— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — As Marshall football nears its season opener Saturday at old rival Miami (Ohio), ninth-year head coach Doc Holliday is still trying to put together a starting lineup which will face the Redhawks.
The Herd released its game week depth chart Tuesday afternoon and starters are undecided at multiple positions.
The most visible question will be the Herd’s starting quarterback — Wagner junior transfer Alex Thomson or redshirt freshman Isaiah Green, who has handled most of the first-team snaps in preseason practice.
Holliday says the decision could come down until game time on Saturday, but has confidence that whoever starts will get the job done.
“Whoever that guy is, of course, is starting for the first time, but our five guys up front have played a lot of football as well as our running backs (Keion Davis and Tyler King),” Holliday said. “The great thing is that whoever it is, we are going to surround him with people who have played a lot of football.
“(The quarterbacks) are going to have to step up and do a tremendous job, but the guys around them have to do a good job as well.”
Holliday believes Thomson and Green already understand the role they must play in managing a veteran offense.
“I don’t really like the word manager,” Holliday said. “I want guys who are going to go in and make plays and both of those guys are tremendously talented, so whoever (offensive coordinator) Tim (Cramsey), myself and our offensive staff decide to go with, we will have great confidence in both of them.”
Marshall is also uncertain on some starting spots on the defensive side, as sophomores Nazeeh Johnson or Brandon Drayton are listed as starters at free safety and senior Kereon Merrell and junior Jaylon McClain-Sapp are are listed as co-cornerback starters.
Holliday says that Merrell or sophomore Jestin Morrow could also be placed at nickelback spots based on matchups with the Redhawks offense.
Fifth-year Miami head coach Chuck Martin has concerns regarding the Herd, but his mainly involve the fact that Marshall’s offense will have a different look under a new coordinator in Cramsey.
Martin says that his staff has been looking at Cramsey’s past offenses at Montana State, Nevada and Sam Houston State to get some clue as to what Marshall might run.
“How much are they gonna change or do new stuff, we don’t know,” Martin said. “We do know that they have talented players and are crazy athletic on both sides of the ball.
“We’re certainly not easing into the new season.”
Martin says there’s also uncertainty in preparing for the MU defense since it is led by a new coordinator, Adam Fuller. However, Fuller is a veteran member of the Herd staff, working under former coordinator Chuck Heater.
An interesting sidelight to the game is that it’s Miami’s annual Homecoming contest, unusual for occurring so early in the season, especially since classes just got underway in Oxford, Ohio.
Even Holliday is amused by the situation.
“I don’t know how you pick the Homecoming Queen when she’s only been on campus for about a week,” Holliday said. “I don’t know how they voted on her since nobody knows her.
“I guess they figured it out with an absentee ballot.”
Saturday’s game kicks off at 3:30 p.m., at Miami’s Yager Stadium.