...about ECU having a bad game that they still managed to win? Every very good team is going to have one or two of those, and Marshall just had one of theirs (due in no small part to FAU's strong game plan and execution). Our school is not impervious to that any more than any others. The difference is that the good teams win in spite of those (as both Marshall and ECU have), and the lesser quality teams lose those games. Are either of the teams destined for another situation like this? Who knows? I suppose only time will tell. I have the utmost respect for ECU, and in any other season would be pulling for them to run the table. Needless to say, this season is different. (as you read and get pissed off at me for my next bit, remember that this is the first point I wanted to make)

----

And second, if you a Marshall fan, you are not allowed to show pride in your team. Everyone else on the board is more than welcome, but clearly we are not. If we say anything positive about our team, we get attacked. Devon Johnson is putting up performances in line with the best backs in the country, but how dare we acknowledge it! He's not even the best back in the conference, as clearly noted by one of our own conference brothers in another thread.

And while I'm at it, don't bother to defend our schedule. Marshall must win by 75 (or more) points a game in order for us to even broach that subject, and I'm pretty sure that we'd still have to fight for our scraps then. I did demonstrate that a Notre Dame team (that yes, I feel is a stronger team than the Herd...after all, they took the professionally paid FSU down to the wire) has a schedule that is arguably one touchdown better than Marshall's opponents. While Marshall obviously isn't in any direct competition with Notre Dame due to the divide in college football, there are a few teams that the Herd is pitted against, if not on the field. I haven't done the math on it, but I'm sure those teams have schedules that are likely well more than that touchdown (maybe even 15-20 points) better than the Herd's scheduled opponents. Unfortunately, Marshall doesn't need to beat teams by the difference in the quality of the schedule. They need to beat them by 2-3 more scores instead...

...which brings me to my next point. Running up the score. Here, Marshall fans, you at least get some rational fans that understand that it's what the Herd must do else they'll give up what little respect they actually have earned. But do be prepared for the occasionally emotionally invested fan that will go ballistic on your favored team as well as personal attacks on your character and heritage.

Also, with regards to Cato: don't openly recognize that he's seemed to play a bit more poorly this season. There could be a number of reasons why (coaching changes, the pressure of a potential undefeated season, chasing of records getting into his head, a more balanced offense with a stronger (silly me, breaking my own rule) running back taking heat off the passing game, being the focus of the media around the team, or just pure selfishness in wanting to shine with the long ball all the time, etc.), but if you bring up that he's looked a little less impressive this season then you might run the risk of offending every opponent that he's played against. After all, Cato has nothing to do with his own quality of play. It's how everyone schemed and played against him.

Just imagine if it were difficult to run the table on the season. If Marshall is even able to pull it off (which they should, because going undefeated is so exceedingly easy), then there should be no recognition. They shouldn't strive for better perception. They should be happy going to whatever bowl they can get their lowly hands on, and they certainly shouldn't defend themselves when others come after them. One wouldn't, after all, want to upset the balance of things in football, because obviously football is the most important thing in life.

----

(All sarcasm aside, as an addendum, I fully understand that we have some fans that get carried away and show their ass to the world. I don't agree with the way that some of our fans act, of course. Many others have those same types of fans that come out of the woodwork when their team is doing well, and I'm sure those school's fans cringe when they see it too. But much of the overreaction that is seen from the middling types is directly a result of lashing out due to being backed into a corner. It's a ridiculous cycle, and it's clearly not going to end, but I felt like I should get my two cents in. Now you may have your fun ripping me apart.)

People cry if you predict a 4TD win and then the official spread is released and its 28 points. Point is that some are just whiny wussy boys and you can't tip toe around every baby becuase one will eventually lose it and start the tears. People don't like a winner becuase of a number of reasons. I personally am enjoying the hell out of this season as it reminds me of my time as a student at Marshall starting in 1998 when we were in the middle of our MAC domination. I hope we can continue our succes and wish every opponent we play good luck.

Just win baby!

Need some cheese to go with the long whiny post. Truthfully, glad you are having a great season but you need to quit patting yourselves on the back. You have to show some class and act like you have been there before.

(10-26-2014 06:37 PM)Cscollis Wrote:  Need some cheese to go with the long whiny post. Truthfully, glad you are having a great season but you need to quit patting yourselves on the back. You have to show some class and act like you have been there before.

Meh. We're not having a great season. Nobody deserves a pat on the back at all. After all, it's easy for teams to run the table. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll get back to the next middle school team on our schedule. Maybe if we're lucky enough to get to the conference championship and play y'all, you can teach us a lesson.

Awe poor Marshall....

Oh, and I've lost my head a little at some UCF posters in the past, and have properly accepted my responsibility, but I think you'll be hard pressed to find points where I've acted without class beyond those brief breakdowns. To be honest, what you're seeing is my perception of a double standard. Everybody else is allowed to be proud of their teams around here except Marshall fans. Ultimately, some Marshall fans overreact and thump their chest harder and louder as a response, and others backlash again, and then Herd fans react. It's a cycle. And look around if you don't believe it. We can't even be excited about our running back who is statistically among the leading backs in the country (and basically carried us through our last game, even with an injured knee) without being reminded about how he's merely an average back that is benefitting from our godlike offensive line.

(10-26-2014 06:41 PM)BlueRaider0x0 Wrote:  Awe poor Marshall....

Yep. That's definitely the point I'm making. You nailed it.

I know I did.

You overreact about any post involving Marshall. The DJ thread is a perfect example. If we don't agree then we're hating on Marshall. Almost all CUSA fans agree that Marshall is the best by far in our conference. If your ass hurt because ECU makes fun of you then direct your posts to them.

I overreact? And you use the DJ thread as an example? I actually made some statements, and supported them with logical facts. I don't understand where that comes from. If you'll actually read through the DJ thread again, you'll see that most of us don't assert that he is a top 5 RB in the country. I do feel like one could make a logical argument for him being possibly the best RB in the conference (and one that could probably be logically debated in another direction as well), but that's a debate for another thread. We just feel like he's better than the average RB that some of the others in the thread are implying. Maybe it's because you all don't watch the Marshall games every week. Maybe it's because everyone else doesn't see how much of a difference DJ has made for us with Cato not performing as well this season. I don't know. I just know he's not the schmuck that the DJ thread would have others believe. So, Marshall fans tend to overreact.

As for this point, I'm merely drawing attention to the fact that we can't say anything good about ourselves without being reminded of how we're not actually that good. As for ECU, they're stuck in the same boat we are to an extent. They have a few guys who make an ass of themselves just to do it and the others argue their point as to why they're more deserving than Marshall. That makes sense to me, as they are competing for the same spot. Nobody is impartial. Everybody sees things in their own light, including Marshall and ECU fans. If anything, I'm not butt hurt by ECU at all. I'm actually sad by the fighting back and forth between MU and ECU fans, as I have been an ECU fan for years, even before Marshall joined them in CUSA. Marshall has always had a special connection to ECU, and that matters to me. I feel that if Marshall slips up, then I hope ECU is there to go to the Access bowl instead of someone else.

One last thought about me overreacting (and yes, I realize my initial post comes across that way. I was actually using sarcasm and exaggeration to make a point...strategery!). I haven't hardly said a thing other than positive, supportive posts for a couple of years regarding Marshall, ECU, or any of our conference members. I'll be honest, the thing that set me off here is the fact that someone referred to me as inbred (and then was defended by another), and being from Appalachia, that sets me off a bit. Those kinds of stereotypes are the type we have fought against for generations around here, and they're no better than ethnic or religious stereotypes. They speak to the ignorance and class (a term used a bit too freely around message boards) of the people who use them.

as I am priming the pump relative to dial-a=ho....

ultimately the op is moot.....

so....why does anyone care anymore...

...as she walks over for a benji......and it ain't the movie.....

i love my life...................

I apologize for using inbred. It was directed to the most irrational herd fan - herdzone. He personally attacked me and my school for disagreeing DJ is not a top 5 back in the nation. DJ is a good back and maybe the best in CUSA but not close in the nation. Once again sorry for the personal attack.

(10-26-2014 07:29 PM)Cscollis Wrote:  I apologize for using inbred. It was directed to the most irrational herd fan - herdzone. He personally attacked me and my school for disagreeing DJ is not a top 5 back in the nation. DJ is a good back and maybe the best in CUSA but not close in the nation. Once again sorry for the personal attack.

Thank you sir. (or ma'am, as I don't really know)

I can only speak for myself, but apology accepted. I usually don't react negatively very easily, but apparently there are a few triggers that can push me over the edge. I've always tried to present a respectful, well spoken persona here on the board. If you were to look closely around the board, I think you would find several instances of Marshall fans calling some of our more outspoken fans out. We've been good before, and we've been bad (and very bad after the plane crash) before. Some of the present fans and students weren't even around or cognizant for the first time Marshall was very good...much less when they were truly at the bottom of the barrel, so they lack perspective. That's one of the things young people lack in general...perspective. Unfortunately, bravado is something they ordinarily have in spades!

I'm not sure what my point is now, as I've been rambling. But I guess it's that everybody has them when their teams do very well, and for the same reasons. Most of us know what it's like on both sides of that coin, and temper our excitement accordingly. I'd be lying if I told you I expect Marshall to win all of its games. That's an incredibly tough thing to do. UAB is pretty solid, and they've been a nightmare for us at their place at times. WKU, despite their more recent struggles, concerns me because they've shown that they *can* perform at a high level. All they need is to pick our game to do it again. And Rice? Well, they've got a long trip to get here, and I hope that takes its toll and shows in their play...but they're always a concern as well. Plus, if Marshall is fortunate enough to make the conference championship...well, there's the West champion, who by nature of making that game will be pretty darn good.

So, is Marshall perfect? Nope. But they've been pretty damn good so far, and they've had some exceptional performances, and I feel like they deserve a pat on the back. That said, they're an emotional team led by an emotional team leader (Cato), and because of that, they need to figure out how to be a bit more stable when emotions are high or low, and to do it without being emotionally flat.

Anyway, I'll stop now.

Edm I know what your trying to say. I played for Tech 1987-1991. Was lucky enough to play beside Willie Roaf HOF tackle for 2 years. I have seen good tech and really bad tech. Marshall is a very good team this year. Will probably go undefeated. I would love to see Diazs defense against Marshalls O. Techs D is legit our O is hit or miss.

After the last couple of years have been full of highs and a lot of lows for Tech football. Just glad we are playing better even if we can't beat a FCS opponent.

Oh, and I didn't mean to leave USM out. No disrespect, Eagles! Despite their troubles in recent season, I am never comfortable with the Herd playing at the Rock. To put it another way, any one of these games could sneak up and bite Marshall if they're not careful. They have to keep driving, and maintain their focus!

(10-26-2014 08:02 PM)Cscollis Wrote:  Edm I know what your trying to say. I played for Tech 1987-1991. Was lucky enough to play beside Willie Roaf HOF tackle for 2 years. I have seen good tech and really bad tech. Marshall is a very good team this year. Will probably go undefeated. I would love to see Diazs defense against Marshalls O. Techs D is legit our O is hit or miss.

After the last couple of years have been full of highs and a lot of lows for Tech football. Just glad we are playing better even if we can't beat a FCS opponent.

Sounds like you and I are close to the same age. I didn't play to the level that you did (only some high school), but I didn't appreciate the sport as much back then as I do now.

And I'm not one to pick on a school for losing to a FCS opponent. You have to remember that Marshall was at that level a couple of decades ago, and it meant nearly everything for a team to beat a higher level school like that. You get their AAA game in those games. Besides, nobody wants to beat us up more than ourselves after our team loses a game like that, and I'm not a fan of kicking a team (or a fan) while they're down.

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!

Edm, I usually suffer in silence at all of the back and forth that trends nasty, and I encourage all C-USA fans to do the same. I don't like it when our fans engage in that kind of trash talk, any more than I do when others do it to us. I'm not talking about normal pride expressed about your own team, or even good-natured bantering about games. But some of this stuff really turns ugly, and I usually dis-engage from a thread when it starts.

On the other hand, there is a great deal of intelligent conversation on this board, much of which informs the average fan's understanding of the conference and the teams in it. That's why I return again and again to the board...to search out good information about all of our teams...including Marshall. And, yes, I've been "guilty" of expressing my pride, but try very hard to be respectful of others. Hopefully that's what others see in my posts.

I must say that I agree with most everything you wrote, and very much appreciate that most of it was tongue in cheek to make your points. In some respects, I think we are heading into the toughest four game stretch of the season for the reasons you pointed out. That's not to disparage any of the other teams we've played. And I also agree with you about ECU. This is probably the only team outside of C-USA that I really care about. I was a Junior at Marshall in 1970, and knew many of the players and lost a fraternity brother. ECU means a lot to me and always will. I agree, if for some reason we can't go (and, yep, I'll be disappointed...sue me for that) I'm all for ECU being the G5 representative.

Thanks for the read.

(10-26-2014 06:37 PM)Cscollis Wrote:  Need some cheese to go with the long whiny post. Truthfully, glad you are having a great season but you need to quit patting yourselves on the back. You have to show some class and act like you have been there before.

This, This, and This !

(10-27-2014 11:10 AM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  

(10-26-2014 06:37 PM)Cscollis Wrote:  Need some cheese to go with the long whiny post. Truthfully, glad you are having a great season but you need to quit patting yourselves on the back. You have to show some class and act like you have been there before.

This, This, and This !

Read into the post a bit more than that, my friend. You are welcome to look through my post history, and my rep responses from others on the board to determine the type of person I am, as well as what kind of points I make and talk about. This is uncharacteristically direct and off-putting for a post from me. You may, however, notice that I didn't call anyone out by name (I'm not looking to start fights with anyone), I merely addressed our situation. I just wanted to make a point (things get pretty nasty for us at times around here...some of it is our fans' fault, and much of it is not...but the majority of us try to be respectful and level and get caught in the middle), so I used an exaggerated tongue-in-cheek method of delivery to drive that point. Anyone who sees it as a whine post simply isn't looking deep enough. I realize that many of the posts on here don't go into a deeper level of interaction than the surface chest thumping and arguments, but I try to make most of mine meaningful or impactful in some way...even if I'm just going for humor.

(also, you may notice that cscollis and I have put some things to rest, if it matters)