By: Josh Stowers
Head Coach Doc Holliday and the Thundering Herd took the field at Joan C. Edwards Stadium for about a total of five minutes today before threatening skies forced them inside the Chris Cline Indoor Athletic Facility. “Be glad we have this place. We could be sitting in the locker room waiting on the weather to pass,” said Offensive Coordinator Bill Legg. Just as the skies opened up for portions of the afternoon, so did the defense as Legg’s offense was able to carve up the defense on occasions. Marshall took the field in full pads for the last time before Saturday’s Green and White Game. Thursday’s practice will be shorts and helmets only, which is similar to real game preparation. Anyways, forget all of that and let’s get to the good stuff.
MIA
With every loss, there is a gain. Gator Green returned to practice today, but it was in street clothes. I highly doubt we’ll see any more of the diminutive speedster this spring. On the flip side of things, Nate Devers was fully dressed and took part in position drills before working with the trainers on the sidelines. Justin Hunt was also back at practice today sporting a red (no contact) jersey. Tiquan Lang and C.J. Reavis also donned red jerseys today. Hunt went through position drills, but sat out the team portions. Lang and Reavis both went through all drills. Deon-Tay McManus was back in a green jersey today for the first time in a week. Cody Collins was back today in position drills, but worked out with trainers during team sessions. Sandley Jean-Felix rode the exercise bike and worked out with trainers for the entire practice. Last but not least, Jordan Dowrey watched in street clothes and isn’t likely to return this spring.
“Herd” Drill
I missed part of this drill as I was off answering nature’s call, but what I did see I liked. Michael Selby and Jason Smith locked up for a terrific battle. It was close, but I’m going to give the edge to Selby. Later on, Alex Locklear bulldogged Damien Dozier out of the box. Keep in mind, it’s like a three-yard box they’re playing in so Locklear has the edge. Dozier’s game is built off speed, not strength. The most surprising bout was between A.J. Addison and Ryan Bee. The two behemoths locked up with Addison actually getting the better of the talented youngster. I anticipate Addison being a key component of the 2016 offensive line.
Offense
For the first time in what seems like forever, I witnessed the offense basically do whatever they wanted against the defense. With that said, I didn’t notice as much blitzing today as what there has been so that might’ve played part in their success as well. The offensive line was in a much better state today though with the starters being as followed (L-R): Addison, Fred Binot, Levi Brown, Selby, and Clint Van Horn. The second-team offensive line wasn’t nearly as productive but that’s just due to injury. When you figure Collins, Dowrey, Devers, and Jean-Felix back into that mix then we’ll be fine. Sophomore quarterback Chase Litton had a big day hitting numerous receivers downfield. Litton hooked up with Michael Clark on two big time catches for gains of 30 and 15 yards. Clark’s size, leaping ability, and ball skills make him virtually unstoppable in jump ball scenarios. Rodney Allen had great coverage on both throws, but Clark literally just jumped over him. You could basically just paint an “S” on his back for Super Man with the way he flies through the air. Later on, Litton hooked up with Emanuel Byrd down the seam for a 65-yard touchdown. Byrd beat the coverage of Davon Durant and out ran him once he caught the ball. Durant would be heard from later on though. Litton also hit Josh Knight for a gain of 40 yards. I’m not sure if it was a busted coverage or if Knight just beat the defender, but either way he was open.
As productive as Litton was hitting numerous receivers, the connection of Michael Birdsong and Raylen Elzy stole the show today. I’m just guessing here, but I’d say Elzy caught 10 passes for over 125 yards (maybe closer to 150). It was by far the most impressive practice Elzy has had in a Marshall uniform. He literally caught every ball thrown his way I think. If he did miss one, I didn’t see it. Birdsong found Elzy for gains of 20, 25, 15, 15, 10, and 22 yards. Those weren’t all of his catches, but just the ones I recorded. Birdsong and Elzy need to thank Delvin Weems though for the gain of 25 yards as he stepped up in the hole and took on a blitzing linebacker to give Birdsong enough time to get rid of the ball. It was good stuff.
The biggest play of the day though came from sophomore running back Keion Davis. Davis took a handoff off the left side (stretch play) and out ran the defense for a 60-yard score. Reavis may have had the angle on him, but Davis showed plenty of speed and looked as healthy as I’ve seen him this spring. The most important thing I saw from the offense today was the fact that they didn’t turn the ball over once.
Defense
It was a rough day for Defensive Coordinator Chuck Heater’s defense. Heater wasn’t too pleased about it either as he was very vocal throughout the afternoon. There’s been a lot of talk about our “4-3” and “Nickel” defenses, and I’ll have to say that it’s looking like to me that the nickel will be our base defense. It gives us the best chance to get our “best eleven” on the field at once. Now, there are downfalls to that too. With Reavis playing the nickelback position, it doesn’t give us much of a rotation at safety. Corey Neely has improved this spring and will be able to provide some depth, but I don’t see much beyond Reavis, Lang, Kendall Gant, and Neely. Freshman Jeremiah Maddox is just young and needs to develops mentally and physically before he’s ready to contribute much.
Speaking of Gant, he had a nice day with two pass break-ups. First, he rotated over top to break up a seam route to Knight down field. It was a violent collision, but neither player was injured. Later on, Gant broke up a ball to Ryan Yurachek in the middle of the field again. Gant rotated down from his one-high safety look and timed the hit perfectly. Gant has had a really nice spring and is starting to show why he was rated as a four-star out of high school.
I said above that Durant would be heard from again. Well, after he was burnt on the long pass play by Byrd, he made it his personal duty to sack Litton not once, but twice. Look, Durant just plays at a different speed. I’m not ready to give him the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year or am I trying to slight what Neville Hewitt and/or Evan McKelvey did here, but this guy just plays at a different level than what we’re used to. It’s somewhat freakish. I don’t know if he’ll start game one against Morgan State, but you can rest assured, Mr. Durant will make his presence known.
Another linebacker, who’s probably had the best spring in that room, is Frankie Hernandez. Hernandez plays with instinct and speed. On two different occasions today, Hernandez displayed both beat players to spots and making the tackle. On one play, Hernandez beat an attempted block by Selby and blew up the screen pass in the backfield. Later on, Hernandez sniffed out a stretch play and beat Hyleck Foster to edge to make the tackle for no gain. I really like the Hernandez’s future in kelly green.
Red-shirt freshman Ty Tyler made Birdsong’s life a living hell today as he feasted on the second-team offensive line. Tyler recorded three sacks and one pass break-up on the afternoon. I couldn’t tell or hear what Defensive Ends Coach Sean Cronin said to Tyler, but he was fired up after Tyler’s second or third sack. It’s just a matter of progression for Tyler. He has a tremendous motor and I like make-up (good first step and powerful).
Special Teams
Another day, another battle. After missing Saturday’s scrimmage, Amoreto Curraj was back out there battling with Nick Smith for the kicking duties and I can’t say he won or lost. In my honest opinion, Smith will win the job, unless the JUCO kicker comes in this summer and takes it from him, but my level of concern just continues to grow. Both kickers missed multiple kicks this afternoon from various distances. One of Curraj’s kicks (47-yard attempt) was blocked up the middle. I couldn’t tell who blocked it, but the trajectory was very low. Like I said, another day, another battle.
Notes
Marshall will return to the field Thursday at 3:00pm. It will be the last practice before the glorified scrimmage that is the Green and White Game. Don’t be surprised if it’s a high scoring affair on Saturday as it’s basically all for the fans. Holliday said the format won’t be much different than last Saturday’s scrimmage, but I’d imagine we’ll see some more offense.
Saturday’s Fountain Ceremony begins at 12:30pm and the featured speaker will be Bob Dardinger, who attended Marshall from 1967-1970. Dardinger also played for the Thundering Herd with his twin brother Richard Dardinger in 1968.
Head Coach Doc Holliday and the Thundering Herd took the field at Joan C. Edwards Stadium for about a total of five minutes today before threatening skies forced them inside the Chris Cline Indoor Athletic Facility. “Be glad we have this place. We could be sitting in the locker room waiting on the weather to pass,” said Offensive Coordinator Bill Legg. Just as the skies opened up for portions of the afternoon, so did the defense as Legg’s offense was able to carve up the defense on occasions. Marshall took the field in full pads for the last time before Saturday’s Green and White Game. Thursday’s practice will be shorts and helmets only, which is similar to real game preparation. Anyways, forget all of that and let’s get to the good stuff.
MIA
With every loss, there is a gain. Gator Green returned to practice today, but it was in street clothes. I highly doubt we’ll see any more of the diminutive speedster this spring. On the flip side of things, Nate Devers was fully dressed and took part in position drills before working with the trainers on the sidelines. Justin Hunt was also back at practice today sporting a red (no contact) jersey. Tiquan Lang and C.J. Reavis also donned red jerseys today. Hunt went through position drills, but sat out the team portions. Lang and Reavis both went through all drills. Deon-Tay McManus was back in a green jersey today for the first time in a week. Cody Collins was back today in position drills, but worked out with trainers during team sessions. Sandley Jean-Felix rode the exercise bike and worked out with trainers for the entire practice. Last but not least, Jordan Dowrey watched in street clothes and isn’t likely to return this spring.
“Herd” Drill
I missed part of this drill as I was off answering nature’s call, but what I did see I liked. Michael Selby and Jason Smith locked up for a terrific battle. It was close, but I’m going to give the edge to Selby. Later on, Alex Locklear bulldogged Damien Dozier out of the box. Keep in mind, it’s like a three-yard box they’re playing in so Locklear has the edge. Dozier’s game is built off speed, not strength. The most surprising bout was between A.J. Addison and Ryan Bee. The two behemoths locked up with Addison actually getting the better of the talented youngster. I anticipate Addison being a key component of the 2016 offensive line.
Offense
For the first time in what seems like forever, I witnessed the offense basically do whatever they wanted against the defense. With that said, I didn’t notice as much blitzing today as what there has been so that might’ve played part in their success as well. The offensive line was in a much better state today though with the starters being as followed (L-R): Addison, Fred Binot, Levi Brown, Selby, and Clint Van Horn. The second-team offensive line wasn’t nearly as productive but that’s just due to injury. When you figure Collins, Dowrey, Devers, and Jean-Felix back into that mix then we’ll be fine. Sophomore quarterback Chase Litton had a big day hitting numerous receivers downfield. Litton hooked up with Michael Clark on two big time catches for gains of 30 and 15 yards. Clark’s size, leaping ability, and ball skills make him virtually unstoppable in jump ball scenarios. Rodney Allen had great coverage on both throws, but Clark literally just jumped over him. You could basically just paint an “S” on his back for Super Man with the way he flies through the air. Later on, Litton hooked up with Emanuel Byrd down the seam for a 65-yard touchdown. Byrd beat the coverage of Davon Durant and out ran him once he caught the ball. Durant would be heard from later on though. Litton also hit Josh Knight for a gain of 40 yards. I’m not sure if it was a busted coverage or if Knight just beat the defender, but either way he was open.
As productive as Litton was hitting numerous receivers, the connection of Michael Birdsong and Raylen Elzy stole the show today. I’m just guessing here, but I’d say Elzy caught 10 passes for over 125 yards (maybe closer to 150). It was by far the most impressive practice Elzy has had in a Marshall uniform. He literally caught every ball thrown his way I think. If he did miss one, I didn’t see it. Birdsong found Elzy for gains of 20, 25, 15, 15, 10, and 22 yards. Those weren’t all of his catches, but just the ones I recorded. Birdsong and Elzy need to thank Delvin Weems though for the gain of 25 yards as he stepped up in the hole and took on a blitzing linebacker to give Birdsong enough time to get rid of the ball. It was good stuff.
The biggest play of the day though came from sophomore running back Keion Davis. Davis took a handoff off the left side (stretch play) and out ran the defense for a 60-yard score. Reavis may have had the angle on him, but Davis showed plenty of speed and looked as healthy as I’ve seen him this spring. The most important thing I saw from the offense today was the fact that they didn’t turn the ball over once.
Defense
It was a rough day for Defensive Coordinator Chuck Heater’s defense. Heater wasn’t too pleased about it either as he was very vocal throughout the afternoon. There’s been a lot of talk about our “4-3” and “Nickel” defenses, and I’ll have to say that it’s looking like to me that the nickel will be our base defense. It gives us the best chance to get our “best eleven” on the field at once. Now, there are downfalls to that too. With Reavis playing the nickelback position, it doesn’t give us much of a rotation at safety. Corey Neely has improved this spring and will be able to provide some depth, but I don’t see much beyond Reavis, Lang, Kendall Gant, and Neely. Freshman Jeremiah Maddox is just young and needs to develops mentally and physically before he’s ready to contribute much.
Speaking of Gant, he had a nice day with two pass break-ups. First, he rotated over top to break up a seam route to Knight down field. It was a violent collision, but neither player was injured. Later on, Gant broke up a ball to Ryan Yurachek in the middle of the field again. Gant rotated down from his one-high safety look and timed the hit perfectly. Gant has had a really nice spring and is starting to show why he was rated as a four-star out of high school.
I said above that Durant would be heard from again. Well, after he was burnt on the long pass play by Byrd, he made it his personal duty to sack Litton not once, but twice. Look, Durant just plays at a different speed. I’m not ready to give him the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year or am I trying to slight what Neville Hewitt and/or Evan McKelvey did here, but this guy just plays at a different level than what we’re used to. It’s somewhat freakish. I don’t know if he’ll start game one against Morgan State, but you can rest assured, Mr. Durant will make his presence known.
Another linebacker, who’s probably had the best spring in that room, is Frankie Hernandez. Hernandez plays with instinct and speed. On two different occasions today, Hernandez displayed both beat players to spots and making the tackle. On one play, Hernandez beat an attempted block by Selby and blew up the screen pass in the backfield. Later on, Hernandez sniffed out a stretch play and beat Hyleck Foster to edge to make the tackle for no gain. I really like the Hernandez’s future in kelly green.
Red-shirt freshman Ty Tyler made Birdsong’s life a living hell today as he feasted on the second-team offensive line. Tyler recorded three sacks and one pass break-up on the afternoon. I couldn’t tell or hear what Defensive Ends Coach Sean Cronin said to Tyler, but he was fired up after Tyler’s second or third sack. It’s just a matter of progression for Tyler. He has a tremendous motor and I like make-up (good first step and powerful).
Special Teams
Another day, another battle. After missing Saturday’s scrimmage, Amoreto Curraj was back out there battling with Nick Smith for the kicking duties and I can’t say he won or lost. In my honest opinion, Smith will win the job, unless the JUCO kicker comes in this summer and takes it from him, but my level of concern just continues to grow. Both kickers missed multiple kicks this afternoon from various distances. One of Curraj’s kicks (47-yard attempt) was blocked up the middle. I couldn’t tell who blocked it, but the trajectory was very low. Like I said, another day, another battle.
Notes
Marshall will return to the field Thursday at 3:00pm. It will be the last practice before the glorified scrimmage that is the Green and White Game. Don’t be surprised if it’s a high scoring affair on Saturday as it’s basically all for the fans. Holliday said the format won’t be much different than last Saturday’s scrimmage, but I’d imagine we’ll see some more offense.
Saturday’s Fountain Ceremony begins at 12:30pm and the featured speaker will be Bob Dardinger, who attended Marshall from 1967-1970. Dardinger also played for the Thundering Herd with his twin brother Richard Dardinger in 1968.
