Now that OOC is over (Quick look at the Herd)
Coming into Marshall's conference opener, a lot has been learned thus far:
DEFENSE
Marshall is holding teams to an average of 22 ppg, so clearly the defense is the bright spot on the team. Many of the backups are STILL getting quality playing time and seem to be getting the schemes down.
The secondary HAS to get better. Once the strong point of the defense is now a serious question mark especially with the exit of AJ Leggett. The corners have to improve as there have been several blown coverage assignments already this year and this is simply unacceptable.
The D line seems to be holding their own, but it needs to improve on being able to get to the qb and plugging the run gaps.
The LB corps is clearly the bright spot. At the start of the season, it was a question mark.
OFFENSE
Chase Litton is growing up fast and seems to be doing enough to not lose games. His quick release, arm strength, and ability to look off receivers is relatively rare for a true freshman. His first INT vs Kent State was not his fault, but he has to be wiser than to throw the ball up for grabs (like his 2nd INT).
The receiving corps is perhaps the biggest disappointment so far this season. Receivers who once had stickum on their hands have now seemed to have dipped their gloves in Vaseline. The Herd is missing Shuler more than many, including me, expected. Marshall lacks a solid slot man who can get open over the middle, haul in the pass, take the hit, and hang on to the ball. This is where the departure of Jean-Louis has hurt somewhat. He is now at Div II Shepherd and is playing very so-so.
As Devon Johnson goes, so does Marshall go. The Herd seems like a completely different team when he is in. This had better change because Johnson could be out for the season. The good news is, he will qualify for a redshirt if he is. Watson, also hurt (last I heard) will be questionable for ODU. Another huge loss if true. However, Pittman and Davis have done a pretty good job filling in for them and with Hyleck Foster moving from WR to his natural position at RB, this should give the Herd a bit of a shot in the arm at the position.
The O-Line is still a work in progress. The unit has yet to gel and put together a solid performance vs an FBS squad. The good thing is that Marshall uses a pretty deep rotation as several O-linemen have been dinged up this year.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The bright shining stars of the team. Tyler Williams continues to improve each game seemingly dropping the ball on a dime at will. Nick Smith has been a solid replacement for Haig. Matt Cincotta has been money with his long snaps, and Vedvik has been blasting the ball out of the end zone regularly.
Deandre Reeves. Need I say more?
INTANGIBLES
Marshall has been able to find a way to win despite adversity. Sometimes it's ugly, but a win is a win and the offense is at times so doggone frustrating that it has had me either beating up the JCE end zone bleachers (Purdue and NSU) or throwing objects at my TV (Ohio and Kent). This year there seems as though there is a lot more parity in CUSA, so it could be almost anyone's championship this year. It seems as though whenever things look most bleak for the Herd and they need a break, they get one. The offense has to be able to sustain drives in order to let the defense rest. But, 3-1 I feel is where most of us expected the Herd to be at this point. Barring a meltdown, the Herd will be bowling again this year, but perhaps not CUSA's top two. 9-3 seems pretty realistic at this point, so we will see.
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Now that OOC is over (Quick look at the Herd)
