East Carolina @ Marshall Football Preview

Pirates look for another road victory as they travel to Huntington

Date: Saturday, November 10th

Time: 4:30 p.m. (EST)

Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium (38,019); Huntington, WV

ECU vs. Marshall General Overview

East Carolina and Marshall have only met eight times on the gridiron, but the connection between these two programs runs much deeper.

The 1970 Thundering Herd team was returning from a game in Greenville against the Pirates when it and other people close to the program (fans, media, etc.)—75 total—perished in a plane crash that is widely considered to be the largest sports related disaster in U.S. history. The tragic story is told and remembered in the film We Are Marshall starring Matthew McConaughey, which was released in December of 2006.

East Carolina also acknowledged the horrific event when it unveiled a commemorative plaque in a ceremony prior to last season’s game. The marker is located just outside of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, which is where the 1970 Thundering Herd played its final game.

The series also features one of the more memorable games in college bowl history. In the 2001 GMAC Bowl—which has been replayed numerous times on ESPN Classic—Marshall and star quarterback Byron Leftwich rallied from a 38-8 halftime deficit to post a thrilling 64-61 double overtime victory over David Garrard and East Carolina.

The Pirates have won both meetings since the two programs became conference foes. In 2005, they rallied to win 34-29 in their first ever visit to Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Last season, ECU defeated MU, 33-20, on Senior Day in Greenville.

This year’s match-up features teams in much different positions.

East Carolina is attempting to lock up the East Division title with victories in its final two games and claim a spot in the CUSA title game on December 1. The Pirates have won five consecutive conference games and became bowl eligible with last week’s 56-40 over Memphis at the Liberty Bowl. Their formula for success was similar to what it has been all season, as it was composed of forcing turnovers and exploding in the third quarter. ECU, which is the most penalized team in CUSA, also continued to win despite committing far too many penalties (10) and playing less than stellar pass defense.

Marshall , on the other hand, has won only one game all season. After winning its first game a week earlier against Rice (34-21), the Herd lost its thunder and got trampled 47-13 by UCF in Orlando. The Golden Knights built a 27-3 halftime advantage before coasting to the easy win. Ironically, they will be pulling for Marshall this week, as they need an East Carolina loss to propel them to the top of CUSA’s East Division.

Marshall Offense vs. East Carolina Defense

Advantage: Marshall

The Thundering Herd offense, which is averaging 400 total yards and 272 through the air, will definitely present the Pirate defense with a challenge. The unit possesses a lot of potential, but its production has been limited due to a plethora of factors. There have been turnovers, struggles running the football, penalties and a lack of efficiency in the red zone. However, inconsistent play along the offensive line is perhaps their most pressing issue.

Senior Bernard Morris gives Marshall a dual threat at quarterback. The 6’4”, 211-pounder has thrown for 2,342 yards and is completing 61.4 percent of his passes. He has thrown 13 touchdowns, but is once again struggling to protect the football as he has thrown ten interceptions. However, his touchdown to interception ratio has improved from last year when he threw 12 picks to only eight touchdowns. The mobile Morris has also rushed for 309 yards this season.

East Carolina will play at Marshall's Joan C. Edwards Stadium for the second time ever on Saturday. The Pirates' other appearance at the current home of the Herd came back in 2005.

Sophomore tight end Cody Slate is the top target in the passing game. Slate, who led CUSA tight ends with 43 receptions for 684 yards in ’06, has already caught 51 balls for 667 yards and five scores this year.

Junior college transfer Darius Passmore is a big play threat at wide receiver and seems to be living up to his hype. He has 43 receptions (14.6 per) and five touchdowns.

The running game is only yielding 127 yards per game behind a struggling offensive line that also has trouble protecting the quarterback. It surrendered six sacks versus UCF and has now given up 32 on the season.

Freshman running back Darius Marshall and junior Chubb Small get the bulk of the carries. Recently, Small has been the more productive of the two. Marshall has rushed for 438 yards (4.8 ypc). However, Small has 337 yards (7.0 ypc) and three scores—including a 45-yard touchdown last week versus UCF.

Opponents have picked on the Pirates’ youthful secondary this season. Morris and company will undoubtedly attempt to this week—particularly if they can’t muster much on the ground (which seems likely). Since the Memphis game, Skip Holtz stated that his secondary isn’t necessarily blowing coverages, but rather not doing the fundamentals right and it is proving costly.

East Carolina Offense vs. Marshall Defense

Advantage: East Carolina

The 641 yards—including an amazing 491 on the ground—accumulated by the East Carolina offense against Memphis ranks as the third largest output ever by a Pirate team.

Senior running back Chris Johnson accounted for 301 of those rushing yards and he only carried the ball 20 times. The speedster, whose day was the second best individual rushing performance in school history, reached the end zone four times versus the Tigers with three of the runs being at least 44 yards (44, 70 and 50). Dominique Lindsay and Jonathan Williams also had solid games, as they ran for 42 and 46 yards, respectively.

Patrick Pinkney saw most of the action at quarterback in the victory over Memphis. He hurt the Tigers with his arm and legs, as he rushed for 94 yards—including a 45-yard touchdown—while throwing for 105 yards and two more scores. Rob Kass finished the day 4-of-10 for 45 yards.

Marshall, which appeared in seven bowls in eight seasons from 1997-2004, has fallen on difficult times the past three seasons.

The Pirates’ top receiver Jamar Bryant only caught two balls for 19 yards, but one was a six-yard touchdown. Steven Rogers, who had two receptions for 43 yards, hauled in a 25-yard scoring strike from Pinkney. The versatile Dwayne Harris finished with four catches for 26 yards.

ECU will line up against a Marshall defense that is giving up nearly 37 points and 465 yards per game. To make a bad situation worse, the Thundering Herd has forced only five takeaways through nine games this season so they have not been able to get off the field in that manner either.

The unit suffered a gigantic blow before the season when reigning CUSA Defensive Player of the Year Albert McClellan was lost for the season. McClellan, who would have been only a junior, had 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss in 2006.

The rotation of personnel—whether because of injuries or failure to perform—has resulted in the defense being a work in progress.

Junior safety C.J. Spillman leads the way with 96 stops.

Maurice Kitchens, a junior linebacker, ranks second with 73 stops. He is tied for first in sacks (2.5) and has an interception.

On the interior, senior defensive lineman Byron Tinker has registered 52 tackles while leading the team with six tackles behind the line.

The Herd has done a good job of stiffening in the red zone, as they’ve forced opponents to settle for a field goal or nothing on 17-of-33 trips.

Special Teams

Advantage: East Carolina

Chris Johnson is one of the nation’s most dangerous kickoff returners and his influence alone almost justifies giving East Carolina the edge in this match-up. The senior, who leads the nation in all-purpose yards with 217 per contest, is averaging nearly 30 yards per return. If the Herd chooses to kick away from Johnson, John Williams has proven to be difficult to contain as well.

Dwayne Harris gives the Pirates a very elusive, strong runner in the punt return game. He is averaging 10.1 yards per return on 23 attempts.

For Marshall, Emmanuel Spann returns punts and kickoffs. Spann is averaging 9.6 yards on seven punt returns, but is only producing 20.4 yards on his 26 kickoff returns. However, Darius Marshall also returns kickoffs for the Herd and yields just over 26 per bring back with a long of 77.

Anthony Binswanger handles the kicking and punting duties for Marshall. After struggling mightily a year ago, he has connected on 10 of his 12 field goal attempts this season. However, he is only 1-of-3 from 40-plus. The Herd’s net punt is 35.4 and he typically kicks it to around the 12-yard line on kickoffs.

Matt Dodge averages an impressive on paper 42 yards per boot, but due to inconsistency in his hang time the Pirates are only netting 32.7.

Place kicker Ben Hartman, who is 11-of-18 on field goals, has been streaky. After missing five of his first nine attempts, the sophomore made seven straight and one from 52. Since, he has missed two straight.

Intangibles

Advantage: East Carolina

Deja’ Vu. Skip Holtz and his East Carolina Pirates find themselves in a position similar to what they were in a year ago. They possess a lead in CUSA’s East Division late in the season and control their own destiny. However, they’re planning on there being a different ending this time. Last year’s team faltered when it lost an 18-17 decision at Rice in the conference finale’. ECU intends on being in the CUSA title game this time around.

Marshall, on the other hand, has no postseason aspirations anymore and is attempting to spoil the party for others.

ECU has the confidence that comes with winning and has experience doing the little things that are necessary to be victorious.

The Herd does typically play well at home and the Marshall fans comprise one of CUSA’s best fan bases (31,660 through four games). Therefore, ECU may have to combat the crowd factor to some degree; however, don’t be surprised if there are 1,000 or so Pirate fans in Huntington for this critical match-up.

The early weather forecast for Saturday is calling for a dry track. The game time temperature will likely be in the mid-to-high 50s.

Final ECU vs. Marshall Analysis & Prediction

Although Marshall has but one win this season, it possesses the pieces to turn things around and East Carolina hopes this isn’t the week they gel.

After its Rice experience last year, the Pirates will put their best foot forward in this one. They must limit the damage of the Thundering Herd aerial attack. Therefore, East Carolina must take advantage of Marshall’s poor pass protection and pressure Bernard Morris. ECU has run for 160 yards in each of its five CUSA victories. It will need to reach at least that mark again in this one. Finally, it would great to get off to a fast start like last week as the Herd has not scored a touchdown in the first quarter this season!

For Marshall to pull the upset, it must do three things that it has failed to do this season: take care of the football (the Herd is –12 in the TO margin compared to +14 for ECU), protect the passer and start quickly. East Carolina has outscored its opponents 146-64 in the third quarter.

East Carolina will take care of business in Huntington and set up a Senior Day showdown versus Tulane in two weeks.