YES, MARSHALL began its 2010 season with a grim 45-7 setback to Ohio State. It was even worse that the Thundering Herd fell behind 35-7 at the half.
The obvious question: Is Ohio State all that, or is Marshall facing a long season? The latter might be answered more clearly on Friday, when West Virginia comes calling at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
I saw a lot to like about the Buckeyes, and I fully realize the Herd will face nothing like that team, not this or any other week. But boy, do I have questions about this Herd team, such as:
What will the coaching staff do to retrieve tight end Lee Smith from the witness protection program?
Is Andre Booker really a better running back than Martin Ward? Or would Troy Evans be a better fit in the backfield than at slot receiver, where he seems to drop everything thrown his way?
Will WVU quarterback Geno Smith have a Terrelle Pryor-like game Friday, what with the Herd defense having to honor Noel Devine?
With Eddie Sullivan playing in the opener, do the coaches expect him to seize the starting job from Brian Anderson in midseason? (Yep, I'd say.)
Should Marshall have ever agreed to play Ohio State?
Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely, I will not second-guess Marshall for going to Columbus.
It may be the last one-and-done "buy" game the Herd plays for a while, which is good. The intentions were honorable, as the $850,000-guarantee game was going to pit OSU coach Jim Tressel against protégé Mark Snyder.
(Did I see Snyder, now defensive coordinator at South Florida, saying, "I hadn't even thought about" the OSU-Herd contest. Wonder if he'll "accidentally" flip on ESPN the Wednesday night when the Herd tries to reverse its five-game losing streak against Central Florida.)
When you look at other games around the nation, the Herd's looks a lot better. I'm quickly drawn to the Oregon-New Mexico train wreck, in which the Lobos kept it down to 59-0 at the half. The Ducks eased up for a 72-0 win, piling up 720 total yards.
Personally, I like the Herd's 2010 slate. Play an "anyone, anywhere, anytime" game at Ohio State, take your lumps and play the archrival at home, battle a couple of MAC teams and plunge into the conference schedule. Six road, six away, all alternating, and no Coastal Carolina. I like it.
nn
Yes, I'm busting on WVU for scheduling the Chanticleers (and not dismembering them, as it turns out). I understand the economics, but refuse to accept it.
My philosophy is simple: Home football games are precious commodities, even at schools that feel they must schedule seven or eight every season. Fans should feel as if they're being taken.
You could try to say Ohio State did the same by scheduling Marshall last week. OK, but wait until Eastern Michigan visits The Horseshoe in a few weeks. The Buckeyes could win with their scout team.
The funniest moment of last week came when the subject of cupcake scheduling was taken up on ESPN radio one afternoon. A Mountaineer fan called in and spewed the irrational rant about how WVU should drop the Marshall game.
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Questions about Herd linger after loss to OSU
YES, MARSHALL began its 2010 season with a grim 45-7 setback to Ohio State. It was even worse that the Thundering Herd fell behind 35-7 at the half.
The obvious question: Is Ohio State all that, or is Marshall facing a long season? The latter might be answered more clearly on Friday, when West Virginia comes calling at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
I saw a lot to like about the Buckeyes, and I fully realize the Herd will face nothing like that team, not this or any other week. But boy, do I have questions about this Herd team, such as:
What will the coaching staff do to retrieve tight end Lee Smith from the witness protection program?
Is Andre Booker really a better running back than Martin Ward? Or would Troy Evans be a better fit in the backfield than at slot receiver, where he seems to drop everything thrown his way?
Will WVU quarterback Geno Smith have a Terrelle Pryor-like game Friday, what with the Herd defense having to honor Noel Devine?
With Eddie Sullivan playing in the opener, do the coaches expect him to seize the starting job from Brian Anderson in midseason? (Yep, I'd say.)
Should Marshall have ever agreed to play Ohio State?
Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely, I will not second-guess Marshall for going to Columbus.
It may be the last one-and-done "buy" game the Herd plays for a while, which is good. The intentions were honorable, as the $850,000-guarantee game was going to pit OSU coach Jim Tressel against protégé Mark Snyder.
(Did I see Snyder, now defensive coordinator at South Florida, saying, "I hadn't even thought about" the OSU-Herd contest. Wonder if he'll "accidentally" flip on ESPN the Wednesday night when the Herd tries to reverse its five-game losing streak against Central Florida.)
When you look at other games around the nation, the Herd's looks a lot better. I'm quickly drawn to the Oregon-New Mexico train wreck, in which the Lobos kept it down to 59-0 at the half. The Ducks eased up for a 72-0 win, piling up 720 total yards.
Personally, I like the Herd's 2010 slate. Play an "anyone, anywhere, anytime" game at Ohio State, take your lumps and play the archrival at home, battle a couple of MAC teams and plunge into the conference schedule. Six road, six away, all alternating, and no Coastal Carolina. I like it.
nn
Yes, I'm busting on WVU for scheduling the Chanticleers (and not dismembering them, as it turns out). I understand the economics, but refuse to accept it.
My philosophy is simple: Home football games are precious commodities, even at schools that feel they must schedule seven or eight every season. Fans should feel as if they're being taken.
You could try to say Ohio State did the same by scheduling Marshall last week. OK, but wait until Eastern Michigan visits The Horseshoe in a few weeks. The Buckeyes could win with their scout team.
The funniest moment of last week came when the subject of cupcake scheduling was taken up on ESPN radio one afternoon. A Mountaineer fan called in and spewed the irrational rant about how WVU should drop the Marshall game.
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YES, MARSHALL began its 2010 season with a grim 45-7 setback to Ohio State. It was even worse that the Thundering Herd fell behind 35-7 at the half.
The obvious question: Is Ohio State all that, or is Marshall facing a long season? The latter might be answered more clearly on Friday, when West Virginia comes calling at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
I saw a lot to like about the Buckeyes, and I fully realize the Herd will face nothing like that team, not this or any other week. But boy, do I have questions about this Herd team, such as:
What will the coaching staff do to retrieve tight end Lee Smith from the witness protection program?
Is Andre Booker really a better running back than Martin Ward? Or would Troy Evans be a better fit in the backfield than at slot receiver, where he seems to drop everything thrown his way?
Will WVU quarterback Geno Smith have a Terrelle Pryor-like game Friday, what with the Herd defense having to honor Noel Devine?
With Eddie Sullivan playing in the opener, do the coaches expect him to seize the starting job from Brian Anderson in midseason? (Yep, I'd say.)
Should Marshall have ever agreed to play Ohio State?
Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely, I will not second-guess Marshall for going to Columbus.
It may be the last one-and-done "buy" game the Herd plays for a while, which is good. The intentions were honorable, as the $850,000-guarantee game was going to pit OSU coach Jim Tressel against protégé Mark Snyder.
(Did I see Snyder, now defensive coordinator at South Florida, saying, "I hadn't even thought about" the OSU-Herd contest. Wonder if he'll "accidentally" flip on ESPN the Wednesday night when the Herd tries to reverse its five-game losing streak against Central Florida.)
When you look at other games around the nation, the Herd's looks a lot better. I'm quickly drawn to the Oregon-New Mexico train wreck, in which the Lobos kept it down to 59-0 at the half. The Ducks eased up for a 72-0 win, piling up 720 total yards.
Personally, I like the Herd's 2010 slate. Play an "anyone, anywhere, anytime" game at Ohio State, take your lumps and play the archrival at home, battle a couple of MAC teams and plunge into the conference schedule. Six road, six away, all alternating, and no Coastal Carolina. I like it.
nn
Yes, I'm busting on WVU for scheduling the Chanticleers (and not dismembering them, as it turns out). I understand the economics, but refuse to accept it.
My philosophy is simple: Home football games are precious commodities, even at schools that feel they must schedule seven or eight every season. Fans should feel as if they're being taken.
You could try to say Ohio State did the same by scheduling Marshall last week. OK, but wait until Eastern Michigan visits The Horseshoe in a few weeks. The Buckeyes could win with their scout team.
The funniest moment of last week came when the subject of cupcake scheduling was taken up on ESPN radio one afternoon. A Mountaineer fan called in and spewed the irrational rant about how WVU should drop the Marshall game.
Yes, Marshall needs to step up and make this game a real rivalry, and coach Doc Holliday said as much Saturday.
"I think it's a great game for both schools," Holliday said. "Since the scheduling went to playing 12 games, it's getting harder and harder to schedule teams. I think it's a game that needs to be played every year, I think it's great for the state, it's great for the economy.
"We need to win the game at some point. For it to be a rivalry, we need to go win that game."
The ESPN hosts politely debunked the caller, saying the instate rivalry game is a good idea. They also gave WVU credit for playing at LSU, which I also do.
And I give credit to any fan demanding a better schedule. But all arguments WVU fans have against playing Marshall sailed out the window forever Saturday, when the Mountaineers welcomed Coastal Carolina to Morgantown.
It's clear that WVU needs Marshall's help to fill schedules, and vice versa.
nn
The Ohio State contest reminded me of another college rule that is almost universally misunderstood, dealing with punts traveling near the goal line.
The Buckeyes' Ben Buchanan punted from the Marshall 40-yard line, bouncing the ball inside the 10. One of his teammates leaped into the end zone, grabbed the ball and tossed it to a teammate on the 1. When the official, in perfect position, signaled a touchback, the home crowd groaned.
The Columbus Dispatch said the call was correct, saying the replay showed that the would-be special teams hero had a foot down in the end zone when he made the jump.
Well, the paper had it right that the call was right. Everything else, not so right.
This isn't the NFL, folks. The college rule is simple, if not simply spelled out in the rulebook: If the punted ball breaks the vertical plane of the goal line, it is in the end zone and the kicking team cannot "save" the ball back into the field of play, basketball-style. Conversely, a kicking-team player standing on the goal line can still down the ball inside the 1-yard line, as long as the ball doesn't hit the goal line.
(If you want to look it up: Rule 2, Section 10, Article 3, 2-11-2 and 6-3-11).
nn
Memo to officials at Ohio State and the Big Ten Network: Don't schedule a weeknight game at Columbus again. Ever. That city was paralyzed by the double traffic curse of rush hour and 105,000 fans heading to the game.
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
Questions about Herd linger after loss to OSU
YES, MARSHALL began its 2010 season with a grim 45-7 setback to Ohio State. It was even worse that the Thundering Herd fell behind 35-7 at the half.
The obvious question: Is Ohio State all that, or is Marshall facing a long season? The latter might be answered more clearly on Friday, when West Virginia comes calling at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
I saw a lot to like about the Buckeyes, and I fully realize the Herd will face nothing like that team, not this or any other week. But boy, do I have questions about this Herd team, such as:
What will the coaching staff do to retrieve tight end Lee Smith from the witness protection program?
Is Andre Booker really a better running back than Martin Ward? Or would Troy Evans be a better fit in the backfield than at slot receiver, where he seems to drop everything thrown his way?
Will WVU quarterback Geno Smith have a Terrelle Pryor-like game Friday, what with the Herd defense having to honor Noel Devine?
With Eddie Sullivan playing in the opener, do the coaches expect him to seize the starting job from Brian Anderson in midseason? (Yep, I'd say.)
Should Marshall have ever agreed to play Ohio State?
Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely, I will not second-guess Marshall for going to Columbus.
It may be the last one-and-done "buy" game the Herd plays for a while, which is good. The intentions were honorable, as the $850,000-guarantee game was going to pit OSU coach Jim Tressel against protégé Mark Snyder.
(Did I see Snyder, now defensive coordinator at South Florida, saying, "I hadn't even thought about" the OSU-Herd contest. Wonder if he'll "accidentally" flip on ESPN the Wednesday night when the Herd tries to reverse its five-game losing streak against Central Florida.)
When you look at other games around the nation, the Herd's looks a lot better. I'm quickly drawn to the Oregon-New Mexico train wreck, in which the Lobos kept it down to 59-0 at the half. The Ducks eased up for a 72-0 win, piling up 720 total yards.
Personally, I like the Herd's 2010 slate. Play an "anyone, anywhere, anytime" game at Ohio State, take your lumps and play the archrival at home, battle a couple of MAC teams and plunge into the conference schedule. Six road, six away, all alternating, and no Coastal Carolina. I like it.
nn
Yes, I'm busting on WVU for scheduling the Chanticleers (and not dismembering them, as it turns out). I understand the economics, but refuse to accept it.
My philosophy is simple: Home football games are precious commodities, even at schools that feel they must schedule seven or eight every season. Fans should feel as if they're being taken.
You could try to say Ohio State did the same by scheduling Marshall last week. OK, but wait until Eastern Michigan visits The Horseshoe in a few weeks. The Buckeyes could win with their scout team.
The funniest moment of last week came when the subject of cupcake scheduling was taken up on ESPN radio one afternoon. A Mountaineer fan called in and spewed the irrational rant about how WVU should drop the Marshall game.
