Balancing business, fun key to Herd’s success in bowl games

— by Bill Cornwell

TAMPA, Fla. — The Marshall football team had early starts to each day so far in Tampa Bay as the Herd prepares for its Gasparilla Bowl matchup Thursday night with South Florida. 

Marshall held 7:15 am practices on both Monday and Tuesday at Tampa Catholic High School and a final closed practice is set for Wednesday.

Marshall puts a six-game bowl winning streak on the line as it faces the Bulls at 8 p.m. Raymond James Stadium, which happens to be USF’s home field as well as the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

USF has won two straight bowls

The game will be televised by ESPN.

Marshall (8-4, 6-2 in Conference USA) enters winners of three of its last four regular season games, while the Bulls (7-5, 3-5 in the American Conference) are losers of five straight.

The game pits two former co-workers in Marshall’s head coach, Doc Holliday, and South Florida’s head man, Charlie Strong. The two were part of Urban Meyer’s Florida staff more than a decade ago and helped coach the Gators to a national title in 2006. 

Holliday says Strong is a solid leader.

“Charlie never had a bad day and he’s a great motivator and tremendous recruiter,” Holliday said. “He also has been a great developer of players and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Holliday has a 1-0 record against his former coaching mate as Marshall defeated Strong’s Louisville team 17-13 in 2011. 

Both coaches are bowl winners, as Holliday is 5-0 at Marshall and Strong is 4-3 in stops at Louisville, Texas and USF.

Holliday says a reason his teams have been so successful in bowls is that they’ve known how to balance the fun and business aspects of the game.

“You want these kids to come down here and have a good time and that’s what bowls are all about, but you understand that you’re here to win a game,” Holliday said. “Teams that are able to have fun, then lock back in and work are usually the ones that are successful.”

Herd senior defensive lineman Ryan Bee agrees with his head coach that knowing how to balance fun and work has made Marshall a consistent bowl winner.

“A lot of teams think of a bowl trip as a vacation,” Bee said. “You have to enjoy it, but when it’s time to lock in and prepare, that’s what you’ve got to do and that’s what we do as a team.”

Herd senior wide receiver Tyre Brady is ending his college career near home as the Homestead, Florida native plays his final college game in his home state.

“I know a few of their guys and we have so many guys on our team from Florida, so it’s a blessing to finish it all here,” Brady said.

NOTES: Tuesday was a day of camaraderie for the teams at the Gasparilla Bowls as both Marshall and USF players took part in a bike-building contest, with local youth receiving the bikes produced. Coaches and a few team members also visited two Tampa-area children’s hospitals. 

The participating school bands also got into the action with a “Battle of the Bands” event on the sand at Treasure Island Beach along the Gulf of Mexico.

Wednesday morning before a walkthrough at Raymond James Stadium comes one of the most anticipated events for players at any bowl — a visit to the Gift Suite, where players will likely get a chance to choose from among electronics, phones, leather goods and some athletic gear.





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