— By Bill Cornwell
TAMPA, Fla. — It’s a combination of work and play for the Marshall football team in Tampa as the Herd prepares for its Monday matchup with Central Florida in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.
The contest at Raymond James Stadium will kick off at 2:30 p.m.
Marshall (8-4, 6-2 Conference USA) is putting a seven-game bowl win streak on the line against the Knights, who have played in New Year’s Day Group of 5 access bowls the last two seasons.
Herd head coach Doc Holliday is undefeated in bowl games at Marshall with a 6-0 record, including a 38-20 victory over USF in last year’s Gasparilla Bowl.
“I tell guys all the time that you have your whole lives to mess around,” Holliday said. “They’ve got a chance to create a memory of a lifetime by winning the game. I’ve been to a lot of bowls in my career, but the only ones you remember are the ones you win.”
The Thundering Herd enters with an .857 winning percentage (12-2) in all NCAA-sanctioned bowl games, the highest mark nationally among programs that have made at least five appearances.
Marshall will have its work cut out to continue that trend, however, as UCF enters a 17-point favorite.
The Herd has worked to simulate the Knights’ high-tempo offense, but Holliday believes the key to the game is likely Marshall’s offense.
“We’ve got to keep the ball away from them,” Holliday said. “That means converting on third downs and staying on the field, plus our kicking game has to give them long fields to maneuver against our defense.”
Marshall and UCF (9-3) played two common opponents this season. Marshall lost to Cincinnati 52-14 and beat Florida Atlantic 36-31, while the Knights lost to the Bearcats 27-24 and beat FAU 48-14.
The Herd and Knights have played 11 times when both teams belonged to both the Mid-American Conference and C-USA. The Knights lead the series 8-3 and won the last eight meetings.
The last matchup, a 54-17 Knights’ victory, took place in Huntington in 2012.
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Unlike last year when Marshall’s departure from Huntington to the Gasparilla Bowl was delayed due to weather concerns, the travel from Huntington’s Tri-State Airport to Tampa on Thursday was smooth.
After settling into their hotels after arrival, players from both teams visited Busch Gardens.
The teams are practicing at local high schools both Friday and Saturday, then they’ll go through walk throughs on Sunday at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Indoor Practice facility.
Friday activities included a player’s visit to a local children’s hospital and a bike-building contest. Those bikes will be donated to Tampa-area children.
There is a trip to the beach on Saturday afternoon as the bowl’s ‘Beach Invasion’ takes place at Treasure Island, Florida along the Gulf Coast.