With the announcement of Tulane joining the BIG EAST in all sports and East Carolina in football I’ve heard some grumblings that Marshall has not been mentioned in any of the recent conference reshuffling. I believe the Herald-Dispatch’s Chuck Landon did an excellent job outlining the reasons why but lamenting over what could have been is an exercise in futility.
Reliving the “glory days” and concocting scenarios in which Marshall built on the success of the 1990’s and 2000’s does only leads to frustration and regret over the decisions made by those in power at the time. Instead, Marshall’s athletic program and fans need to keep the focus on the future and seize the opportunity in front of it. That is exactly what Athletic Director Mike Hamrick is doing.
“My focus now, as it has been since I returned here more than three years ago, is on our program at Marshall University, and how we can best build for the future for our coaches and student-athletes,” said Hamrick following the news of Tulane and East Carolina’s departures.
“We should focus on what we can control, and we are doing just that with our $30 million Vision Campaign that will significantly improve and add to our athletic facilities.”
What Marshall can control is its performance on the field and on the court. With the loss of charter members such as Houston and East Carolina and recent powerhouse UCF the new look C-USA will be starving for a football team that can put it on the map and legitimize the conference.
On paper, Marshall can be that team.
Its offense ranked among the top offenses in the country, statistically speaking, and is poised to be even better in 2013 with all but three starters returning. If it can get its defensive issued ironed out, there’s no reason Marshall can’t return to a level a success it once enjoyed in the Mid-American Conference.
The same can be said for basketball. With no Memphis to carry the torch for C-USA the conference needs a team to present to the nation each and every year. One would think Marshall is poised to become that team as soon as this season.
Instead of watching the musical chairs of conference realignment with a bitter attitude, this can be an opportunity for Marshall to reposition itself as a dominant force in the conference. Because there are two ways to get invited to a larger more prestigious conference: have a large TV market (Tulane) or be dominant on the field (Boise State). The Huntington-Charleston TV market is growing by leaps and bounds any time soon.
Defensive Coordinator Search
This will obviously be an interesting hire for a number of reasons but two names that have been swirling out there won’t be taking the job. The Daily Mail’s Chuck McGill is reporting Steve Dunlap and Rick Minter won’t be taking the job.
Curry Getting His Chance
Former Herd defensive end Vinny Curry made his debut with the Eagles Monday night against East Carolina and made of the most of his 21 snaps on the field. Curry made five solo tackles and on Tuesday, the Eagles released pro bowl defensive end Jason Babin. The Eagles stated they want to give the younger guys more playing time down the stretch. Curry will have the rest of the season to prove to the Eagles what Herd fans already know.
That Didn’t Take Long
A year ago, Southern Miss was on top of the C-USA mountain, going 12-2 and knocking off Houston in the conference title game and spoiled the Cougars hopes of crashing the BCS party. Head Coach Larry Fedora moved on to North Carolina and the Golden Eagles brought in Ellis Johnson. His team promptly went 0-12 this season and Southern Miss quickly dismissed its head coach after one season. The move will cost Southern Miss $2.1 million, the buyout on Johnson’s contract.
Follow Dave on Twitter @wvmetro_dwilson. E-mail comments to dwilson@wvradio.com