Nov. 25
Southern Miss 42 ... Marshall 7
Southern Miss clinched the East division title y jumping all
over Marshall forcing four turnovers and getting a blocked punt for a score.
Jeremy Young threw two touchdowns, including a 23-yard pass to Shawn Nelson with
33 seconds left in the first half, and ran for a one-yard score to pull ahead,
and then the running game, helped by turnovers, put things away with Damion
Fletcher and Bobby Weakley each rushing for short scores. Marshall's only score
came on a 14-yard Ahmad Bradshaw run in the first quarter.
Player of the game ...
Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher ran 25 times for 151 yards and a touchdown
Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 4-9, 74 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 21-110, 1 TD Receiving: Matt
Morris, 2-43
Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 14-19, 135 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 25-151, 1 TD Receiving: Shawn
Nelson, 6-63, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
With bowl eligibility on the line and a shot to make a big statement, Marshall
came out against Southern Miss with a big, fat thud. Ahmad Bradshaw was his
normal amazing self, but Bernard Morris was awful throwing the ball and Jimmy
Skinner didn't get a chance to do enough, while the defense was run over, around
and through while the secondary wasn't there. This wasn't the type of game the
coaching staff is going to be happy ending the season on.
|
2006
Schedule
2006 Record: 5-7 |
| 9/2 |
at West Virginia L 42-10 |
| 9/9 |
Hofstra W 54-31 |
| 9/16 |
at Kansas State L 23-7 |
| 9/23 |
at Tennessee L 33-7 |
|
10/4 |
UCF L 23-22 |
| 10/14 |
at SMU L 31-21 |
| 10/21 |
at UAB W 31-24 |
| 10/28 |
Memphis W 41-27 |
| 11/4 |
Tulane W 42-21 |
| 11/11 |
at East Carolina L 33-20 |
| 11/18 |
UTEP W 49-21 |
| 11/25 |
at Southern Miss L 42-7 |
|
|
2005
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
6-5
2005 Record:
4-7
Preview
2005 predicted wins
|
| 9/1 |
William & Mary
W 36-24 |
| 9/10 |
Kansas State L 21-19 |
| 9/24 |
at UCF
L 23-13 |
| 10/1 |
SMU
W 16-13 OT |
| 10/8 |
at Virginia Tech L 41-14 |
| 10/15 |
UAB
W 20-19 |
| 10/22 |
at UTEP L 31-3 |
| 10/29 |
at Tulane W 27-26 |
| 11/8 |
So. Miss
L 27-24 OT |
| 11/19 |
East Carolina
L 34-29 |
| 11/26 |
at Memphis L 26-3 |
|
Nov. 18
Marshall 49 ... UTEP 21
Ahmad Bradshaw ran wild rolling up 261 yards and five
touchdowns scoring from six, 25, seven, two and two yards out as Marshall became
bowl eligible. UTEP outgained the Herd 401 yards to 394, but got rolled on the
ground 259 yards to 25 and was never in it after the first quarter. The Herd
also got a 42-yard Court Edmonson touchdown catch and a two-yard Cody Slate run,
but it was Bradshaw's day controlling the tempo and the clock averaging 6.5
yards per carry. Jordan Palmer ran for a one-yard score and hooked up with
Johnnie Lee Higgins on a 65-yard touchdown pass, but threw three interceptions.
Player of the game ...
Marshall RB Ahmad
Bradshaw ran for 261 yards and five touchdowns on 40 carries.
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Jordan Palmer, 33-47, 376 yds,
1 TD, 3 INTs
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 4-33 Receiving: Chris Marrow, 9-79
Marshall - Passing: Jimmy Skinner, 5-13, 135 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 40-261, 5 TDs Receiving: Cody Slate, 3-82
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Ahmad Bradshaw likely won't be in the picture for
the Conference USA Player of the Year, but he showed against UTEP that he
deserves consideration. He carried the offense taking the pressure off this
passing game and put it away by reading every right hole and making every
correct decision. Now the Herd is in range of being bowl eligible needing to
beat Southern Miss next week, but the Golden Eagles, looking to win the
division, will be well motivated.
Nov. 11
East Carolina 33 ... Marshall 20
East Carolina got up 13-0 in the first half on two of Robert
Lee's four field goals and a Brandon Fractious one-yard touchdown run off a
turnover, and was never threatened the rest of the way. Marshall's running game
was stuffed gaining just 37 yards even though Ahmad Bradshaw ran for two short
touchdown runs. ECU WR Aundre Allison threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Steven
Rogers and James Pinkney threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Henry.
Player of the game ...
East Carolina QB
James Pinkney completed 21 of 27 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: James Pinkney,
21-27, 270 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Fractious, 16-67, 1 TD Receiving: Aundre
Allison, 6-46
Marshall - Passing: Jimmy Skinner, 24-45, 285 yds, 1 TD, 1
INT
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 10-26, 2 TD Receiving: Cody
Slate, 9-140, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The Herd offense never got anything
consistently going against East Carolina hurt by three turnovers and not nearly
enough of a running game. Jimmy Skinner didn't get nearly enough big plays down
the field and wasn't able to carry the day with Ahmad Bradshaw getting stopped
over and over again. The MU run defense did a nice job of stuffing the Pirate
running game with Albert McClellan having a whale of a game with 4.5 tackles for
loss and two forced fumbles. If the front can get into the backfield on a
regular basis against UTEP next week to disrupt Jordan Palmer, MU will have a
chance.
Nov. 4
Marshall 42 .. Tulane 21
Marshall got up 21-0 with a Bernard Morris touchdown run, a
nine-yard scoring pass to Cody Slate, and a 44-yard interception return for a
touchdown from Zearri Mathews, but Tulane tired it up by the third quarter
thanks to Matt Forte touchdown runs and a 15-yard Preston Brown scoring catch.
The Herd bounced back owning the fourth quarter with Jimmy Skinner, filling in
for an injured Morris, throwing three touchdown passes.
Player of the game ...
Marshall QB Jimmy
Skinner completed nine of 11 passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns with an
interception
Stat Leaders: Tulane - Passing: Lester Ricard, 26-46, 262
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Matt Forte, 19-61, 2 TD Receiving: Matt Forte, 5-80
Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 16-22, 227 yds, 1 TD, 1
INT
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 22-138 Receiving: Cody Slate, 7-84,
2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The Herd showed great heart coming back
after all the momentum went Tulane's was after the third quarter. Jimmy Skinner
was magnificent off the bench, and now he might have to be the main man after
Bernard Morris got hurt. Ahmad Bradshaw was his normal fantastic self. Bowl
eligibility is still possible, but it'll likely take wins in the final three
games to get a 13th game. to beat ECU, UTEP and Southern Miss, the D has to be
far tighter on third downs.
Oct. 28
Marshall 41 ... Memphis 27
The Marshall defense forced four turnovers and the offense got
three touchdowns from Ahmad Bradshaw. The Herd got up 35-13 in the third quarter
on Bradshaw runs from 52 and 26 yards out, and then the D closed any hope of a
Tiger comeback with an 85-yard C.J. Spillman interception return for a score.
The Herd passing game also got in the act with a 75-yard Cody Slater touchdown
catch and a 14-yard grab from Emmanuel Spann. Memphis moved the ball, but the
turnovers proved too costly. Martin Hankins threw two touchdown passes for
the Tigers.
Player of the game ...
Marshall RB Ahmad
Bradshaw had 125 yards and two scores on 25 carries to go along with one catch
for 26 yards and another touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Memphis - Passing: Martin Hankins, 26-42, 322
yds, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
Rushing: Joseph Doss, 20-80, 1 TD Receiving: Carlos Singleton,
6-70
Marshall - Passing: Jimmy Skinner, 13-21, 184 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 25-125, 2 TDs Receiving: Cody Slate,
4-135, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
With two straight wins and a winnable game against
Tulane coming up, Marshall is suddenly in the hunt for a bowl game. Ahmad
Bradshaw has taken the offense on his shoulders, coming through with several big
runs against Memphis after getting bottled up early, while the defense bent, but
didn't break all that often. Preventing the big play will be key against the
suddenly hot Green Wave attack.
Oct. 21
Marshall 31 ... UAB 24
Marshall RB Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 242 yards with touchdown
dashes of 26 and 67 yards, and was able to run out the clock with runs of 11 and
ten yards. UAB stayed alive helped by a 45-yard Marculus Elliott touchdown run,
a scoring run from Chris Williams and a 34-yard scoring pass to Jordan Ervin,
but was never able to get the lead.
Player of the game ...
Marshall RB Ahmad
Bradshaw ran 25 times for 242 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 5-7, 100
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 25-242, 2 TD Receiving: Matt Morris,
2-59, 1 TD
UAB - Passing: Chris Williams, 18-30, 205 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Marculus Elliott, 14-129, 1 TD Receiving:
Willie Edwards, 4-59
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Marshall got back on track breaking a four-game
losing streak, and getting its first win over a D-I team this year, thanks to
Ahmad Bradshaw. He rumbled over UAB keeping control of the game and the clock
with the Herd hanging on to the ball for over 18 minutes in the second half.
Bernard Morris didn't have to do anything for the passing game, but he was solid
on third downs helping the Herd convert eight of 11 chances. With home game
against Memphis and Tulane coming up, a 4-5 record is possible before the tough
finishing kick.
Oct. 14
SMU 31 ... Marshall 21
SMU QB Justin Willis came off the bench to bomb away for four
touchdown passes including a seven-yard pass to Zack Sledge to start off the
scoring in the second quarter and a 17-yard pass to Ryan Kennedy to finish it
off. Marshall lost four turnovers spoiling a big day from Ahmad Bradshaw, who
ran fro two short touchdowns in the second quarter. Marcus Firzgerald caught a
25-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Herd the lead, but the
defense couldn't slow down Willis, who led the way to an 11-play, 80 yard drive
to answered finishing off with a seven-yard touchdown pass.
Player of the game ...
SMU QB Justin
Willis went 20-of-23 for 208 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing 34 yards
on 13 carries.
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 19-32,
192 yds, 1 TD, 3 INTs
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 20-91, 2 TDs Receiving: Matt Morris,
6-62
SMU - Passing: Justin Willis, 20-23, 208 yds, 4 TDs
Rushing: Johnnie Fitzgerald, 11-45 Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders,
6-62, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Marshall's defense hasn't been able to hold
on in the fourth quarter and in crunch time, and it's proven costly in the last
two games. Now on a four-game losing streak, and having failed to be at D-I team
so far, Marshall's season is quickly slipping away despite not playing any of
the Conference USA big boys so far. The pass defense has to be tougher against
the short to midrange passes, and more is needed out of Bernard Morris and the
passing game. Stopping the turnovers would be nice.
Oct. 4
UCF 23 ... Marshall 22
Michael Torres connected on his third 22-yard field goal of
the game with seven seconds to play to pull out the win. Marshall battled its
way into the lead on two fourth quarter Anthony Binswanger field goals including
a 50-yard bomb to put the Herd up by two, but UCF QB Steven Moffett led a
76-yard drive in less than three minutes to get Torres in a position to get the
win. Moffet started off the second half with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Mike
Walker, and in the quarterback rotation, Kyle Israel ran for a two-yard score in
the second quarter.
Player of the game ... UCF RB Kevin Smith ran 26 times
for 166 yards.
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard
Morris, 14-22, 136 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 18-181, 1 TD . Receiving:
Hiram Moore, 7-62
UCF - Passing: Steven Moffett, 13-19, 165
yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kevin Smith, 26-166. Receiving:
Javid James, 5-86
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Now we
get to see just how mentally tough Marshall is. After losing an emotional
heartbreaker to UCF, the Herd has to quickly find its focus in road games at SMU
and UAB. Lose those two, and the season quickly goes into the tank. Win them,
and Conference USA title hopes are still alive. The offense had a nice night and
the defense did a good job, in general, of forcing field goals instead of
allowing touchdowns, but it couldn't stop the momentum on UCF's final drive and
it couldn't come up with one big play to turn things around late. Even in
defeat, RB Ahmad Bradshaw showed why he needs to be in the mix for
All-Conference honors; he was terrific.
Sept. 23
Tennessee 33 ... Marshall 7
The game was delayed for almost an hour by bad weather, and
then Tennessee provided the thunder and lightning with a 47-yard touchdown pass
to Jayson Swain and an 89-yard dash from LaMarcus Coker on the way to 434 yards
and the easy win. Marshall made it 9-7 finishing up a 92-yard drive with a
one-yard Bernard Morris scoring run. but couldn't do much else finishing with
236 yard of total offense and never threatened again. James Wilhoit nailed a
49-yard field goal for the Vols in the third quarter.
Player of the game ...
Tennessee RB LaMarcus Coker
led the Vols with 146 yards rushing and a touchdown on just eight carries.
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 8-14, 110
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 24-72 Receiving: Cody Slate, 5-45
Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 18-27, 258 yds, 1 TD, 1
INT
Rushing: LaMarcus Coker, 8-146, 1 TD Receiving: Robert Meachem, 6-76
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Marshall just didn't have the
offense to stay with Tennessee, and it didn't have nearly enough speed or
athleticism on defense to have a prayer of staying in the game once the big run
came. Bernie Morris made a few good pass plays, just not nearly enough of them.
The focus now goes on UCF, and to come up with a huge Conference USA win,
Marshall needs more from the ground game. Ahmad Bradshaw might be running for
yards, but the team only averaged 2.6 yards per run against the Vols.
Sept. 16
Kansas State 23 ... Marshall 7
Kansas State's defense forced three turnovers and the special
teams helped set up an early three-yard Thomas Clayton touchdown run with a
blocked punt. Marshall tied it at seven when J.J. Johnson returned a blocked
punt for a score, but the Herd only managed 142 total yards and saw any hopes
get snuffed out by turnovers. The Wildcats got three Jeff Snodgrass field goals
and a 44-yard Jermaine Moreira touchdown catch.
Player of the game ...
Kansas State FS
Marcus Watts forced two fumbles and had a sack and an interception as the
Wildcats held Marshall to just 142 total yards.
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 16-28, 92
yds, 2 INTs
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 9-55 Receiving: Cody Slate, 3-20
Kansas State - Passing: Dylan Meier, 19-35, 256 yds, 1 TD,
1 INT
Rushing: Thomas Clayton, 18-76, 1 TD Receiving: Jermaine Moreira,
4-95, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After
such a great offensive performance against Hofstra, things went into the tank
against Kansas State with nothing from the ground game and nothing to get
excited about from the passing attack. This isn't a team built to win through
the air with Bernard Morris only completing one reasonably long throw. If Ahmad
Bradshaw isn't rolling on offense, Marshall is in big trouble. The defense was
fine against a mediocre Kansas State offense and will have to be even stronger
next week at Tennessee.
Sept. 9
Marshall 54 ... Hofstra 31
Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 152 yards and four touchdowns and QB
Bernard Morris ran for 151 yards and threw for two scores as Marshall outgained
Hofstra 313 rushing yards to -3. Hofstra jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on a
45-yard Shaine Smith touchdown catch and, following a Herd turnover, on a
seven-yard Kareem Huggins run. Then Marshall went nuts going on a 33-3 run with
Bradshaw scoring runs from 24, 7, 40 and 30 yards out and highlighted by a
40-yard fumble return for a score from Shavar Greer to put the game away.
Player of the game ... Marshall QB Bernard Morris
completed 20 of 27 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns and ran 14 times for
151 yards
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard
Morris, 20-27, 153 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 17-152, 4 TD. Receiving:
Emmanuel Spann, 10-97, 1 TD
Hofstra - Passing: Anton Clarkson, 25-49,
256 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Kareem Huggins, 5-17, 1 TD. Receiving:
Shaine Smith, 7-118, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... For at
least one game, Bernie Morris played like the quarterback Marshall has been
hoping he'd become ripping apart Hofstra with his arm as well as his legs. The
overall ground game was fantastic with Ahmad Bradshaw tearing off yards in
chunks averaging 8.9 yards per carry. In a relief role, Jimmy Skinner was great
completing five of six passes for 53 yards and a score. The 12 penalties were
way too many and the team, overall, was sloppy early, but it's hard to argue
with the offensive explosion. Now it has to continue on the road at Kansas
State.
Sept. 2
West Virginia 42 ... Marshall 10
Steve Slaton ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns and Pat
White connected with Brandon Myles for two touchdowns as West Virginia coasted
to a surprisingly easy win. The Mountaineers tore off 312 rushing yards and were
never threatened holding on to the ball for over 32 minutes. Marshall was down
21-0 before getting its only touchdown on a 21-yard Matt Morris touchdown catch.
Player of the game ... West Virginia RB Steve Slaton
ran 33 times for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard
Morris, 12-22, 168 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 18-70. Receiving:
Matt Morris, 3-63, 1 TD
West Virginia - Passing: Pat White,
10-14, 168 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Steve Slaton, 33-203, 2 TD. Receiving:
Brandon Myles, 3-33, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
For all the excitement and all
the anticipation about the big rivalry battle with West Virginia, Marshall
played like it needed a few warm up games. There were too many penalties, too
many turnovers, and too many overall mistakes to stay with a team as good as the
Mountaineers. The defense has to be much better at coming up with a third down
stop. Hofstra should be far easier to slow down next week than West Virginia.
2006 Marshall Preview
Offense |
Defense |
Depth Chart |
Further Analysis
Last year appeared to be a step back to take a big
leap forward.
It was a big season of change for the Marshall program with the
beginning of the Mark Snyder era as well as the first season in
Conference USA. While the league was there for the taking, Marshall
couldn't find enough offense and had way too many problems with its
consistency to make much of a dent on the way to the program's first
losing season since the move up to D-I in 1997.
Known for offensive fireworks with players like Randy Moss, Byron
Leftwich and Chad Pennington, Marshall had problems putting points
on the board averaging a league low 18.55 per game with the best
output of the season coming against D-IAA William & Mary.
The optimist looks at
2005 and notices the team was this close to finishing 7-4
with a loss to Kansas State late on an all-time bonehead play, a
loss to
Southern Miss in overtime, and a loss to East Carolina by five. The
pessimist looks at last year and notices that MU was five
points away from going winless against D-I teams and finishing 1-10.
So which is
it? Is Marshall on the verge of being a contender in Conference USA, or
is it still a few years away from getting the talent to where Snyder and
his staff need it to be? Most likely it'll be a contender.
21
starters return with the biggest boost in production likely to be on
offense with quarterback Bernie Morris and Jimmy Skinner a year older
and wiser after their first seasons in the new system. four returning
starters to the offensive line, the receiving corps is loaded with
experience, and all-star back Ahmad Bradshaw will do everything to carry
the attack when needed. Top linebacker recruit Josh Johnson and receiver
Darius Passmore provide an instant upgrade to the overall talent level.
The defense should be better against the run with a good linebacking
corps coming back led by Matt Couch and Dennis Thornton (though they
might be combining to play one spot), a big, deep line, and a secondary
that likely won't be too bad if a second corner emerges to help out J.J.
Johnson.
If UCF and Tulsa can rise up and be stars in Conference USA, then a team
with the experience, potential, and coaching staff at Marshall can
certainly play for the title. The program has been too good for too long
to be lousy two seasons in a row.
The
Schedule: Seven
games are on the road starting out with the one Herd fans really want at
West Virginia. Yes, Marshall played well against Kansas State last
season, but the team has to expect a loss on the trip to Manhattan and at
Tennessee before the Conference USA opener, and most likely, the team's
make-or-break game in the East race against UCF. Missing Tulsa
and Houston from the West helps, but playing UTEP at home isn't a plus. The final three games
are nasty going away to play East Carolina and Southern Miss from the
East, and both are better, to go along with the game against the Miners.
Best
Offensive Player: Junior RB Ahmad Bradshaw. He not only led the team
in rushing, he also led the Herd in receiving as a one-man show at times
for the attack. Most importantly this season, he has to stay healthy
with little in the way of developed depth behind him. He could be the
type of difference maker who finishes as the Conference USA Player of
the Year while carrying the Herd to the title.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior SS Curtis Keyes. Back for yet another year
as an all-star, the senior has to be even better as the only returning
starter to the nation's 12th best pass defense. He's a huge hitting
safety with 233 career tackles, but his production against the pass has
dipped a bit as he has been needed more against the run.
Key player
to a successful season: Junior QB Bernie Morris and/or senior QB
Jimmy Skinner. Throw senior Derek Devine in the mix, too. The Herd can't
be in the Conference USA title race if it's another year of musical
quarterbacks. Morris needs to be the star of the show with his running
ability and overall potential to make big things happen, but Skinner and
Devine are better passers. The starter has to crank out more production
than the Herd got last year.
The season
will be a success if ... Marshall wins the East. The league is better, but it's not all
that great with a good team able to rise up in a hurry. Marshall has way
too much experienced to be as bad as last year and needs to make winning
the East the main goal.
Key game:
Sept. 2 at West Virginia. Of course the divisional showdowns with
UCF, East Carolina and Southern Miss are more important, but a win over
the Mountaineers would probably mean even more to Herd fans than a
Conference USA title. In any event, beating the Sugar Bowl champions and
ruining their national title dreams would be the type of win that could
spark a good Herd team to really big things.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: Marshall 75 - Opponents 39
- Penalties: Opponents 70 for 541 yards - Marshall 58 for 426 yards
- Rushing yards per game: Opponents 161.8 - Marshall 127.2
The Last Time
Marshall…
…played in a bowl game…2004 (Fort Worth Bowl vs. Cincinnati)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2003 (Ohio)
…was shutout…2000 (Toledo)
…scored 50 points…2002 (Buffalo)
…went undefeated…1999
…won a conference title…2002 (MAC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2002 (Byron Leftwich)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2003 (Earl Charles)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2001 (Darius Watts)
…had a first-round draft choice…2003 (QB Byron Leftwich)
