
"They're just focusing on trying to do their job instead of trying to do other things to help the team out as well."
Spillman is among 10 part- or full-time defensive starters returning from '07. Compounding new-found depth is the comeback of defensive end Albert McClellan, who totaled 11 sacks in 2006 but missed last year with a knee injury.
Physical weak side linebacker Mario Harvey started just three games last season but stockpiled 53 tackles in mostly limited duty. Spillman, defensive tackle Delvin Johnson and strong side linebacker Corey Hart also are among those possessing big-play ability.
"We do have a lot of playmakers, and we've got depth at the playmaking positions," Jacobs said. "We've got a lot of depth at playmaker I guess you could say.
"We've got a lot of people who are capable of making big plays, and our defense is set up for everyone to make big plays at any given time of a game."
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.
