Brian Anderson will be pushed at QB by Clemson transfer Willy Korn.
The 2009 season was a mixed bag for Marshall. It struggled to a 6-6 record overall and was just 4-4 in the Conference USA, finishing fourth in the East division. The Thundering Herd salvaged the disappointing season with a big 21-17 win over Ohio in the Little Caesar’s Bowl.
This lackluster effort cost Mark Snyder his job as Doc Holliday was named the new head coach for Marshall this past offseason. Holliday, a first-time head coach, is known has an expert recruiter from his previous work at Florida and West Virginia. While his efforts are sure to pay dividends three or four years down the road, it remains to be seen how this team handles the transition in the short term.
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One thing in Marshall’s favor this year is its strength at the quarterback position. Last year’s starter Brian Anderson is back but he will be pressed to retain that role by Clemson transfer Willy Korn. Korn was an elite recruit out of high school a few years back and has all the physical tools to successfully run this offense.
Another plus for the passing game will be WR Antavious Wilson, who as a true freshman last year led the team with 60 receptions for 724 yards. Aaron Dobson is another young receiver to keep an eye on as a deep threat after averaging 24 yards a catch in 2009.
At tailback it will be up to Martin Ward to fill the void left by the departed Darius Marshall. Ward did rush for almost 400 yards as a backup last season and should be able to handle the role.
On defense, Marshall only gave up an average of 24 points per game, showing signs of improvement from previous seasons. Up front the Thundering Herd will have DT Michael Janac and DE Vinny Curry back as starters from last year. They will be joined by sophomore John Youboty, who in 2009 showed tremendous potential in limited action.
The strength of this defense will be with their linebacking corps led by Mario Harvey. Last season Harvey was named 1st Team C-USA after recording 117 tackles and seven sacks. Kellen Harris, who recorded 71 tackles in 2009, will also be back.
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The secondary will have to fill a major hole after DeQuan Bembry was released from the team for personal conduct reasons. S Omar Brown will be the lone starter back as Marshall will have to rely on underclassmen to fill the other three spots.
Houston is the only Conference USA team listed with college football odds to win the BSC at 150/1. Marshall, along with the other 10 teams in the conference would constitute a field bet at 25/1 to win a national title.
As far as Marshall’s record against the spread over the past three years, it is 15-13-1. At home the Herd is 6-8-1 ATS and 8-10 ATS on the road.
While the Thundering Herd should have an exciting offense that will be able to put points on the board, their defensive secondary is shaping up as a major liability. Expect them to win enough games to once again get invited to a mid-level bowl game, but winning the conference would be a stretch as they will once again struggle to get by East Carolina, Southern Miss and UCF in the East division.