COMMENTARY
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.— A preliminary peek at the Thundering Herd’s 2015 schedule indicates Marshall could once again be in the conversation for the coveted Group of 5 New Year’s bowl bid. However, the success of Marshall’s 2015 football season could hinge on the first and last regular-season games.
Conference USA released its football schedules for the 2015 season Monday afternoon and the Thundering Herd should be favored in ten games with two toss-ups at the beginning and end of the year. Marshall opens the season Sept. 5 at home against Big Ten opponent Purdue and finishes the season against the Western Kentucky team that spoiled the Herd’s run for a perfect season in 2014.
The season opener against an opponent from one of the so-called Power 5 conferences immediately addresses the glaring hole in Marshall’s 2014 season that drew criticism all year, although Purdue is certainly not a juggernaut. The Boilermakers went just 3-9 last season with wins over Western Michigan, Southern Illinois and Illinois. In the last three years, Purdue is a combined 10-27 and has had just one winning season since 2008.
Even though Marshall will have a quarterback not named Rakeem Cato starting the season opener for first time in four years, this is a very winnable game for the Herd. Proven playmaker Devon Johnson will anchor the backfield. Outside threats Deon-Tay McManus and Angelo Jean-Louis return and coaches are expecting big things from Hyleck Foster. Defensively, the Herd’s entire secondary is back and will face a Purdue team that was 55th nationally with 223.9 passing yards per game.
The Herd should be favored in the next 10 games, which include home dates against FCS opponent Norfolk State, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, North Texas and FIU. ODU is a program on the rise but still is a year or two from having the depth to be a legit contender in C-USA’s East Division. Southern Miss has been in a perpetual rebuilding mode the last three seasons. North Texas presents a challenge, but Marshall has the edge since the game is in Huntington and FIU is just FIU.
Marshall hits the road with non-conference games at Ohio, Kent State and league matchups at Florida Atlantic, C-USA newcomer Charlotte and Middle Tennessee. No doubt the Herd should handle its Mid-American Conference contests. Marshall’s roster is full of Florida natives who are always psyched to go home, sometimes a little too much while Charlotte is in its first season in the league. Middle Tennessee could be an interesting matchup, considering how Marshall self-destructed in Murfreesboro in 2013, but on paper Marshall has the advantage.
The conference schedule makers are obviously counting on the East Division coming down to the season finale in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Hilltoppers quarterback and C-USA 2014 Most Valuable Player Brandon Doughty is back to lead WKU. He was granted a sixth season of eligibility after suffering season-ending injuries and playing in only two games each in 2011 and 2012. The memory of Doughty’s 491 yard, 8 touchdown performance is still fresh in the minds of Herd fans as WKU dashed Marshall’s perfect season on the final day of the 2014 regular season.
Potential storylines for the Nov. 28 matchup between the Herd and Western Kentucky range from revenge to a conference title. It’s made for a national television broadcast.
However, the biggest X factor in the schedule could be Marshall’s bye week. The Herd will play 11 straight games before its open date on Nov. 21. This year C-USA has 13 scheduling weeks with each team getting a single bye week. Last year, there were 14 weeks to schedule 12 games. It just so happened that Marshall schedule broke down into thirds with bye weeks coming every four weeks.
And Marshall needed the time off to heel some nagging injuries to key players, most notably running back Devon Johnson as his brutal running style started to take its toll late in the year.
There is no reason Marshall should not contend for another east division title and a second straight conference championship. If Marshall can snag a season opening win over a Big Ten school, there is also no reason fans can’t start to dream about more than the Boca Raton Bowl.