2009 Marshall College Football Predictions
It just doesn’t seem right to look back and see that Marshall, one of the premier smaller conference FBS schools, finished 4-8 last season. In fact, the Thundering Herd have now endured four straight losing seasons. Find out if I have this streak will coming to an end in this 2009 NCAA football predictions article.
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Offense – The Thundering Herd are thin at wide receiver and they have questions at quarterback. That means we can expect head coach Mark Snyder to utilize his experienced offensive line and the skills of running back Darius Marshall often in 2009. Marshall has been spectacular since stepping foot on campus. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry as a freshman and 4.9 yards per carry last year when he rolled up 1,099 yards and five touchdowns. Snyder has four seasons under his belt at Marshall and he believes this year’s offensive line is the best unit he has had. He returns tackles C.J. Wood and Ryan Tillman and three others who saw plenty of action in 2008.
The quarterback position is up for grabs with four players competing, including Mark Cann, who started 11 games last season. He threw for 1,767 yards and 14 scores, but completed just 50 percent of his passes and threw 13 picks. Brian Anderson and a pair of highly regarded juco transfers will compete with Cann for the job. While the wide receiver unit is thin, tight end Cody Slate in considered one of the top players at his position in the nation. He caught 40 balls for 510 yards and eight scores in 2008. His speed makes him a very difficult cover for most linebackers. The Marshall offense ranked 97th in the country in 2008, scoring just 20.5 points per game. The Herd will have to pose a threat through the air if they hope to improve on those numbers or we can expect opposing defenses to stack the box against the run.
Defense – Marshall should be strong up front on the defensive side of the football as well with five players returning who started at least five games last season. The team is counting on a big year out of former Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year defensive end Albert McClellan. McClellan missed 2007 with a torn ACL and was not himself while playing with a knee brace in 2008. The brace is now off and he looked great in the spring. Defensive coordinator Rick Minter should put one of the league’s top defensive line units on the field with eight or nine guys capable of logging significant minutes.
Mario Harvey has proven to be a playmaker at the linebacker position. He is coming off a big season with 107 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Experienced safety Ashton Hall leads a secondary which should be improved now that corners DeQuan Bembry and T.J. Drakeford have a year of experience under their belts.
Prediction: 4th Conference USA East – A softer schedule and solid offensive and defensive line units give the Thundering Herd an opportunity to break its streak of four straight losing seasons and I think they get it done. There should be some value in taking Marshall with some of your football picks in 2009.
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