Marshall hired a new head coach in the off season and his name comes straight out of the movies. Doc Holliday(ref Tombstone) is the new sheriff in town after school officials decided Mark Snyder's reign was over despite leading the Herd back to a bowl game last season. Marshall returns 14 starters from last year's seven win team. The East division in Conference USA is wide open and Marshall could be a sneaky contender. View the full conference breakdown in our 2010 Conference USA football predictions article.
The Herd used the run to setup the pass in 2009, leaning heavily on RB Darius Marshall. Two new offensive coordinators will have to find a way to replace 1131 yards and 11 touchdowns that was produced by Marshall. RB Martin Ward will likely be the main for that job. The sophomore back saw limited action last season, but made the most of his opportunities. He was second on the team in rushing with 393 yards and was named the MVP of their bowl win over Ohio with a two touchdown performance. Terrell Edwards-Maye hit the 100 yard mark once last season and is a capable backup. Coach Holliday has two options at quarterback this season. Brian Anderson started every game a year ago and threw for over 2600 yards and 14 touchdowns. The competition for his starting job is intense. AJ Graham was Florida's Mr. Football two years ago and used up his red shirt in 09'. Willy Korn was highly regarded out of high school, but things never came together at Clemson and now he has left Marshall after the coaching staff decided he was better suited for defense. This is the most talent they have had a QB since the Byron Leftwich era. WR Antavious Wilson will be one of the best at his position in Conference USA this year. A 60 catch, 724 yard season earned him freshman All-American honors and whoever the quarterback is should target Wilson on a regular basis.
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Marshall's defense brings back seven starters and will be under the direction of Chris Rippon this season. LB Mario Harvey is the leader of the defense and usually does his leading by example. His 117 tackles led the team and he collected a team high seven sacks also. Those numbers earned him 1st team all conference accolades. Harvey is not just one of the top linebackers in Conference USA, but one of the best in the nation. The defense as a whole was solid last year, holding opponents to 24 points/game. All team numbers improved from the 2008 season and sacks increased. One major issue is the status of CB DeQuan Bembry. The junior was arrested for the third time in two years during the off-season and was recently kicked off of the football team. This leaves a huge void in the secondary as Bembry was a 2nd team all conference player who had a team high three interceptions last season. DJ Wingate will likely take his place as a starter. Kellen Harris is a very active middle linebacker and finished 4th on the team in tackles with 71. Replacing K Craig Ratanamorn will be a tough task. He made 15-17 field goal attempts last year with a long of 50 yards. Look for Tyler Warner to be the replacement.
The season will begin in the Horseshoe at Ohio State on Sept 2nd for Marshall. In-state rival West Virginia is the Week 2 opponent. Doc Holliday spent the past two seasons as associate head coach for the Mountaineers. The "Battle for the Bell" vs. Ohio goes down on Sept 25th and will be a rematch of the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza bowl. They draw SMU and UTEP out of the West division. Their conference opener on Oct 2nd could set the tone for the rest of the season when they travel to Southern Miss. I like this team as a sleeper and believe they finish 7-5.
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