Marshall Preview

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Who: #11/13 Virginia Tech Hokies (3-0, 0-0 ACC) @ Marshall Thundering Herd (1-2, 1-0 Conference USA)

Time: 3:33 PM

TV Coverage: CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan, Rich Rodriguez, Kaylee Hartung)

Venue: Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, WV (38,019 – Field Turf)

Series History: Virginia Tech leads 8-2

  • Last Meeting (2009): Virginia Tech 52, Marshall 10
  • This is Virginia Tech’s first trip to Huntington in 71 years. The Hokies are 0-2 all-time at Marshall
  • This will be the fourth meeting between the schools since 2002. Tech has won all three by an average score of 47-15, scoring at least 41 points each game.

Injury Report

  • WR Jarrett Boykin – Out (Hamstring)
  • OL David Wang – Out (Foot)
  • DE J.R. Collins – Probable (Ankle)

The Opponent: Marshall limps into this matchup coming off a 44-7 loss to Ohio last weekend. The Thundering Herd currently sits at 1-2 on the season, with their lone win being an upset of Southern Miss at home two weeks ago. Head coach Doc Holliday is in his second season with the program. Holliday went 5-7 his first year with Marshall and has a long coaching history, with stops at Florida, NC State, and West Virginia.

  • On Offense: The main reason for Marshall’s early season struggles revolve around true freshman quarterback Rakeem Cato (6-1, 180, FR). In his first three collegiate starts, Cato has been on a roller coaster of a ride. He’s thrown for 506 yards and four touchdowns, but has also tossed six interceptions, including four last week at Ohio. Cato has the tools to be a great QB, but right now he’s very raw and Tech will be the best defense he’s seen so far.

    Marshall doesn’t run the pure spread offense, but will run a lot of shotgun with read option. Tron Martinez (5-9, 202, SO) is Marshall’s top tailback. A product of Hampton High School, Martinez got a look from Tech, but off the field issues were prevalent. On the field, though, he’s rushed for 217 yards and averages six yards per carry.

    Aaron Dobson (6-3, 204, JR) is the Herd’s leading wideout, catching 15 balls for 142 yards and three scores so far this year. He’ll be Cato’s main target through the air, as no other receiver has more than 100 yards receiving on the season. Antavious Wilson (6-1, 191, r-JR) has 94 yards on the year and backup running back Travon Van (5-10, 200, FR) is third on the team with six catches.
    Up front, Marshall starts two seniors at the tackle positions, but lacks experience up the middle. The Herd have decent size across the board, but look for Virginia Tech to attack up the middle, where Marshall starts a redshirt freshman at center and a true sophomore at left guard.

    Marshall’s offense is anything but spectacular. They enter Saturday’s action 94th in the nation in passing (183 ypg), 91st in rushing (115.67) ypg, and 105th in the total offense (298.67 ypg).

  • On Defense: The defense isn’t much better for the Herd. Ohio pounded out 559 yards of total offense against Marshall last week, and the unit ranks pretty low in most statistical categories.

    The defense has seven senior starters, led by standout defensive end Vinny Curry (6-4, 263, r-SR). Coming off a season in which he had 12 sacks, Curry already has three sacks in the first three games this season. The rest of the defensive line, combined, has three sacks. However, the unit has good size relatively and is better at stopping the run than the pass.

    A reason for being better against the run is their linebacking corps. All three are senior starters who have a lot of experience. Strongside backer George Carpenter (5-11, 224, SR) is the smallest member of the group but has made the most plays, ranking second on the team with 22 tackles, including three for loss. Tyson Gale (6-3, 228, SR) and Kellen Harris (6-3, 234, R-SR) start at middle backer and weakside backer, respectively.

    The secondary is the weak point for Marshall, allowing 282 yards per game through the air, which is the 14th worst mark in the country. Rashad Jackson (5-9, 180, r-SR) is the most dynamic player in the secondary, but is joined by inexperience at the other corner position with Monterious Lovett (5-11, 175, r-FR) starting alongside Jackson. Free safety Omar Brown (5-11, 195, SR) leads the team in tackles, which is never a good thing if a safety is atop those charts.

    Obviously, Marshall will attempt to load the box and force Tech to pass. With such porous pass defense, I could see the Hokies trying to spring a big play early and get off to a fast start. Just make sure it doesn’t turn into an ill-advised interception that could swing momentum.

Players to Watch:

  • Virginia Tech
    • WR #18 D.J. Coles
      • Last Week vs Arkansas State: 2 rec, 61 yards, TD
      • This season: 6 rec, 90 yards, TD
      • Listed as starting split end now with injuries to Jarrett Boykin and Dyrell Roberts
    • DT #98 Derrick Hopkins
      • Last Week vs Arkansas State: 4 tackles, 1 solo, 1 for loss, 1 sack
      • This Season: 12 tackles, 6 solo, 2 for loss, 1 sack
  • Marshall
    • QB #12 Rakeem Cato
      • Last Week vs Ohio: 9/21, 116 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT
      • This Season: 51/84 (60.7%), 506 yards, 4 TD, 6 INT
    • DE #99 Vinny Curry
      • Last Week vs Ohio: 7 tackles, 4 solo, 2 for loss
      • This season: 16 tackles, 9 solo, 6.5 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Matchups to Watch:

  • Virginia Tech Wide Receivers vs Marshall Secondary
  • Marshall Defensive Line vs Virginia Tech Running Game
  • Rakeem Cato vs Virginia Tech Secondary
  • Cody Journell and Scott Demler vs Confidence

Keys to Victory:

  • Virginia Tech
    • Create a Balance
      • Marshall is going to try to stop Tech’s running game by loading the box against David Wilson. If the Hokies have big plays in the passing game early, that will open up running lanes for Wilson and get Tech rolling. Expect a much more balanced attack as opposed to a more pass-oriented game plan that the Hokies had against Arkansas State.
    • Do Your Job
      • Tech is more talented in every aspect of the game over Marshall. The Hokies need to get to Huntington, take care of business, and get out unscathed. Tech needs to come out and dominate the Herd. With Clemson looming, a confidence-booster would be real nice this weekend.
  • Marshall
    • Create Turnovers
      • The Herd aren’t the most talented team on offense, so they’re going to need mistakes on Tech’s part to create a short field. I find it hard to believe that Marshall’s offense will be able to go 70+ yards against Tech’s defense multiple times, so the Herd will need to create easy scoring situation for themselves if they want to pull off the upset.
    • Maintain Energy Level Throughout Game
      • As has been mentioned multiple times, if Marshall has a shot it has to revolve around stopping Tech’s running game and forcing Logan Thomas into obvious passing situations. If Marshall makes Tech one-dimensional, they’ll have a shot. But how much of shot do they have at doing just that?

Projected Score: Virginia Tech 30, Marshall 7

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Comments

I dunno, this game has me a bit worried

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