HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Thundering Herd is concentrating on the two “F’s” as it takes the field against Norfolk State Saturday afternoon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium: focus and fundamentals. Both were lacking in the 21-10 loss to rival Ohio University seven days ago.
“Any time you have that many missed assignments, your team is not on the same page, you’re not playing together. We put ourselves in a hole early. I think five of the first six possessions we had were first-and-20 and first-and-25. We’ve just got to do a better job of being mentally locked in and with our technique just working the heck out of that in practice this week,” assessed senior offensive lineman Clint Van Horn.
The lack of mental focus was evident in the 16 penalties for over 150 yards last Saturday.
We had way too many penalties. Every time I looked up it was first down and 25, we gain eight then it’s second and 17,” said Doc Holliday. “I know we were prepared and I know the hotel was no different. We won eight straight games on the road and we were no different in the hotel or wherever we went. We just didn’t execute on offense.”
Entering Saturday’s game with Norfolk State, Marshall’s goal is to eliminate the miscues and jumpstart the offense, which could get a surge from true freshman quarterback Chase Litton. Holliday announced earlier in the week Litton would see action, noting at some point the quarterback needs to make plays.
“You have to make plays at the quarterback position and we didn’t make enough plays against Ohio University in order to win that football game,” said Holliday.
Marshall will need its fundamentals against a Spartan team that can present problems if teams take them too lightly. Offensively, Greg Hankerson transferred in from FAU where he played in 16 games for the Owls. Hankerson is a mobile quarterback has the ability to get on the edge of the defense and create mismatches.
“We knew some people on the staff that thought that Hankerson was going to be their quarterback of the future,” recalled Holliday. “He’s talented and he’s a pain in the neck. He can beat you with his feet. You know, Rutgers has some good players. They can make plays in spades and he made a lot of guys miss and did the same thing against Old Dominion.”
Defensively, middle linebacker Deon King recorded a career-high 21 tackles for the Spartans last week against Old Dominion. King is a two-time All-MEAC performer and currently leads the MEAC with 33 tackles. In the last two seasons, King has logged 190 tackles and 17 sacks for the Spartans.
Up front Norfolk State’s nose guard is built like a boulder. Junior Shawn Fauntleroy, Jr. stands just 5-9, but weighs in at 305 pounds. He’ll be lined up across from center Michael Selby.
“He’s big and stumpy, low to the ground which is good for what he does playing nose guard,” said center Michael Selby.
On paper, Norfolk State is overmatched. It has not scored an offensive touchdown in two games and Marshall’s superior depth alone should be enough to chalk up a decisive victory. However, if the Herd is not technically sound and commits the same penalties that put it behind Ohio, Doc Holliday will not enjoy watching the film on Sunday.