What to Expect from the Herd

I have watched as much Marshall football in the last three seasons as I have Virginia Tech football, so I have a pretty good grasp on how their coaches coach and how their players play at this point. I don't post forums often, but I figured this might be a good time to do just that. Here is what you can expect from Marshall on Saturday and what Tech must do to keep the bowl streak alive.

Marshall head coach Doc Holliday embodies two principles that we became very familiar with under Frank Beamer: play strong defense and emphasize special teams. The Herd have ridden those two principles to an 8-3, 6-2 record this season.

The Marshall defense is currently ranked 7th (!!) in the S&P overall ratings which is first among G5 teams. Their defensive rush and pass S&P ratings rank 18 and 19 respectively. The Herd have been the beneficiaries of a healthy defense for the most part this season (sounds wonderful, doesn't it?), and that will be the case on Saturday. The Herd can rotate two defensive lines and linebacking corps and not see much drop off between the first and second units. Their secondary isn't as deep and is undersized despite the amount the of success that they've had this season. Look for VT to throw a lot of fades on Saturday.

As previously mentioned, the Marshall special teams have also been solid this season. They don't give up a lot of yards on kickoff and punt returns (they actually angle their kickoffs to the sideline and manage to keep it in bounds and out of the end zone, so it would be ideal for the Tech returner to fair catch the kickoffs to ensure the drive starts at the 25). Kicker Justin Rohrwasser is solid from inside 40 yards going 13-15 from that range but is only 1-5 from beyond 40. If the Tech defense can keep drives outside of the red zone, they'll have a good shot to get off the field and not give up any points. The Herd special teams also have three blocked kicks on the season, although they have all come in the last three weeks.

The Marshall offense has had a pretty average year. They were expecting to return literally everyone from last year's starting lineup except one offensive lineman, but when supposed-to-be fourth-year starter Chase Litton unexpectedly bolted for the NFL Draft, the Marshall staff was left scrambling for a quarterback. They managed to sign grad transfer Alex Thomson from Wagner College who Phil Simms believes is/was an NFL prospect. Thomson then proceeded to lose the battle for the starting job to dual-threat redshirt freshman Isaiah Green who has had a solid year. The Marshall offensive line only gave up 8 sacks last season and returned most of their two-deep which has helped Green a lot, who has completed 56% of his passes at a 14:9 TD:INT ratio. Green's biggest issue is that he throws off his back foot almost exclusively which has led to several overthrows and a few interceptions. I expect the Tech defensive backfield to have a couple good opportunities to intercept a pass on Saturday. Green suffered a knee injury back in late September and hasn't shown the same mobility since returning, so I don't expect Marshall to run him a lot.

Green has a plethora of receivers to throw to. The big name is Tyre Brady. Brady was a transfer from Miami who has had a phenomenal two seasons in Huntington. In 11 games this season, he has accumulated 64 receptions for 890 yards and 9 touchdowns. On a lot of those catches, Green basically closed his eyes and chucked it in the direction of Brady hoping he would come down with it, and Brady did. Last season, Brady had 62 receptions for 942 yards and 8 touchdowns. Those stats included a stellar game at NC State where he had 11 catches for 248 yards and a touchdown. The Herd also have speedsters Marcel Williams and Willie Johnson (Sammy Watkins' cousin) to throw to along with solid possession receivers Obi Obialo on the outside and Nick Matthews in the slot.

The Marshall running game has been something I have envied all season from a Tech fan's perspective. Running backs Tyler King and Keion Davis both eclipsed 800 yards last season, and watching the two of them is a lot like watching Kevin Jones and Lee Suggs respectively in terms of their running styles. They both break a lot of tackles and have great breakaway speed. Both have been banged up recently and haven't played in recent weeks, and I'm not sure who will be playing on Saturday; might be both, might be neither. If neither are a go, expect Anthony Anderson and Brenden Knox to get the carries for Marshall. Anderson is mostly used in short-yardage situations, very Brandon Jacobs-esque. Anderson is a load to tackle at 6'2" 240 lbs. Knox entered the season fourth on the depth chart at running back and didn't have any stats until the Herd played Charlotte a few weeks ago. Knox proceeded to run for over 100 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. Two weeks later against FIU, Knox ran for 109 yards on 19 carries. Whoever Marshall ends up running next week, Tech is going to have to be ready because they're all capable of having a big game.

So, how does Tech win this game? I expect the Tech offense to have a tough time sustaining drives on this Marshall defense, so Tech is either going to have to hit a few big plays or win the field position battle by getting good special teams play and/or forcing turnovers to get some points on the board. As I mentioned, I expect a few interception opportunities for Tech, and it's important that they take advantage of those opportunities in order to put their offense in a favorable position. If the Tech defense can keep the Herd out of the red zone, this will also give the Hokies a good opportunity to win given how Marshall's kicker has performed up to this point.

I really don't know what to expect out of this game. On one hand you have a Tech team coming off an emotional win over rival UVA leading some to believe there might be a letdown. On the other hand, Tech is playing for a bowl streak that would be the longest active in the country if continued on Saturday. Which of those things will come into play more on Saturday? Your guess is as good as mine. From the Herd's perspective, playing in Blacksburg in front of plenty of Marshall fans (a lot are going) against a team with a bigger name than anyone they'll play in a bowl game will be plenty of motivation for them. The Herd are also staring a 10-win season in the face if they can beat Tech and win their bowl game. Will playing a game that they didn't know whether or not they would be playing until three days ago affect them positively or negatively, though? Again, your guess is as good as mine.

One thing I'm sure of, though, is that I am glad this game is being played. When I decided to attend Marshall three years ago rather than VT because in-state tuition to Marshall was much cheaper than out-of-state to Tech, Marshall and VT were not scheduled to play each other. Now, here I am, 3 years later, planning my trip from Huntington to Blacksburg this weekend in the most unlikely of circumstances. Let's have a damn good weekend, ladies and gentlemen.