2008 Marshall Thundering Herd Preview

Marshall coach Mark Snyder enters his fourth campaign optimistic things will be different than his first three, which all ended with more losses than wins. With a full complement of 85 scholarships for the first time since he was hired in 2005, Snyder is confident the results will improve. “I’ve been playing five-card stud with three cards,” Snyder says. “We knew there would be three years of laying foundation. We’ll be better this year, and the next year we’ll pretty much have everyone back. The future is bright.”

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Herd

Mark Snyder has been forced to rebuild a proud program at his alma mater, and progress has been slow in his three years. To spur things along, Snyder made changes at both offensive and defensive coordinator, where he welcomed in John Shannon from Toledo on the offensive side and former Cincinnati coach Rick Minter to run the defense. Shannon will have to find a quarterback to fit his system and improve an offensive line that had trouble with pass protection last year. Marshall has talent at the skill positions, plus an All-America candidate at tight end. The question is whether the passer can get them the ball and the offensive line can open holes for Darius Marshall. Defensively, Marshall has plenty of room for improvement. An injury-depleted unit gave up 30 points nine times and 40 points four times. The return of Albert McClellan will be big, and it appears Marshall has the linebacker depth to make a seamless switch to Minter’s 3-4 scheme. The secondary must come up with more big plays — the Herd were last in the nation in turnovers forced. The schedule is virtually the same as a year ago — Wisconsin and Illinois State replace Miami and New Hampshire. Marshall will see significant improvement if a productive quarterback emerges and the defense forces more turnovers.

Quarterbacks

The competition to replace Bernard Morris will continue into fall. Redshirt freshman Mark Cann has a slight lead, but nothing has been settled. Cann, a lefthander, showed poise and patience during spring practice and more strength in his arm than he had as a true freshman. Another candidate is Georgia Tech transfer Jonathan Garner, who is more athletic than Cann and has the advantage of already learning a college system. Still, Brian Anderson is the only player in the race with a career start on his résumé.

Running backs

The man with the school name on his back is front and center. Darius Marshall enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign that saw him earn C-USA All-Freshman honors. He started nine games and gained 631 yards on 123 carries for an average of 5.1 yards per carry. Chubb Small and Kelvin Turner, who combined for 12 touchdowns last year, also return, and four true freshmen will be given a chance to complement Marshall.

Receivers

Tight end Cody Slate is one of the top pass-catchers at his position in the nation. The speedster has good hands and should be the top tight end in the league this season after catching 66 passes for 818 yards. Former Tennessee signee Lee Smith enjoyed a tremendous spring and will also be counted on to produce. An experienced wide receivers unit will receive a boost from junior college speedster O.J. Murdock. The former South Carolina signee will give the Herd another deep threat, especially when teamed with Darius Passmore, who is primed for his most productive season after a summer of clearing up minor injuries. Two other starters in Marshall’s three-wide attack return — Emmanuel Spann and E.J. Wynn.

Offensive linemen

Marshall ranked No. 108 in the nation in sacks allowed at 3.2 per game, “and that was with a mobile quarterback,” Snyder says. Two starters are gone. Senior Brian Leggett is moving from guard to center, and to his left will be a pair of sophomores who started as redshirt freshmen — Brandon Campbell and Josh Evans. Daniel Baldridge and C.J. Wood will fight it out at right tackle, which will likely protect the quarterback’s blindside (since Cann and Garner are both left-handed).

Defensive linemen

Defensive coordinator Rick Minter is installing a 3-4 defense this season and moving former end Albert McClellan to an outside linebacker slot. Senior Ian Hoskins, who started at defensive end last season, returns, and he will be joined by sophomores Johnny Jones and Michael Janac, who was impressive in spring practice. John Jacobs, who started eight games a year ago, gives the unit depth, and Montel Glasco and Shane Moore will also see time.

Linebackers

After missing last year with a knee injury, McClellan will undoubtedly boost Marshall’s defense. The junior was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 but was injured last August and missed the year. He is moving to outside linebacker in Minter’s 3-4 scheme and will be counted on to pressure the quarterback. Andre Portis and Corey Hart were both active in the spring, and Maurice Kitchens was second on the team in tackles a year ago. Also keep an eye on junior Antawn Booker.

Defensive backs

The anchor of the unit is free safety C.J. Spillman, a second-team All-C-USA honoree a year ago who led the team in tackles. Spillman will be joined by Aaron Johnson at strong safety, who spent last year backing up Spillman. At corner, Snyder wants to see improvement. Starters J.J. Johnson and Zearrick Matthews return, but the competition is open and DeQuan Bembry was turning heads in the spring. Last year’s starter at free safety, Ashton Hall, will be the nickel back.

Specialists

Spann will be the primary kick and punt returner, with Marshall also getting his opportunities. At placekicker, soccer goalkeeper Craig Ratanamorn and Elliott Boyd are battling to replace Anthony Binswanger, who kicked and punted last year. Cody Ochoa and Calvin Purchase are the punter candidates.

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