Post-Bowl Rundown

Well with the excitement still bubbling through Herd Nation after Marshall's 21-17 victory over rival Ohio University it's time to catch up on what is going on around the sporting news world. And no, I won't be bringing up the fact that there was a female official in the contest... you know it was the first time ever though right?

Anyway, here's the rundown...

• First things first, how did it turn out? Well, it wasn't very pretty, but it turned out the Herd's way just by enough in the end. (Charleston Daily Mail/Associated Press)

• Some rightfully deserved game balls handed out by Anthony Hanshew for the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)

• The report card for the Herd is in, and they passed, but just barely by Chuck Landon's account. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)

• Continuing to be a bit of a buzz kill on the afternoon, Landon says there probably isn't much to be proud of in this contest if you're Doc Holliday (Hutington Herald-Dispatch)

• Speaking of Holliday, Peterson and Legg are expected to be named assistants on Holliday's staff in the coming days. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)

• Finally, something strange happened, the Parkersburg News and Sentinel actually had something nice to say about Marshall University. (Parkersburg News and Sentinel)

So there's your Post-Bowl Rundown, some good, some bad, but for once there isn't a whole lot of ugly when it comes to the Herd

Thoughts from the Pizza Bowl

It was rivals, Ohio University vs Marshall University, two schools separated by 82 miles and a river, in the end they were separated by four points. Marshall won the school's first bowl game since 2003 in their first appearance since 2004. Ohio, still without a bowl win in it's school's history will have to wait until another day.

A bowl that was picked to be the least exciting in the bowl season, and had Ohio picked to win by 3 on the spread, and by as many as 25 by some "expert" predictions. Marshall scored 21 unanswered points over the Bobcats and that was all they would need. Marshall gave up 17 straight to the Cats, but was able to hold on and a DeQuan Bembry interception under a minute to go sealed the deal for the Herd.

If you want to read more about what I thought about the game, I've got quarter-by-quarter, live blogs that I've posted on here, so I won't bore you all with all of that again.


Finally, the Mark Snyder Error is over in Huntington, WV, and it ends with a Rick Minter victory, now it's time to build off this as new Head Coach Doc Holliday gets set to hit the recruiting trail and make bowl victories a common thing for the Herd.

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Now, since this is a happy day, why not celebrate? What better way to celebrate than with a girl of the week? Well, how about a girl of the game? It doesn't really sound the same, but I don't really care and it's how I'm going to share my excitement.

So, for December 26, 2009, and in memory of the Thundering Herd's 21-17 Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl victory over Ohio University, here is your Girl of the Game/Day...


Adriana Lima. What's better than a Bowl Victory and a Brazilian Model? I can't think of many things. Enjoy.

Thoughts from the Pizza Bowl - 4th Quarter

The fourth and final quarter of the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl beings in Detroit rock city with the Bobcats with 2nd and 25 and the Herd with a 4 point lead.

A quick shovel pass to the TE gets 20 yards and brings the Bobcats to a much more manageable 3rd and 5, but 3rd hasn't been friendly to the Cats. Marshall drops 8 into coverage and gives Scott all day long and he finds an open receiver for the first.

Theo Scott weasels away from a John Jacobs sack, gains back a few yards befor being hauled down, and then Brandon Burns bails out the offense with a late hit. Now the Bobcats have 15 yards and the first down. Garrett with some good acting to get the call, questionable, but it's the ruling on the field.

Ohio with a bit of trickeration, the WR with a deep ball on the end around but over throws the receiver by a long shot.

2nd and 10 for the Bobcats, and a quick time out by the coaching staff of Ohio University. 13:12 remaining in the contest and the Bobcats are breathing down the neck of the Thundering Herd on this possession.

The option looks continue to not really benefit Ohio at all in the contest, as they end up with a one yard gain leading to a 3rd down. Most of Ohio's success has come on a more tradition offensive scheme.

Theo Scott scrambled out for close to a first down out of the pistol, and a late hit from Ashton Hall will give Ohio yet another charity first down. The foundation of the defense for Marshall is continuing to crumble out form underneath it as frustration mounts in this contest.

Jacobs swallowing up Garrett in the backfield, 2nd and 11 for the Bobcats inside the Marshall 15. Garrett the go-to guy again for the Bobcats, this time up the middle on the run, gets a couple yards but Marshall continues to be solid up the middle. A jump ball in the endzone and DeQuan Bembry has a better chance of catching it than the Ohio player this time, fourth down for the Bobcats as they look to get within one point.

Wide right goes the kick, and the Herd holds onto a four point lead 21-17 with 10 minutes left in the contest in Detroit.

Marshall on this drive making the change to bring in JUCO Press Taylor, who gives the Herd a bit of an option look. Taylor with some wheels is able to ramble off a gain on the ground.

A beautiful pitch to Darius Marshall but it won't be enough for the first and a botched play from Taylor will put the Herd in a punting situation. Again Ratanamorn will be in to punt for the Herd in place of Whitehead. Ratanamorn using his skills from his days in soccer and puts the kick through Brazill's hands, the Bobcats luck out on another recovery but this time will be starting back at their own 20.

Ohio has the ball, down four with 7:05 left to go and a quick plow up the middle will net them 5 yards for 2nd and 10. Ohio continues to try and play Marshall's style of football, which has ironically been more productive for the Bobcats than the option look. The Herd catches a break on 2nd and 5 and Theo Scott drops the snap to bring up 3rd and 8. A big blitz from Mario Harvey levels Scott and brings up fourth down.

Harvey with about as good a hit as a defensive coach can ask for has Ohio kicking from their endzone and Scott shaken up on the sideline. Marshall will get the ball just inside their own territory and under 5 minutes in the contest.

Brian Anderson back in with a pitch to Marshall who drags a couple of Bobcats and stays in bounds with the first down to keep the clock rolling. The Herd inside Ohio territory and a pitch to Marshall this time goes no where.

The Herd clearly trying to run some clock in the contest with the four point lead and four minutes left, it's the smart play call, but perhaps not smart to run the same play back to back. Shannon of course known for being incredibly conservative at times, calls another run play. This time it goes to Martin Ward who picks up 7. 3:30 left in the contest.

Darius Marshall breaks to the edge and out runs his defender, first down Thundering Herd off the impressive run from Marshall. The running game that has carried the Herd at many times this season finally shows some success under three minutes in the game. Back to the well for the Herd with a run up the middle and a few more ticks off the clock as the Herd is slowly inching it's way toward it's first bowl victory since 2003.

The Herd sneaks away with a false start by Lee Smith and another run play up the middle will net zero yardage. 1:45 left in the contest and Ohio will call a time out as Solich argues his point with the officials on the false start that wasn't called.

Marshall on a log third down opts for the pass, BA to Lee Smith brings the herd to 4th and 1, with 1:15 left in the contest on a rolling clock. The question of kick or go for it becomes even bigger with only a four point game on the line. It is only a minute left, but it only takes a few seconds to make a big play.

The kick is the choice and Craig Ratanamorn with only his second missed field goal of the season as he hits the top of the left upright. :57 left in the contest and Ohio starting on their own 23 yard line. First play of the drive Scott's pocket disappears and a quick pass over the middle is bobbled and dropped.

Ohio with no timeouts and 77 yards to go with the pressure on, looking for their first bowl win ever. A quick completion nets only a few yards, but the Bobcats get out of bounds. :46 left facing 3rd and 6. Scott scrambled and DeQuan Bebmry is johnny on the spot with the interception and the pile is on Bembry on the sideline as Marshall all but seals one up against rival Ohio.

Nothing brings greater joy to the heart of this Herd fan than seeing Ohio fans sad in the seats. Marshall takes the knee and Minter gets the gatorade bath. Martin Ward is named ESPN's player of the game and I can't agree more.

That wraps the contest up, Herd wins 21-17.

Thoughts from the Pizza Bowl - 3rd Quarter

As the Third starts, Marshall will have the ball, and nearly 200 yards of total offense to Ohio's 34. Ohio has also yet to convert a third down and Marshall is 6 of 8 on third.

Martin Ward gets stood up at the line on the first play of the half, and I have to put up a question mark here as Coach Shannon seems to be wanting to live an die by the run, which is fine when it works, but it isn't.

BA again looking like the BA of the second half of the UCF game, throwing at the receiver's foot when he has all day to throw. A halfway blown screen pass nets Marshall a pair of yards on their opening drive of the second half and Whitehead has to punt it away. Ohio will take over at their own 45.

Ohio finally gets a good look on a pass play for a 21 yard gain. The defense showing a bit of weakness and with the Herd's offense not able to keep momentum going into the endzone it's only a matter of time before the defense has too much on it's plate.

All-Conference selection Albert McClellan again showing why he was one of the top defenders in the nation a few years back and continues to play close to that level as he chases Scott away from the play.

A beautiful play fake by Theo Scott, gets the linebacker to bite on it, but Brandon Burns playing heads up and gets Scott in the backfield, third down Bobcats. The Cats marked a yard shy of the first down, and now face with a 4th and 1 which they will attempt to convert.

A hard downhill run by the Bobcats will put them close to the marker, and that play was impressive on both ends. The run by Ohio showing some power, and Marshall's linebackers stepping up to force the turnover on downs as Ohio was about an inch from converting.

Now the Herd gets the ball back on downs after Ohio gives up a possible long field goal to go for the gold and came up with bronze.

*Interesting side note, after the hire of Doc Holliday, there were rumors that he wouldn't make the trip to Detroit. I believe he probably has better things to do and if he wants to see what the players have he can watch the tape. However some people got rubbed the wrong away about that and apparently he decided to go. ESPN has him in the booth for an interview, so this should be interesting.

The drive for Marshall doesn't start to hot, and neither does Pam Ward's interview of Doc Holliday. Holliday is pretty much regurgitating what he said in his press conference, I don't blame him though Pam is asking him the same kinda things he said in that press conference.

Meanwhile on the field, nothing spectacular for the Herd, Ohio's defense steps up and snows under Brian Anderson, and a terrible kick for Kase Whitehead will give Ohio the ball inside Marshall territory.

And now with Ohio in good position, Janac gives them 15 more with the blatant facemask, this is where the Herd defense starts to crumble under the pressure. Garrett bursts off a big run up the middle with the Herd blitzing to the outside, and 15 more yards for the Bobcats have them knocking on the door.

Marshall, for their credit continues to apply pressure on Theo Scott forcing him to throw off the back foot and make uncatchable throws. Scott took his time getting to the line, not really paying attention to the game clock but saved by the coaching staff who quickly call a time out.

The lack of a power back becomes painfully obvious for Ohio now inside the ten as Garrett is hammered down by James Burkes. However the Bobcats get it done, Theo Scott botches the snap, throws up a jump ball and Bembry gets burnt for the Ohio touchdown.

7:11 left in the third quarter, Marshall struggling, Ohio creeping back, 21-14 Marshall leads.

Marshall in the second half has -1 total yards as it stands, and on 3rd and 10 has yet to get a good look in the half. John Shannon is currently coaching this team in a "not to lose" mentality instead of coaching them to win as was done in the first half of the contest. This team is not responding well to the pressure as the punt is blocked. Ohio will have the ball in even better territory than their last possession.

Ohio starts on the Herd 35, a swing pass will get them five yards on their first play of the drive. Already in scoring position and only down by a touchdown with 5:30 left in the quarter. The Herd's rushing defense still showing they are there to play, however every other phase of the Herd squad has seemingly packed it in.

Mario Harvey with another pass between his numbers but he drops the interception marking the fourth drop by Marshall defenders, this could be a completely different ball game, but nevertheless Marshall gets the stop. Ohio gets the field goal and the Bobcats have scored 17 unanswered points on the Herd. 21-17, Marshall leads, but for how much longer?

The running game, much like the passing game, isn't producing much for the Herd as Darius Marshall nets a yard. A second straight run was almost blown up, but a quick cut for Marshall gets 4 yards. Marshall University on 11 plays has 3 yards in the second half of this game.

A quick pass over the middle to Chuck Walker finally has the Herd with a first down after a long break without one. BA to Walker 12 yard gain on the clear out route. Following the first, Edwards-Maye is met by a wall of green jerseys up the middle and gets stuffed.

Play-action from BA to Tay Wilson gets a big recrption, but a holding call on the Herd line brings it back and then some. What would have been a 26 yard gain is negated. Anderson scrambles on a roll out and gains about a yard, and I continue to question the playcalls at this point in the game.

3rd and 19 the Herd takes a shot down field to Dobson, which was a questionable choice to throw to at best, as he didn't have his man beat even remotely. With under a minute left in the third quarter, the Bobcats will get the ball back from a Craig Ratanamorn punt. The Bobcats muff the punt and barely recover the ball.

Misdirection from the Bobcats will net a 13 yard gain on the passing play, and the option looks that have been rumored all week start to emerge and become successful in this game. The Herd responds big as Mario Harvey punishes Theo Scott with his 6th sack of the year, and Scott is down on the turf.

And that is how the 3rd Quarter will end, Bobcats with the ball, Herd with the lead 21-17.

Thoughts from the Pizza Bowl - 2nd Quarter

Quarter number two from Detroit begins with Ohio trailing 14-0 after Marshall went down the field on what looked like a blown possession to score on a Martin Ward TD run, then the Herd scored on an Andre Booker 58 yard punt return to close the quarter.

As a Marshall fan it warms my heart to see a Herd player burning the Bobcats down the sideline for the touchdown, this rivalry resumes in the 2010 Football season and this is a taste of what is to come in that contest.

Ohio is sticking to the multiple option offense, which against an undisciplined defense will produce big plays, but Marshall is playing smart defense right now.

Vinny Curry down on the field for the Thundering Herd after a shove from an Ohio lineman cause him to land awkwardly on his leg. This could be a hit for the Herd as Curry was one of the top tacklers on the squad and an anchor on the defensive line, although the line should be talented enough to compensate.

The hit on Curry was ruled a personal foul, due to the way the WAC treats situations with players who are ruled defenseless in situations as Curry was.

Marshall is able to hold the Bobcats after the penalty as Ohio continues to shoot itself in the foot going for short underneath catches that Marshall is able to blow up. Again the Bobcats hurt themselves with kick catch interference on the punt and the Herd is going to get the ball on their own 46.

Marshall on the other hand continues to chip away yard-by-yard, curls and end arounds, running the ball or throwing the Herd looking confident currently even on one yard gains.

The Brian Anderson, Antavious Wilson duo continues to hook up in Detroit. BA 7 of 9 as it stands as he tried to hit Chuck Walker but a defensive pass interference call bails BA out.

Darius Marshall continues to impress all season long, being able to read the Ohio pressure very well time and time again. Marshall's cuts each time seem to swim by the tide of the blitz like it isn't even there and pick up 5 yards just as he has done all season.

The Herd stacks up inside the 5 yard line with three Tight Ends, and a pair of tries from Darius Marshall gives way to another Martin Ward touchdown. With 7:21 left in the half, the Thundering Herd is running away from rival Ohio 21-0.

The Herd continues to snow under the Ohio offense making Theo Scott look like last year's Marshall starter Mark Cann. Marshall plays smart on defense again and again and this time comes up with the hit on Scott and forces the fumble, Marshall giving Ohio a taste of it's own medicine, the Bobcats one the nation's leading teams in turnover margin.

Ohio gets a fumble recovery of it's own on Marshall first play, but it could have been a 70 yard dash for nothing as there was a flag on the play.

The flag was offensive holding and the play stands, Ohio gets some momentum back as Ohio tries to mount the come back down 21 to 7 in motown.

As Marshall goes back to the field Brian Anderson has to take a quick time out to avoid the delay of game penalty. Marshall looking a little shaky, as they have at times during the season when facing adversity.

Martin Ward breaks off a 44 yard run and with a little more speed that's a touchdown, but at this point Marshall is going to be happy with the yardage. Ward's run should be another push of the dagger into the heart of the OU defense as they're scrapping to find something to be excited about.

Anderson scrambles out for close to a first down off of a blown play, giving everything he had to try and get the first. Anderson continues to be an 'X' factor on this Herd offense. When BA is on, he is on for the Herd and when he isn't, it is usually painfully obvious.

In side the Ohio 15, Marshall lines up five-wide, Anderson looks to the strong side and pumpfakes, BA then pulls down the pass and scrambles for just shy of the first. On 4th and 1 the Herd goes with the HB toss, and it's a turn over on downs that quite frankly has me scratching my head along with all Herd fans.

Another questionable play call from Offensive Coordinator John Shannon keeps the Herd from extending it's lead to close out the half in Detroit, and I can't say I'm completely surprised.

Now it's on the Herd defensive as it all too often is this year. Marshall getting the big stop from Thumper on first down. Rick Minter calls a timeout to attempt to force the Bobcats into a mistake. :18 left in the half and Minter will burn the Herd's final time out on a Bobcats third down. I like the tenacity from the seasoned Minter, I can only imagine Mark Snyder would have let the Bobcats run the clock and sneak out of the half.

The Bobcats will take a knee for their final play of the half and things head to half time with the Herd leading it's former rival 21-7.

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Here are some points to ponder for half time and the second half of the contest.

• Conference USA is 1-3 in the this very Bowl game, however two of those losses came against Marshall University when they were in the MAC.

• The Mid-American Conference on the other hand is 6-6 all-time in the Detroit Bowl game, with Marshall accounting for 3 of those victories

• Marshall is 101-131 all-time against current MAC schools. However the Herd is 52-10 against MAC schools since joining Division I-A in 1997.

• This game resumes the Ohio-Marshall rivalry which has been dormant since 2005 when Marshall left the MAC for green pastures of CUSA. Marshall has never played a team more than Ohio with this, their 53rd meeting. Ohio owns the series at 29-17-6

• The last time Ohio won against the Herd was a 38-28 victory in 2000 in Athens, Ohio.

• This contest marks the return of the MU-OU Battle For The Bell, as well as Marshall's second game against a MAC team since joining CUSA. This also continues a stint against the MAC in which Marshall will play at least one MAC team through the next five seasons.

Marshall has games against Ohio and Bowling Green next season and in 2013 resumes play against another MAC Rival in Miami(Ohio).

Again at the half the Herd leads Ohio University 21 to 7 in the Little Casear's Pizza Bowl, but there's still plenty of football left to play.

Thoughts from the Pizza Bowl - 1st Quarter

First off in this contest, that I will state I am watching on ESPN, the broadcast crew is not fun to listen to. Well let me edit that, Pam Ward is not fun to listen to. They seem under prepared at times, but never the less I am glad the game is on TV.

In the beginning the Marshall Defense looked stout in this contest, but kind of let me down a little bit not looking as ferocious on the second possession. The Bobcats proved that their their defense should be on the field.

However, Ohio's lack of a big bruiser running back is what I think is going to be their undoing in this contest. Marshall has had plenty of practice against raw speed over the course of the season with games against WVU and VT, it has a fairly good handle on how to defeat it.

When Marshall got it's second possession things look a little shakey again, trying to rely on the running game a little too much, but the coaching staff apparently saw the same thing I did and started taking shots down field. A big Lee Smith reception and a run by Darius Marshall later things were set for Martin Ward to bruise his way into the endzone for Marshall's first touchdown of the game.

So far Ohio has decided to stick to it's guns with under a minute left in the first, they might want to take a shot to the air, as that's what has been talked up about their ability all week long. Scott shows some mobility, but his receivers don't appear to be on the same page with him just yet.

And the first quarter will end with another quick three-and-out for the Bobcats, and they have yet to convert a third down...

It would appear in this season I have forgot how explosive this Herd team can be as I was wrapping up this post getting ready for the second quarter as Andre Booker returned the punt 58 yards for the touchdown.

Herd leads 14-0 going into the second quarter.

Marshall looking explosive after one, Ohio looking like the very team that has never won a bowl game.

UNC Recap, Herd Goes to Motown and Coaching Staff

Well ladies and gentlemen, it's the wee hours of Christmas morning and I was hoping for an early present in the form of a Marshall Basketball win over the defending National Champs at UNC. Well, as you may know from the lack of the major upset coverage, that didn't happen.

Nevertheless I still got to make the trip to a basketball mecca, and it was all it was advertised to be. Of course since we got into North Carolina early and why not, we stopped over in Durham, NC, better known as the home of Duke University.

Cameron Indoor is much smaller than I could have even imagined, we would have probably drove past it if it wasn't right next to Wallace Wade Stadium, which ironically is much larger than I imagined. Took a quick peak at Wallace Wade and then took the 10-15 feet walk to Cameron Indoor, which to our surprise was unlocked.

After some exploring we made our way onto the court which was a breath-taking experience to say the least. We spent some time just taking in the fact that we were inside the legendary arena before departing to Chapel Hill to set up for the broadcast.

The Dean Smith Center was a little less breath-taking but still impressive. It looked like any generic basketball arena in the country, but once you stepped inside and saw the Carolina Blue court and all the banners in the rafters it was evident you were standing in a special place.

That feeling quickly disappeared in me though being the lifelong Marshall fan that I am and it was replaced with the thought that "This is where the enemy lives."

Overall it was a fun trip, I sat less than two feet away from Roy Williams in the post-game press conference and that was kind of a surreal moment as well. Too bad the Herd couldn't make it even more surreal with a win.

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Anyway, unless you've been living under a rock you know that Marshall University Football is preparing for it's first bowl game since the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl. So here's what's going on around the Huntington-Charleston Media.

• Well, the first is from the AP, but it relates. This is Ohio's rebirth of sorts under a head coach that formerly had the reigns at Nebraska, and despite only being two games above .500 he's close to becoming one of the winningest coaches in Ohio University history.(Associated-Press)

• Of course your can't play at Ford Field with out thinking about the NFL(no matter how bad the team that plays there is) and the same goes for Herd players hoping to go to the next level. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)

• Speaking of the game, Ohio University is going to be running a spread offense in the game. That's something that in the fast paced, spread offensive styled Conference USA, that Marshall hasn't seen this year and it should be a challenge to the defense. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)

• And at the game taking a bit of a cue from Varsity Blues, injured TE Cody Slate will apparently be doing a bit of coaching from the sidelines. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)

• Keeping things in the Tight End vein, and taking a quick step back to the NFL idea, TE Lee Smith still has a year left at Marshall, but he also has a family to consider. So Smith has a decision to make very soon about his future. (Charleston Daily Mail)

• Again while on the NFL topic, the late great Frank "Gunner" Gatski's NFL Hall of Fame ring went missing several years ago, and earlier today it finally showed up and was returned to his family. (Associated-Press)

• And finally, in the Little Caesar's Bowl, motivation will be key and both squads have plenty to get excited about. (Charleston Daily Mail)

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In closing, ever since Doc Holliday stepped onto Marshall's campus there has been a bit of life return to the football program. The hire was preceded by an incredible amount of speculation that has somewhat subsided. However some remains, especially around the question of who he will bring with him.

Rumors at first pointed to Holliday bringing Chris Beatty (WVU Running Backs Coach), JaJuan Seiders (WVU Graduate Assistant) and Steve Dunlap (WVU Secondary Coach, Former MU Defensive Coordinator) with him to Huntington.

It would appear WVU has managed to keep Beatty around by giving him the Recruiting Coordinator title, but Seiders would seem to be on his way to Huntington with Dunlap still unaccounted for.

With Beatty removed from the Offensive Coordinator discussion attention has turned to Tony Peterson (South Dakota QB Coach) and Bill Legg (FIU Offensive Coordinator). Legg has WVU connections serving on the staff under Don Nehlan along with Holliday and Peterson is a former Marshall QB and member of the coaching staff.

The initial story was that either of the two would be Offensive Coordinator, however now it is rumored that this would be a cooperative position between the two.

Regardless of how that position turns out, Phil Ratliff (TE/Tackles Coach) has been told he will be retained, so at least Holliday has two positions filled.

He's going to try and get everything ready to go for the first of the year for recruiting some sources are saying.

The Stage is Set

Things were all Marshall University once High Point stepped into the Cam Henderson Center on Sunday evening. The delayed contest finally got under way at 7PM with High Point arriving earlier in the day.

Marshall cruised to a 109-76 victory, the Herd's third hundred point game and second straight of the season. High Point's Nick Barbour had 26 points to lead all scorers, though the Herd posted six players in double figures including all five starters.

Starting for the first time in his career was Freshman phenom Hassan Whiteside, who got off to a slow choppy start to finish with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. The contest was the fifth time this year Whiteside has had a double-double or better, with a triple-double in the previous contest.

Senior Tyler Wilkerson also had a double-double with 18 points to lead the Herd and 10 rebounds. Guard Damier Pitts added 18 points as well on 6-of-10 shooting and 2-of-3 from 3 Point range.

The contest was also a coming out party of sorts for injury plagued Nigel Spikes, the 6'10" Sophmore Forward netted 11 points in 11 minutes of action.

Overall Marshall outscored High Point 42-26 in the first half and 67-50 in the second winning by a margin of 33.

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Now things turn to the Dean Dome for the Thundering Herd.

The Legendary home of the University of North Carolina's Men's Basketball Team. A team that Marshall University has not faced in over a decade, and it wasn't a pretty sight for Herd fans the last go around.

Head Coach Donnie Jones was an assistant on that Herd team the last time they met up with the Tar Heels, and he remembers the pain of the loss. Although he says he hasn't talked to the players on this year's team about that game.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the Dean Dome on Tuesday, especially with the confidence of Marshall at an all time high and UNC coming off a crushing loss to Texas earlier this week.

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And finally... Because I will be headed down to Chapel Hill, NC, on Tuesday and won't be back until late on Wednesday then am turning right back around and hitting the road, the girl of the week is going to arrive a few days earlier this week.

So, for the week of December 23, 2009, and the final* View From Press Row, Girl of the Week for 2009

*pending on if I feel like doing one on the 30th or saving it until the 1st or not.

Keeping with the holiday spirit of course, it's Gemma Atkinson...


And because I don't really believe that this look really does her justice, and there's really no such thing as too much of a good thing....



Here are a few more pictures to tide you all over for the rest of the week, Happy Holidays everyone, go Herd! and don't forget to keep your stick on the ice...

Green With Envy

So a few days ago all of the speculation about who the next guy to be the Head Coach of the Marshall Thundering Herd Football team was laid to rest. The answer came in a 2PM press conference at the Memorial Student Center on the Marshall University Campus on Thursday afternoon. John "Doc" Holliday was named the heir to the Mark Snyder era(error) and will be taking the captain's chair after the bowl game which will still be coached by Defensive Coordinator Rick Minter.


The local media of course blew up with story-lines after this hire.

• Coach Holliday, a Hurricane, WV, native of course took this opportunity to bring things full circle, and even had his old mentor at the press conference.(Charleston Daily Mail)
  
  
• Of course there is the player-related story line, and the Daily Mail says the players are ready to get things started the the new era.(Charleston Daily Mail)
  
  
• And the question everyone was asking. What does the contract look?

Well it looks interesting, and so does that annual $3 million buyout that can be leveled at any team of the AD's choosing.(Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
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In other Herd sporting news, Marshall Women are currently in action against UT-Martin and the snow-delayed contest for the Men's Basketball team against High Point will begin at 7PM. The Men's squad looks for it's 7 straight, and a win will improve the team to 9-1 as they get set for the trip to Chapel Hill.

Marshall will take on the Tar Heels on Dec. 22, in a game that can measure just how far the team has come in the Donnie Jones era.

What to watch for; Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside registered Marshall's first ever triple-double his last time out, however High Point is no D-II school. Despite the raised competition this is still a pretty easy game and Whiteside should continue to impress.

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I will have a full recap of the UNC trip and game when I get the chance as I will be making the trip, so stay tuned for that.

Triple-Double, Marshall Coach Search, Stadium Watch, and GOTW

It was the first ever for Marshall University, at least with the modern stat categories anyway. Who better than seven foot freshman, Hassan Whiteside to do it too?

Since stepping onto campus, Hassan Whiteside has been the talk of the basketball program and for good reason. Bringing the post presence that Marshall has lacked for the past few seasons, Whiteside bolsters the Herd's abilities in the paint complementing Baines and Wilkerson down low.

Although, the seven footer also possesses a range that is uncommon in players his size, able to cover the court quickly and is a viable shooting threat at any range.

With 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and a free throw, Whiteside led all scorers against Division II Brescia out of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of the NAIA. Whiteside also added a record breaking 11 blocks, two more than his previous record, along with a game high 14 rebounds.

Following Whiteside, the Herd had a record breaking 17 blocks and shot 61% during the contest to put away the Bearcats by a final score of 105 to 54.

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So I was hoping for Butch Jones to be the next Marshall Football Head Coach, and this is what I get for getting my hopes up. Cincinatti came calling and Jones answered, the Bearcats have the school on speed dial apparently since their last coach came from there as well. ESPN reports.

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But wait, there's more...

The coaching search continued, and much closer to home than Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Try Morgantown, West Virginia, more specifically the campus of West Virginia University.

You know, the instate rivals...

Specifically, Associate Head Coach, Tightends and Fullbacks Coach, and Recruiting Coordinator, Doc Holliday.

Wait, what? Yeah it's true. Not only is it true, but the Charleston Daily Mail reports thatit's a done deal.

If this is the truth, then it's the biggest coup since 1776, and it legitimizes the "rivalry" overnight. Not to mention the fact that Holliday is a prolific recruiter. The only down side is there's a rumor WVU Secondary Coach Steve Dunlap would be coming with him to be Defensive Coordinator. We tried the Dunlap experiment in 2007, when he was the Defensive Coordinator for the Herd, it didn't go well.

Then again perhaps we can just chalk that up to Snyder, I know I will.

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Stadium Watch: 10:17PM EST Wednesday, December 16, 2009, and there's still no baseball field for the Marshall University Baseball team, nor does there seem to be a plan in place to get one built.

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And finally... It's time for the View From Press Row Girl of the Week, and this week's winner is...

Destiny Monique

Keeping Up With The Jones'

"Marshall:
FootballCoachScoop has BREAKING NEWS and the FIRST TO REPORT that Butch Jones (Central Michigan Head Coach) will be named Head Coach by
Athletic Director Mike Hamrick this week. Our sources believe it could happen as early as Wednesday. According to our sources, MU flew a private charter
to Michigan to pick up the coach and his wife, Barb, for a visit with Thundering Herd Athletic Director Mike Hamrick."

In the name of all things holy and sacred, please let this be the truth. The Kansas job has been filled, as have pretty much all other places Jones' name has been mentioned. It's kind of a bleak way of looking at things but every job that gets filled that he was supposedly considered for is one less place he can be hired away to.

I trust Football Coach Scoop.com about as much as some of the crack heads in town, but they've been right in the past. Again, they've been wrong too...

The Fall of Troy

There were no flashy over-paid actors, no Hollywood magic, not that it would have mattered anyway. The Marshall Men's Basketball team racked up it's fifth straight against the Troy Trojans at the Cam Henderson Center with a 99-70 victory.

The Herd had five players in double figures as they quite frankly mopped the floor with the Trojans from start to finish. Marshall has continued to look better and better as they year goes on and with ten days until a showdown with the Defending National Champions, the Herd is going to need to be at peak form.

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And just another couple of quick story lines.

• The Marshall Athletic Department is trying to sell the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl for all it's worth, and I don't blame them.



• The American Football Coaches Association seems to be impressed with Marshall's Football graduation rate.



• When the name Butch Jones came up in conversation Athletic Director Mike Hamrick didn't have an exactly reassuring reaction. Then again, he has been known to have a pretty good poker face at times.



• During the Men's Basketball Game, Football Tight End Cody Slate was honored with an award for I believe Outstanding Football Player. Not exactly certain the Henderson Center was too loud for me to make out the PA announcer at that point.



• Also, in another attempt to get tickets sold the Athletic Dept. brought out Cody Slate, Ashton Hall, Albert McClellan and another player to try and encourage fans to buy tickets. Of course they also suggested if a fan couldn't make it, so buy a ticket and donate them to local programs/charities.

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Finally, in a new addition to this blog will be my weekly "Stadium Watch" tentatively titled of course. The aim of this is to track the progress, or rather lack of progress in getting Marshall University a home baseball field. Something that has been rumored and promised for multiple decades now.

The latest promise came last year when a baseball field was included in the plans for the new freshman dorms and campus recreational facility. In the end that too was scrapped in favor of a different plan when some things fell through.

In 2003, a plan was suggested that I think is actually quite smart, ironically it is now hosted on the Marshall University website. This particular plan suggests closing down the civic center near Pullman Square and replacing it will a ball park.

While I like the idea, and some of the factors at that time have changed, I still feel that the park should be within a couple of blocks of campus. Then again that plan is much closer than the idea to put the ballpark at Kinetic Park, either one of those are much closer than the current ways of doing things. Appalachian Power Park and the Kennedy Center are not cutting.

So, it's 11PM EST, on Saturday December 12, 2009, and Marshall University's Baseball team has no home field.

The Search Goes On

It has been two weeks since Mark Snyder has resigned from the Head Coach position at Marshall University, and the rumors have not ceased as to who would be his replacement. Some even suggested that former coach Bob Pruett return to be the guy to take over after Snyder, after being the predecessor to Snyder.

Personally I hoped this was a myth that Pruett was even in consideration for the job, and a joke that he actually wanted to come back. Well, according to a story in the Herald-Dispatch, I was wrong.

Thankfully University President Stephen Kopp ruled this option out and showed some ability for higher reasoning.

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In related news, Butch Jones made the trip to Huntington this week. During the trip he met with Athletic Director Mike Hamrick, presumably to not discuss the weather.

The search is down to five viable candidates and President Kopp seems to think the University will have a new coach picked by Christmas.

This leads to a slight problem in the area of CMU Coach Jones. Your assistants, and coordinators, not so much of an issue here. Coordinators and assistants can quite often get out of their roles quite easily and wouldn't set the University back too much.

Jones on the other hand has the ever critical buyout in his contract. One that will increase if he leaves before the end of the season. Which in the contract is defined as anytime before the final game for the Chippewas. That date just so happens to be the end of the first week of January, when they play in the GMAC Bowl.

Jones' buyout almost doubles from around $400,000 to the neighborhood of $700,000 and for a cash strapped Athletic Department, this could be an issue.

Only time will tell though who will be the next guy at Marshall, as much as I and everyone else want to know who that guy is, we're going to have to wait. That is the best thing for everyone to do, because the search is critical for the future of the University. Rushing things along will cause the school to end up with what it did the last time the school had to rush things.

Mediocrity - Marshall fans should sit back, relax and wait for the process to carry out under it's own power and pace. Otherwise the "We Play For Championships." slogan is going to only become more laughable.

That's my two cents.

The Rundown - 12/9

The All Conference-USA Team is out and Houston made out like the champions they should have been. Herald-Dispatch

Also, here's how the things worked out for the Marshall Football players. Herald-Dispatch

And in case you've been living under a rock for the past month, Marshall University Head Coach Mark Snyder resigned, and because of that fact clearly the University needs someone for the job. Chuck Landon thinks he knows who the next guy is.

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Now wait just a minute... The thought of a Pruett/Donnan guy being the next guy somewhat sickens me. There has been a funk that has surrounded this coaching search all across Huntington these past few weeks. The stench is people opening their mouths and saying how good the University had it back during the 90's.

NEWSFLASH!

It's 2009, soon to be 2010, We Are Marshall, we are not time travelers. You can hope and pray and search and wait all you want hoping that Bob Pruett will return Marshall to glory. However I have some bad news for you, it is not going to happen.

Those years are gone, the University needs a new face, a new start and a new guy to lead the Herd to all of that. Dusting off someone who sort of maybe has some kind of connection to the old days and hoping it works it stupid.

Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

That's the mantra that needs to be in everyone's mind when the discussion of the next coach comes up. Need I remind everyone the last guy was a "Marshall guy" and what did we get out of that? Five lousy years and a pity bowl.

Then again I don't know why I bother getting in a huff about this, the same thing happens every time. There's a chance for a change, something good to happen and the town and the school stick with par for the course...

Stupidity.

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Anyway, in some places that aren't Huntington, W.Va., not everyone is writing off the Butch Jones saga at Marshall. The Morning Sun(MI).

Regardless of who the threat to buy Jones away is, CMU isn't taking any chances and are digging deep in the pocket books to keep him around. Central Michigan Life.

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And finally, because coaching rumors are boring, and who really cares about post-season awards, and also because sex sells. It's time for the first View From Press Row Rundown Girl of the Week.

So, for the first time and the week of Dec 9-16, 2009...



Abi Titmuss, is the winner, I guess. She's known for doing a bunch of sub-par television work that no one has ever watched. Also, a slight scandal involving her early career choice in nursing, which eventually ended that plan. She has also been known to date random little known English soccer players.

However most importantly she's got big, huge, perky... erm... personality.

Pennington Not Involved with MU Coach Search

According to a statement released earlier today by Former Marshall QB Chad Pennington, he is in no way affiliated with the University's search for the next Head Coach. However, it's what Pennington alludes to that I find the most interesting.

"However, because of my relationship with former coaches and my strong belief in Coach Bob Pruett, I cannot objectively give my input in this process."

It had been rumored that Pruett was on the short list, and I can't help but wonder if this is truth now. It makes me cringe slightly to imagine a world in which Bobby Pruett is the Marshall Head Coach again. Granted he did do some great things here, but he also left the university in a world of hurt when he left.

I don't know if this is the truth or some elaborate ploy to throw people off the Butch Jones trail, neither would surprise me at this point.

The statement can be read here at the Huntington Herald-Dispatch site.

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In other Herd news, only 19 days until the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl in Detroit, Michigan, where Marshall will meet rival Ohio University.

Also, Marshall Men's Basketball looks to keep rolling along as they travel to face Binghampton tonight at 7PM.

And wrapping up the Herd sports week is Marshall Women's Basketball who takes on George Washington in the capitol city tomorrow at 7PM.

Weekend Wrap-Up

A little late here, but better than never huh? So in the wee hours of Monday morning, all is quite on Marshall's campus, sort of. Well of course it's finals week,(or dead week, or whatever people want to call it.) so of course everyone is scrambling to find some way to cram in all the homework they've neglected all year long. Also, everyone is scrambling to try and figure out who the new guy is going to be at the helm of the Marshall Football team.

All signs still seem to point to Butch Jones, who is reportedly fielding an offer in the $8-900k range. If the offer is truly from the Herd, all told should Jones be the guy and meet all of the incentives for the 2010 season, the estimated set back to the athletic department would be in the neighborhood of $2 million. That's after the estimated 500,000 owed to the Snyder family, and the similar amount that is believed to be the buyout on Jones' deal at CMU.

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Oh, that of course reminds me. Marshall University has confirmed that it will be headed to a post-season bowl game.

Marshall is returning to the familiar grounds of Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, for the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl(formerly known as the Motor City Bowl). The Herd will take on rival Ohio University for the first time since 2005, when Marshall left the Mid-American Conference. Defensive Coordinator Rick Minter will serve as Marshall's interim Head Coach for the game.

The contest is scheduled for Dec 26, at 1pm.

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In the coaching rumor mill, I would appear to have been on the money in the Charlie Strong debate.

Our source close to the situation tell us that new Head Coach Charlie Strong is planned to be announced on Tuesday at a press conference.
-FootballCoachScoop.com

That is of course unless we're both wrong.

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And finally, on a bit of a personal note. The Marshall student radio station, at which I devote much of my life to, took on the Marshall student newspaper in the annual flag football contest between the two. I am happy to say that for the second year I played, and the second straight year, radio defeated print.

There was a fresh snow on the ground that day, it was frigid, most were tired and hungover at noon for the start of the contest. It was a glorious day for football.

On a related note, thanks to my lack of social life and devotion to the radio station, I once again am bestowed with the opportunity to take a trip to one of the most storied places in sports in this country.

It's going to be a good christmas for myself, and if the Herd can pull off some wins while we're at it, it's going to be even better.

Dear Santa, all I want for christmas is Butch Jones to be the next MU coach, a win against UNC in Men's Basketball, and to beat the tar out of Ohio in Football. Oh, I almost forgot, and a win in Men's Basketball against West Virginia in the Capitol Classic.

But just those few things... maybe a NCAA tournament bid, you can get back to me on that though.

Who Gets What, When and How?

Well, that's generally a set of questions I often leave in the class they're answered most often. However, I am going to steal the line from my Political Science courses and it is kind of fitting for the topic of the movements in the college coaching world.

It's probably far too early to make most of these speculations, but that's why they're called speculation.

First off, I'll start with the names associated with the current Marshall Football job. Butch Jones, Charlie Strong and Paul Petrino.


Paul Petrino is currently the offensive coordinator at Arkansas, on his older brother's staff. Petrino has expressed his desire in becoming a head coach one day soon. His name aside from being attached to Marshall has been linked to Virginia, Louisville and a few other places, but I believe those are the most likely.

My Prediction for Petrino: Virginia, well that's unless another guy who I mention later takes the job.



Next on the list is Charlie Strong, the Assistant Head Coach at Florida. Despite being some what of a PR nightmare, this guy has a pedigree at the top-flight schools that is impressive no matter who you ask. That's exactly why I don't think he will be the right guy for Marshall. Currently the discussion puts him at Louisville and I agree.

My Prediction for Strong:Louisville

He's the guy they've been looking for since they went to the Big East. Why raid CUSA for a head coach, when you're not at that level any more? If you want to be big time, get a big time coach.

Next up is Butch... no wait, not yet.

Next up on my list is a Conference USA head man who is going to his second straight conference title game. The Head Coach of the East Carolina Pirates, Skip Holtz.


Skip's name is currently attached to the UVA position as well as the vaccated Notre Dame job. Skip has said in the past UVA is a place he would like to be, but Notre Dame has the family connection and the prestige.

My Prediction for Skip:Notre Dame. Although I think if he wants the UVA job it will be his to have. I don't really think that Skip will stay at ECU with the loss of quite a few key players this year, but I could be wrong.

Finally... my friend and yours, Butch Jones.


Jones is the coach of the Central Michigan Chippewas. Marshall fans may remember them as the MAC Doormat for years. Jones left the Rich Rod staff at WVU to take over for CMU and has turned the program around in the last three seasons.

Of course Jones is also attached in name anyway, to the UVA and Louisville openings. CMU fans and faithful don't believe there is a chance Jones would flea to Huntington, W.Va. and well, don't take my word for it...

I think they are dreaming. Butch would not turn down WVU and then take the Marshall job when his sock(sic) is even higher than it was 2 yrs ago. --arrohead

These guys at Marshall absolutely live in a dream world. --midlandchip

There is no way he would give up what he has already built at CMU to make a lateral move to a worse team in marshall. No Chance --Dmac158

<<The Forum Topic>>

Ok, so now that's out of the way where was I? Oh right, CMU fans consider this a lateral movement for Jones, while it currently is. The truth is simple; Marshall is down and CMU is up, so if that's a lateral move now, Jones has a long way to climb with Marshall, if he takes the job.

My Prediction for Jones:Marshall, again I wouldn't be shocked to be wrong, but he could be in the Kelly Green this spring.

Then again I've been wrong in the past...

Just ask RichRod.

Coming Home To Roost

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Marshall University this post-season(if all things work out the way they're supposed to) when it is time for Back To The MAC Part 2: The MAC Attack.

The current projection for the Thundering Herd is a post season berth with a 6-6 record that will land them in the Eagle Bank Bowl in the nations capitol. The contest will pit the Herd against form Mid-American Conference punching bag, Bowling Green. Marshall had hosted the Falcons earlier this year after Marshall took down FCS Illinois State, and fell to Virginia Tech to start off the year.

However since then the Falcons have looked a little better than the Herd, despite playing what some consider a much easier schedule to wrap up their year.

It's tough to beat the same team twice in one year, as many have learned over the years in football. It's even harder to do considering the circumstances surrounding Marshall Football currently.

In all reality, if this game happens, and that is a big if currently. Marshall still needs Navy to beat Army, which is incredibly likely. Also, Marshall would have to be considered appealing enough with a 6-6 record to make enough money for the powers that be for this bowl game.

However, if things do work out for Marshall, I would not be surprised to see a BGSU victory in this game.

Things are going to be up hill for the Herd in the coming months, might as well get off on the right foot... erm... wrong foot I suppose.

Not So Fast

It would appear our presumptions about Snyder's contract were completely incorrect. Everyone had assumed this resignation would mean that Marshall University would be able to cut it's losses and not have to pay out another cent to Mark Snyder. However, we seemed to underestimate what a nice guy Mike Hamrick is.

So, it would appear that Mark Snyder is going to have his contract honored, the price of mediocrity? $537,000

Well, that's the estimate anyway. It isn't an exact number, but thanks to certain government regulations that require disclosure for things like this I would imagine the number is almost spot on.

Besides, that Ohio State payout is estimated at around $800,000. I suppose Marshall can afford it.

"We will still honor our contractual obligations to Mark," Hamrick said. "It's the right thing to do."

It's the right thing to do, I hate to say it but he's right. Snyder is a "Marshall Guy" whatever that means these days. I really wish him the best in whatever is next for him and I hope the Youngstown State rumors are true, he just needs to start over. It would also help if he didn't try to micromanage everything.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there and what is still here is the coaching search, and the good news is Hamrick is confident, so I guess that means Marshall fans should be as well.

"We'll start that immediately," Hamrick said. "Once the word gets out the phone will be ringing off the hook. I promise you we'll have 50 candidates in one day who want this job."

Let's hope that one of those 50 is qualified, and hey who knows maybe by continuing to pay Snyder that good karma will come back to the Herd nation.

What goes around comes around, right?

The Hammer Drops

This time it came squarely down up on the head of Mark Snyder, the now former Marshall University Football coach.



The story line came across the wire this morning curtosy of our friends over at ESPN, then saying that the ball coach had been sent packing. Then at about 3PM Eastern time the Huntington Herald-Dispatch cleaned things up and sent out the Athletic Department's actual word on what went down. Resignation was the case that they gave me...

Ok, sorry I got a little off there, but that is how things have been presented. So what does this mean?

First and foremost Marshall University needs a new head coach. Secondly but most importantly, no one has to pay a dime to Snyder for a buyout. A buyout, which by the way would have been in the neighborhood of half a million dollars by most estimates.

After five years since returning to the Alma Mater, Snyder took Marshall to no post season appearances, conference championships, not even a division title. His final record was 22-37, with a 17-23 mark in Conference USA.

The Thundering Herd may make the post season this year following a 6-6 record, it would be the first time Marshall has been to that point since 2004(which was a losing effort against then C-USA Louisville). However by most assessments, this could be a bit of a stretch.

Of course at this point none of that really matters, as finding the next helmsman for the Herd is of course priority number one. Some seem to think Rick Minter(Defensive Coordinator) will be tabbed to be the Interim Head Coach should Marshall make a bowl game. The rumblings I have heard though seem to indicate that Minter's days are numbered as well.

Athletic Director Mike Hamrick has allegedly brought in the consulting firm Eastman and Beaudine to assist in the search. Herd fans may recall that name as it was also the same group hired by the University to bring in Mr. Hamrick.

Regardless of where the search is going or who is targeted, the most important thing is to bring the next guy in soon so he has plenty of time to get acclimated and get the players up to speed.

Winning takes time.

Not everyone wants to give people that time though. Five years is too long, but it's only a few months until the spring.

You have to give the guy time, so get can get back to what's important.

In the words of Al Davis, "Just win, baby!"

Take a Break - Look Around

After a busy Fall and Winter season, blurring quickly from soccer, to football and now into the early stages of basketball season, a merciful break came my way. It is not very often that free time actually comes my way, and I can't say I enjoy the down time, but I have to remind myself to sometimes.

After taking part in the usuals, visiting family, talking to friends, it was important to get back to what truly mattered - Sports.

Luckily I got to enjoy a few of the week's events before getting settled down to watch the Lonestar Showdown (where I back the Aggies every year, gig 'em!) then it was time to get back into the swing of Marshall University athletics. Women's basketball, Men's hoops and Herd Football were all in the fold from Pittsburgh, to El Paso.

It pains me to recall, but the night did not end well for this fan. Men's Basketball triumphed over rival Ohio University, but the other two faltered. Which has for the most part, become the standard for the football squad these past few seasons. Although it would appear that embattled head coach Mark Snyder would be on his way out with in the next 24-48 hours if the rumor mill is correct.

Irregardless of who is at the front of the football team next year, or the results of any of the teams I follow, the break is most important. Sure at times I don't really enjoy it, but that is because I am so used to the hectic pace of my life. I guess that's my little moral in this story, love what you do, but don't forget to love the pauses, even if they are brief.

Now, where did that stat sheet go?

Back to the grind.