BOCA RATON, FL— Doc Holliday let everyone know exactly where he thought his football team should be following its 52-23 win over Northern Illinois in the Boca Raton Bowl.
“I’d expect us to be back in the top 25, if we don’t we know something’s wrong,” Holliday said matter-of-factly during the postgame trophy presentation.
Marshall was in the Associated Press and Amway Coaches Poll Top 25 poll throughout much of the season and had finally cracked into the CFB Playoff Committee poll the week prior to losing its only game of the season, in overtime to Western Kentucky. Following the loss Marshall fell from both polls and was eliminated from contention for the coveted New Year’s bowl game.
“I hear about our schedule but look at our schedule at the end of the year and evaluate it. We played plenty of bowl eligible teams. This a great football team that can play with anybody,” insisted Holliday.
Holliday also praised the 19 seniors who played their final game for the Thundering Herd.
“This senior class will go down as the senior class that changed the culture of Marshall football and got us back to winning championships,” pointed out Holliday.
And he is right.
This senior class finishes with three bowl wins, a Conference USA title.
“Our guys work hard, they’re good players, they’re well coached and when you put all of that together you got a pretty good shot at winning.”