HUNTINGTON -- All the way back to August preseason camp, Mark Snyder's stance on injuries has been consistent.

Marshall University football's head coach has been pleased with his offensive front, but repeatedly said injuries couldn't happen. Experience beyond the first team was slim at best, he said.

The Thundering Herd's starting front -- left tackle Brandon Campbell, left guard Ryan Tillman, center Chad Schofield, right guard Jimmy Rogers and right tackle Daniel Baldridge -- was intact through eight games. Then came game No. 9 last Sunday at UCF.

Tillman didn't play because of injury. and in the closing moments, with Marshall clutching a 20-14 lead in Orlando, Scholfield was sidelined, forcing a backup guard to his spot. A bobbled snap and fumble later, and the Herd suffered a shocking 21-20 loss.

Both from a physical perspective and big picture, Marshall's bye week is ideal. An offensive front, steady all season but vulnerable to injury, could return in its intended form when the Thundering Herd (5-4, 3-2 Conference USA) hosts Southern Miss (5-4, 3-2 C-USA) on Nov. 14. Kickoff at Edwards Stadium is 4:30 p.m.

"It couldn't have come at a better time," Baldridge said of the off week. "God blessed us with this week. It's not good to have somebody down but we have these next two weeks to get rested up and get ready for Southern Miss.

"It's never good to have injuries, to have somebody down, but we have some guys who are working twice as hard to get back up there and fill the void. You don't want to have guys down. We can't afford it right now this late in the season as our goals are getting closer and closer.

"All the guys in the room are tough, so we're going to pull through and be all right."

Marshall players have used this week to gradually get past Sunday's disappointment.

"It's a work mentality," Baldridge said. "We have to get to work and fix the mistakes that happened Sunday. Sunday it cut deep. It was hard. It was a hard one to lose, but we're coming back twice as hard.

"That one soaked in for a good solid day. When I got back, I didn't get much sleep, but the next day you come back, you look at the mistakes you made.

"And then you sit down evaluate 'Hey, we are 5-4 and we can accomplish all our goals.' It was a loss and yes it does hurt a lot but it's not going to prevent us. That's just going to make us better to get ready for next week."

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