HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall’s offense opened up and allowed Chase Litton to throw the ball around the field Saturday against Charlotte and the result was 486 yards passing and over 500 yards of total offense.
Was that a sign of things to come?
Maybe. For the first time since Litton took over as the starter, offensive coordinator Bill Legg loosened the reins on the young quarterback and turned him loose. Litton exploited one-on-one matchups on the outside and got nine different receivers involved in the offense. Marshall even abandoned its conservative approach of “don’t make mistakes and play good defense,” converting three fourth down opportunities.
While Charlotte, is no juggernaut, its defense is statistically at the top of Conference USA. The 49ers were third in total defense and 4th in passing defense coming into the game.
No Fly Zone
Marshall is now first in the country in pass efficiency defense. It is only allowing 4.8 yards per pass attempt and has 71 passes defended. It is still third in the country, holding opponents to just 46.8 percent pass completions and its 11th in the nation with 12 interceptions.
That all adds up to allowing just 16.1 points a game, 10th best in the land.
On the road again
The Herd has not lost a road conference game since the 2013 season. That came in Murfreesboro in a wild game that saw Middle Tennessee snatch a 51-49 victory on the final play of the game. The Blue Raiders were on a bye this past week giving them extra time to prepare for the Herd. MTSU is 4th in C-USA averaging 34.6 points a game but 7th in scoring defense giving up 30.8 points a game.
Charlotte is doing it right
Eventually Charlotte will be a good addition to Conference USA. The football program still in its infancy but coach Brad Lambert is building the program on a tough rushing attack and good defense. It will become more competitive each year. Also, the facilities were done right. Instead of constructing a stadium that would only be half full, Charlotte built a 15,000 seat facility that has an intimate feel and good atmosphere. The site was also prepared to expand the stadium if and when that time comes.