10:06am: Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval

Tuesday Takeaways: Herd takes care of business in non-conference

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.—Marshall has reached the bye week 4-0 as predicted. The Herd took care of business in the first four games which included blowing out Ohio and avoiding a possible trap game with Akron. A third of the season is in the books and aside from a lull in the third quarter against Miami (OH), Marshall has embraced and lived up to expectations, so far.

Offense overpowering opponents
The Herd is averaging 45.5 points per game, which is 10th in the nation. It is the first time since 1938, when Cam Henderson was the head coach, that Marshall has started the year scoring 40 points or more in its first four ball games. It’s 597 total yards per game is fourth best in the country and it is 13th in then nation with 286 yards rushing per game.

And Marshall has not trailed yet this season.

Don’t forget about defense
Marshall’s defensive numbers are equally as staggering. The opposition is averaging just 16.3 points a game, 16th best in the country. Marshall is holding opponents to 25 percent on third down conversions and while the Herd has rushed for 1,144 yards and 13 touchdowns this year, opponents have rushed for a total 397 yards and one touchdown.

How good is the Herd?
Marshall is good, but I still don’t know how good. We don’t know how much Miami (OH) has really improved from last season or how much Ohio is trying to adjust to life without Tyler Tettleton. Was Akron really that good that it hung with Penn State and had a chance against the Nittnay Lions or is Penn State that far down as it rebuilds? I’m simply not certain at this point.

We may not get a true idea of just how good this team is until the end of the season.

Road woes over
Marshall is starting to buck the trend of struggling on the road. Going back to last season’s game at Middle Tennessee and including the Military Bowl in Annapolis, MD, Marshall is averaging 42.8 points a game. It has won four of those five road games, including the bowl game in Maryland’s backyard. Much that can be credited to the veterans on the team stepping up and taking ownership of program and providing the leadership Doc Holliday has been looking for.

Ranking the Group of 5
While the coaches and players are only focusing on the next game on the schedule, the reality is Marshall is playing for December in September. Marshall is the only 4-0 team among the Group of 5 teams. As it stands right now, East Carolina, Marshall, Cincinnati and Boise St. would be by top four.

Remember the automatic bid for a G-5 team goes to the highest ranked conference champion.





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