The Herd looks for Redemption in the Lone Star State

         The state of Texas is home to many football teams from high school to college to the pros. The Marshall football team with endure travel to a state that has not been a friend to the Thundering Herd.  Marshall plays Rice in Rice stadium this weekend to kick off Conference USA play.

Marshall is 0-8 in Texas going back all the way to 2004. Players and coaches are aware of this fact making this time a chance at redemption. Marshall and Rice football head to head series has resulted in a 2-1 lead for Marshall, but with both of those wins in Huntington. Players say they are not influenced by not having won. A quote from the Charleston daily Mail from Marshall Player Aaron Dobson gives a glimpse, "We don't really even discuss that," Dobson said. "It's brought to our attention, and we see it in the papers, but we don't look at it in that way."

          Both teams are 1-2 on the season with disappointing losses. But with the high octane offense of Marshall coming in and the dual threat quarterback Rice has this game could turn out deadly. The last time Marshall was in Houston happened to be last year against a very good Houston Cougar Team.

          Rice stadium which was built in 1950 will try to be the place the Rice Owls even the series against the Marshall Thundering Herd. In this stadium in 2008 Rice notched a win against the Herd.  The irony in it all is that Marshall is undefeated in Huntington against any Lone Star team.

         The last time these two teams met was in Huntington in the 2011 season. The Herd got a win past the Owls 24-20. The team was led by then senior defensive end Vinny Curry who had 3.5 sacks that game. It was also the game former Marshall player AJ Graham had his first collegiate start.

         Players have said there is no excuse for the losing streak in Texas. Charleston Daily mail said that even six year guard John Bruhin could not pin point why the Herd has struggled so much in the lone star state. John Bruhin was quoted having said "I can't really put my finger on it," he said. "Just going down there is a long trip. There may be the lag time over it, but that's no excuse."

         Along with John Bruhin Marshall’s leading tackler Dominick LeGrande added courtesy of Herdzone the Herd goal isn’t focused on the program’s first win in history in Texas. “It’s about winning, period,” he said. “We need to win, to get that tough loss (to Ohio) out of our heads. One-and-oh in the conference is what we need now.”

        With Conference play wide open for both teams it is not a win all loss all situation. But for the Herd it is clear the stigma of not being able to win in Texas must end. As these two teams will continue the series that started in 2007

The Blogs that could Satisfy Appetites

    

      The maroon colored heading, the bold letters up top and the smooth flowing words, one blog that I follow is Andy Katz Blog. Andy Katz is a senior college basketball writer for ESPN.com. His blog gives you ample new information going on in college basketball, not only that his blog covers NBA prospects and post draft information and thoughts. The drawing factor to Katz’s Blog stories is the fact of his credibility. Andy Katz is one of the first people to know if something big is going to happen in college basketball.

    Andy Katz archive of blog stories goes all the way back to 2006. He has allowed the readers to read the quotes of athletic directors, coaches and players. The Katz Blog allows an in depth, up close look at many stories such as Texas Tech coach Billie Gillispie infractions. The knowledge given by Katz blog makes me understand the full story. Andy Katz sources continue to be credible as Katz publicly has never had a taken out of context complaint.

    Another blog that I read comes from ESPN. The New York Knicks blog is a blog I follow so heavily. Ian Begley and Jared Zwerling head this blog. The Knicks blog keeps the fans of the team up to date on the latest stories revolving around the team. Exclusive interviews with Knick players and coaches help get Knick fans understanding more about them.

    Even the blog gives up to date statistics on the team performances along with players from the previous season. If you are die hard Knicks fan this blog is perfect. Just look at the latest post on the new uniforms the Knicks will have. All these tad bits of information can be seen. The blog by Ian Begley and Jared Zwerling goes more in depth than the Knick home site, also allowing unbiased writing to appear in the blog.

   The last favorite blog I follow is Yahoo Sports. The Yahoo Sports blog is one of my most frequent visits. Yahoo Sports is known for breaking news stories before ESPN. The writers associated with these blogs have contributed to major stories. All the leagues covered and every big story can be seen and talked about on these blogs.

    Yahoo sports goes more than just knowledge of certain teams or players, the blogs show characters and possible thought processes in the athletic community. The writers of these blogs give you the information to divulge yourself of what a possible outcome of a story might be. Each individual story will present deep thought idea. Leaving readers wanting more is what this blog does well, while making sure the facts are clearly stated.

     It is the fact that all these blogs provide excellent insight and knowledge that makes me visit them every day.

Marshall Football Plays Western Carolina

   Marshall will be playing the Western Carolina Catamounts this weekend . The Herd is looking to rebound from the game against West Virgina University. Western Carolina which won its opening game Saturday seeks its second win.  Saturday's game will  renew rivalry of an old Southern Conference rivalry. They have not played each other since 1996.
  Marshall exhibited a strong offense in the West Virginia game . Marshall put up more than 500 yards of total offense . Quarterback Rakeem Cato showed the promise and potential we previously saw only in spurts .  Western Carolina had its own offensive barrage  against Mars Hill in North Carolina. The Catamounts put up 493 yards of offense during that game .
   In the first game of the season, the Catamounts  were a running team, and Marshall  was a passing team. The game between these two teams may turn out to be a ground attack from one team and an air assault from the other. Marshall's defense looks to regroup and show focus for the home opener. The defensive line Saturday looked like it was in shambles. Pressure on the quarterback just seemed absent. But won't face an offense of WVU caliber for the rest of the season.
    The series record between the Herd and Catamounts stands tied at 9, but WCU has dropped four-straight  and nine of the last 10 dating back to 1987. Mark Speir, first  year head coach of the Catamounts, Mark Speir will bring his true freshman quarterback Troy Mitchell to his first major test of the season Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Marshall also has a freshman in a key position.  Tyler Williams made his collegiate debut Saturday against WVU, Williams averaged 51.2 yards on four punts, including a long of 59 yards.
    Keys to the game: Marshall must play well against the run, and the Catamounts must hold the Marshall offense to low digits.