Tomorrow night the Thundering Herd will begin the last third of their 2017 schedule with an Eastern division matchup with Florida Atlantic. Led by first-year coach Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic has been the surprise team of Conference USA with a 5-3 (4-0) record. The month of November generally separates the contenders from the pretenders and the picture for the Eastern division crown should become much clearer following Friday’s game. The Owls field the highest scoring offense (39.1 points/game) in Conference USA and the second best offense (485.4 yards/game). One could argue that Marshall played their best game of the year on a short week (Friday night) against Middle Tennessee two weeks ago. Let’s hope head coach Doc Holliday has his team prepared for what should be a fast-paced game in Boca Raton, Florida. Here are my Five Burning Questions leading into the ninth game of the season.
Q: Can Marshall bounce back after a tough loss last week?
A: Last season, I would’ve quickly answered with no, but this crop of Thundering Herd looks different on the surface. It’ll be interesting to see how Holliday’s group reacts following a game in which they struggled in all three phases. Marshall will need to get off to a fast start and keep the throttle down as Florida Atlantic possesses an offense that can score early and often. If Marshall brings the “fight” to Florida Atlantic, I like their chances.
Q: Can Marshall slow down FAU’s rushing attack?
A: FAU has only been held under 250 yards rushing twice (Navy and Wisconsin) this season so they definitely present the type of challenge that Marshall hasn’t seen this season. Led by Devin Singletary’s 1,053 yards and 18 touchdowns, FAU has the ability to attack defenses from a number of ways. Marshall will have to play very disciplined on the defensive side of the ball and stay in their gaps. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Marshall incorporate a third safety into the mix to help match FAU’s speed. Ryan Bee and Malik Gant will both need to have big games for Marshall to win this game in my opinion.
Q: Can Marshall control the lines of scrimmage?
A: The old adage of “the best defense is a good offense” may very well be the key to Marshall leaving Boca Raton victorious this weekend. For the first time all season, I really felt like Marshall lost the battle up front on both sides of the ball last week. Although I believe Marshall’s defense is capable of slowing down the FAU offense, I’d be much happier if the Marshall offense was able to control the ball and the clock by sustaining long drives and running the ball. Marshall should rely on Keion Davis and Tyler King tomorrow to pace the offense while mixing in some play action across the middle of the field. If Ty’re Brady, Willie Johnson, and Obi Obiallo can hit a few bigger plays to keep the safeties outside the hashes then Marshall’s running game should be able to go to work.
Q: Is playing in the state of Florida still an issue for Marshall?
A: Throughout Doc Holliday’s tenure as the Thundering Herd coach, there’s always seemed to have been a dark cloud looming over when Marshall travels to Texas or Florida to play. Holliday’s recruiting pedigree in the Sunshine State has brought a number of players to Huntington therefore trips “back home” have always provided possible distractions for players who haven’t seen their families in months. When the Rakeem Cato’s and Tommy Shuler’s of the world were sporting the kelly green, there always seemed to added pressure to playing in their home state. It seems like those days have passed fortunately enough for Holliday and company. Marshall has won four out of their last five trips to Florida including bowl wins over Northern Illinois and UConn. Hopefully the trend continues this weekend.
Q: Will Marshall fans be happy with a win this week?
A: I would love to say yes, but I’m just not sure I can. Whether it’s the level of opponent, play-calling, roster attrition, etc, a number of fans always seem to be unhappy. A win this weekend would certainly put the Thundering Herd in charge of their own destiny for a second C-USA championship. The perception surrounding C-USA is that Lane Kiffin has FAU well on its way to being the new “big brother” of C-USA. A Marshall victory on the road would definitely help silence those rumors. Marshall wins 37-31.
