MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD
Conference USA
2015 Record – 10-3
ATS – 7-4-2
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
East Division #1
Conference #1
2015 Recap
Marshall lost at the hands of the Hilltoppers in the final week of the season and missed out on a chance to play for the Conference USA Title. However, HC Doc Holliday led his squad to a victory in the St Petersburg Bowl which gave the Thundering Herd their third consecutive 10+ win season.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
Chase Litton had a wonderful freshman season at QB. Litton took over the reigns after the loss to Ohio and never looked back throwing for 2,600 yards and 23 TDs. Marshall appears set at QB and at offensive line where 4/5 starters return to a very good group.
Marshall was ranked 3rd in C-USA in rushing offense and 6th in passing yards. This season they will have to figure out how to get that production without last season’s leading rusher Devon Johnson and their top two WRs from the 2015 team. They do return TE Ryan Yurachek who caught 9 TD passes last year. Overall, we expect good production from the RB and WR group given how solid they are at QB and OL, but they need to uncover a big-play threat or two.
DEFENSE
DC Chuck Heater has done a really good job with the Marshall defense. They have given up less than 23 points per game in every year of his tenure, and last season was really special, as the unit gave up only 18 points per game (#1 scoring defense C-USA, #10 FBS). Chuck Heater may just be our favorite name in college football.
The defense is going to be challenged to live up to the standards of the previous three seasons, but we definitely feel this is still a top notch C-USA defense. The key is that two excellent DL return (Ryan Bee, Gary Thompson) which is one of the first things we look at when forming an opinion on the prospects of any defense. They have also added some talented transfers into the mix and we think Chuck Heater is going be able to shape another solid group.
SPECIAL TEAMS
OK, here is an area of concern. Marshall loses C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year in KR/PR Deandre Reaves who had THREE total return TDs in 2015. They also need to break in a new punter. PK Nick Smith returns for his junior season and made 18/25 FGs last year but was just 1/5 from 40+ yards.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 7.0
MEGALOCKS says:
The schedule is kind to the Thundering Herd to start the season. They do not play their first FBS opponent until September 17th (Akron) which should have them fresh and ready to go when they tackle Louisville and Pittsburgh. North Texas kicks off their C-USA schedule on October 8th.
Overall, we give the THUNDERING HERD a 7.0 ATS Value Rating (Good) this season. Marshall has the most important elements on offense nailed down. Chase Litton looks like a keeper at QB and the offensive line is a rock. Chuck Heater will find a way to cobble together a very good to great C-USA defense. They just need to uncover some pieces at RB and WR. HC Doc Holliday has led the Thundering Herd to a 24-14-3 ATS mark (63% !!) over the past three seasons, and unfortunately, we were probably not paying close enough attention. We expect nothing less than another winning season against the number as Marshall is not a team that garners a ton of attention and respect with the national media (even though they should).
Want more Marshall Football ?
Website
http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m-footbl/mars-m-footbl-body.html
News
http://bleacherreport.com/marshall-football
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/marshall_sports/
http://herdinsider.com/football
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/marshall-thundering-herd
Forum
http://www.herdfans.com/12thman/index.php?PHPSESSID=f7ac6336bce5d240993ec44026a9a20c&board=1.0
https://marshall.forums.rivals.com/forums/herd-nation-herd-fans-only.10/
http://www.scout.com/college/marshall/forums/2801-herdhaven
https://twitter.com/HerdFB @HerdFB
https://twitter.com/GrantTraylor @GrantTraylor Grant Traylor
https://twitter.com/Chuckonsports @Chuckonsports Chuck Landon