By: Josh Stowers
For the first time in what seems like forever, no thanks to the recent weather, the Thundering Herd held their seventh spring practice this afternoon outside on the Joan C. Edwards Stadium turf. “We just have to continue getting better every day,” Head Coach Doc Holliday said. On an absolute beautiful afternoon, I thought Marshall had one of their crisper practices of the spring. The offense and defense both had their moments throughout the day and there was a heightened level of intensity thanks to get few guys. I’ll cover that and more below in the Day Seven Practice Report.
MIA
There wasn’t much change here in terms of player participation. Tony Pittman joined Nate Devers, Jordan Dowrey, and Chris Williams-Hall on the sideline in street clothes. Deon-Tay McManus and Tiquan Lang both sported red (no-contact) jerseys and went through all drills. Antavis Rowe looks to be getting closer to seeing the field this spring. He was fully dressed today and worked out on the side with a trainer.
“Herd” Drill
Today’s “Herd” drill was most certainly dominated by the defense. Red-shirt freshman defensive end Ty Tyler continued his strong spring with another solid effort today. Tyler manhandled Sandley Jean-Felix before destroying the ball carrier. Later on in team drills, Tyler had a pass break-up with an extremely athletic play on the edge. Word around practice is that the staff believes Tyler is going to be a “player” before he leaves Huntington.
This drill just wasn’t for Jean-Felix today as he would later be flattened by red-shirt sophomore Ryan Bee.
Other players standing out during this session were red-shirt sophomore defensive lineman Malik Thompson, red-shirt sophomore offensive lineman Fred Binot, and red-shirt freshman offensive lineman Levi Brown.
Thompson and Brown went at each other on multiple occasions with each player getting the best of the other.
Offense
The words “quarterback battle” hopefully won’t be used around Huntington for another couple years, but Michael Birdsong is quietly having a solid spring. Looking fully recovered from a shoulder injury 2015, Birdsong had his best practice of the spring today.
Birdsong hit numerous receivers with big plays and made one of the best throws we’ve seen this spring. In one-on-one’s Birdsong hit red-shirt sophomore Michael Clark down the sidelines for a 50-yard touchdown. Clark had beaten freshman Chris Jackson on the touchdown, but Jackson would lock Clark down on the next rep. It wouldn’t be their last battle of the day either.
Running with the “two’s” it seems like Birdsong is building chemistry with sophomore Raylen Elzy. Elzy would have receptions of 20 yards, 11 yards (on a broken play in which Birdsong found Elzy on a comeback), and 30 yards (Elzy beat Chocolate Wilson). Offensively, the play of the day came off the arm of Birdsong when he split two defenders down the seam and found tight end Kaleb Harris for a 25-yard gain.
Not to be outdone on the day, sophomore sensation Chase Litton had a nice day as well. I know this sounds like a broken record and probably causes concern for our defensive backfield, but Litton and his receivers have had a pretty impressive go this spring compared to where they were in the fall.
One receiver in particular that’s had a standout spring is senior Justin Hunt. Litton and Hunt hooked up for a 36-yard gain down the sideline on basically a perfect throw. Cornerback Rodney Allen had great coverage, but Litton dropped the ball over Hunt’s outside shoulder out of Allen’s reach.
Litton would also hook up with slot receiver Josh Knight on two throws. Knight ran a seam route beating safety Kendall Gant on one play and later ran a really nice corner route for a 34-yard gain.
Tell me if you haven’t heard this before, but Ryan Yurachek is good. The guy understands coverages and catches the ball so well, it’s almost disappointing when he’s not open or doesn’t come down with a reception. Yurachek had a “circus” catch on a dig route for about a 20-yard gain with the defender draped all over his back.
The play of the day went to senior tight end Emanuel Byrd though. Byrd basically high-stepped into the end-zone on a 50-yard catch and run.
Defense
I know it sounds like the offense dominated again today, and by some accounts you could probably say that, but this defense is coming along. Players like Frankie Hernandez, C.J. Reavis, Chris Jackson, and Davon Durant, yes I said Davon Durant, made their presence known today.
Let’s start with Durant or “Durantula” for you NBA fans. After two weeks of being missing in action (depth chart, dusting the rust off, and being banged up) Durant announced his arrival today with two thunderous hits.
First off, during “Front Seven” drills, Durant caught walk-on running back Ellis Cain (204 pounds) and slammed him to the turf like a rag doll. Later on, Durant beat Delvin Weems to the edge on a flare screen and “thudded” him pretty hard to the ground. Weems didn’t take to kindly to it and stood up in Durant’s face. All Durant did was bear hug Weems in the air, basically saying, “don’t waste my time little man.”
Durant’s effort on the day didn’t go unnoticed either. “I saw some good things from him today. He just needs to get all the reps he can get,” Holliday said of Durant.
There’s obviously a lot of questions surrounding the secondary, but newcomers Chris Jackson and C.J. Reavis are beginning to help answer those questions.
Jackson, as I mentioned earlier, stayed locked up with Michael Clark for most of practice and Clark knew it. Jackson plays with a swagger that didn’t sit well with Clark. One play, Jackson locked Clark up (which Jackson let him know about it by talking trash), and Clark gave the young freshman a head slap. It didn’t faze Jackson one bit as he came right back at him with more trash talk. Jackson will surely have his ups and downs in 2016, but the kid is talented no doubt.
Reavis came in with a ton of hype surrounding him and we’re starting to see why. In efforts to try and get their best eleven on the field at the same time, Reavis has been seeing time at the nickel back. This gives Marshall a much different look, playing three safeties, then we’ve ever had before. It allows the defense to be much more physical (Reavis is 215 pounds compared to Rowe’s 164-pound frame) than last year. Reavis isn’t just a physical safety, but he possesses “corner-like” coverage skills. Reavis flashed those skills on two different occasions Tuesday with great coverage and excellent ball skills. He broke on two passes (one from Litton and one from Birdsong) and broke up each right as they landed in the receiver’s hands.
On a side note, defensive end Damien Dozier worked out a little bit at the “SAM” linebacker position. “You did. He’s very athletic. He’s not going to be there full-time because he can rush the passer too, but we’re trying to get our best eleven on the field,” Holliday said of the move.
The biggest play of the day belonged to linebacker Frankie Hernandez though. He timed the snap count perfect and met running back Hyleck Foster right has he received handoff. I’m not sure, but Foster may still be picking parts of himself off the turf because Hernandez SMOKED him.
Special Teams
The kicker, or should I say punter, that I was talking about was Kaare Vedvik. He’s starting to show some consistency with his kicks and understanding of what the coaching staff wants out of him. I personally witnessed Special Teams Coach Todd Goebbel congratulate him on more than one occasion for terrific effort. Before practice started, Vedvik was working with the long snappers on their timing and he blasted three or four kicks over 60 yards in the air. He has more than enough leg strength, it’s just going to be about consistency for him.
This is my official warning to other teams in Conference USA. Between Marshall’s three “up” men (Yurachek, Shawn Petty, Byrd) and return man Harris, they’re bringing 930 pounds of punishment to the return game.
Good luck stopping that quartet C-USA.
Notes
Marshall will return to the field on Thursday afternoon at 3:00pm. Saturday’s practice will be a timed scrimmage and is only open to Big Green members, season ticket holders, and students. Those wishing to join the Big Green to gain admittance to the scrimmage will be able to do so on-site. Big Green members will be asked to present their BG card and students will be asked to show their MU ID.
For the first time in what seems like forever, no thanks to the recent weather, the Thundering Herd held their seventh spring practice this afternoon outside on the Joan C. Edwards Stadium turf. “We just have to continue getting better every day,” Head Coach Doc Holliday said. On an absolute beautiful afternoon, I thought Marshall had one of their crisper practices of the spring. The offense and defense both had their moments throughout the day and there was a heightened level of intensity thanks to get few guys. I’ll cover that and more below in the Day Seven Practice Report.
MIA
There wasn’t much change here in terms of player participation. Tony Pittman joined Nate Devers, Jordan Dowrey, and Chris Williams-Hall on the sideline in street clothes. Deon-Tay McManus and Tiquan Lang both sported red (no-contact) jerseys and went through all drills. Antavis Rowe looks to be getting closer to seeing the field this spring. He was fully dressed today and worked out on the side with a trainer.
“Herd” Drill
Today’s “Herd” drill was most certainly dominated by the defense. Red-shirt freshman defensive end Ty Tyler continued his strong spring with another solid effort today. Tyler manhandled Sandley Jean-Felix before destroying the ball carrier. Later on in team drills, Tyler had a pass break-up with an extremely athletic play on the edge. Word around practice is that the staff believes Tyler is going to be a “player” before he leaves Huntington.
This drill just wasn’t for Jean-Felix today as he would later be flattened by red-shirt sophomore Ryan Bee.
Other players standing out during this session were red-shirt sophomore defensive lineman Malik Thompson, red-shirt sophomore offensive lineman Fred Binot, and red-shirt freshman offensive lineman Levi Brown.
Thompson and Brown went at each other on multiple occasions with each player getting the best of the other.
Offense
The words “quarterback battle” hopefully won’t be used around Huntington for another couple years, but Michael Birdsong is quietly having a solid spring. Looking fully recovered from a shoulder injury 2015, Birdsong had his best practice of the spring today.
Birdsong hit numerous receivers with big plays and made one of the best throws we’ve seen this spring. In one-on-one’s Birdsong hit red-shirt sophomore Michael Clark down the sidelines for a 50-yard touchdown. Clark had beaten freshman Chris Jackson on the touchdown, but Jackson would lock Clark down on the next rep. It wouldn’t be their last battle of the day either.
Running with the “two’s” it seems like Birdsong is building chemistry with sophomore Raylen Elzy. Elzy would have receptions of 20 yards, 11 yards (on a broken play in which Birdsong found Elzy on a comeback), and 30 yards (Elzy beat Chocolate Wilson). Offensively, the play of the day came off the arm of Birdsong when he split two defenders down the seam and found tight end Kaleb Harris for a 25-yard gain.
Not to be outdone on the day, sophomore sensation Chase Litton had a nice day as well. I know this sounds like a broken record and probably causes concern for our defensive backfield, but Litton and his receivers have had a pretty impressive go this spring compared to where they were in the fall.
One receiver in particular that’s had a standout spring is senior Justin Hunt. Litton and Hunt hooked up for a 36-yard gain down the sideline on basically a perfect throw. Cornerback Rodney Allen had great coverage, but Litton dropped the ball over Hunt’s outside shoulder out of Allen’s reach.
Litton would also hook up with slot receiver Josh Knight on two throws. Knight ran a seam route beating safety Kendall Gant on one play and later ran a really nice corner route for a 34-yard gain.
Tell me if you haven’t heard this before, but Ryan Yurachek is good. The guy understands coverages and catches the ball so well, it’s almost disappointing when he’s not open or doesn’t come down with a reception. Yurachek had a “circus” catch on a dig route for about a 20-yard gain with the defender draped all over his back.
The play of the day went to senior tight end Emanuel Byrd though. Byrd basically high-stepped into the end-zone on a 50-yard catch and run.
Defense
I know it sounds like the offense dominated again today, and by some accounts you could probably say that, but this defense is coming along. Players like Frankie Hernandez, C.J. Reavis, Chris Jackson, and Davon Durant, yes I said Davon Durant, made their presence known today.
Let’s start with Durant or “Durantula” for you NBA fans. After two weeks of being missing in action (depth chart, dusting the rust off, and being banged up) Durant announced his arrival today with two thunderous hits.
First off, during “Front Seven” drills, Durant caught walk-on running back Ellis Cain (204 pounds) and slammed him to the turf like a rag doll. Later on, Durant beat Delvin Weems to the edge on a flare screen and “thudded” him pretty hard to the ground. Weems didn’t take to kindly to it and stood up in Durant’s face. All Durant did was bear hug Weems in the air, basically saying, “don’t waste my time little man.”
Durant’s effort on the day didn’t go unnoticed either. “I saw some good things from him today. He just needs to get all the reps he can get,” Holliday said of Durant.
There’s obviously a lot of questions surrounding the secondary, but newcomers Chris Jackson and C.J. Reavis are beginning to help answer those questions.
Jackson, as I mentioned earlier, stayed locked up with Michael Clark for most of practice and Clark knew it. Jackson plays with a swagger that didn’t sit well with Clark. One play, Jackson locked Clark up (which Jackson let him know about it by talking trash), and Clark gave the young freshman a head slap. It didn’t faze Jackson one bit as he came right back at him with more trash talk. Jackson will surely have his ups and downs in 2016, but the kid is talented no doubt.
Reavis came in with a ton of hype surrounding him and we’re starting to see why. In efforts to try and get their best eleven on the field at the same time, Reavis has been seeing time at the nickel back. This gives Marshall a much different look, playing three safeties, then we’ve ever had before. It allows the defense to be much more physical (Reavis is 215 pounds compared to Rowe’s 164-pound frame) than last year. Reavis isn’t just a physical safety, but he possesses “corner-like” coverage skills. Reavis flashed those skills on two different occasions Tuesday with great coverage and excellent ball skills. He broke on two passes (one from Litton and one from Birdsong) and broke up each right as they landed in the receiver’s hands.
On a side note, defensive end Damien Dozier worked out a little bit at the “SAM” linebacker position. “You did. He’s very athletic. He’s not going to be there full-time because he can rush the passer too, but we’re trying to get our best eleven on the field,” Holliday said of the move.
The biggest play of the day belonged to linebacker Frankie Hernandez though. He timed the snap count perfect and met running back Hyleck Foster right has he received handoff. I’m not sure, but Foster may still be picking parts of himself off the turf because Hernandez SMOKED him.
Special Teams
The kicker, or should I say punter, that I was talking about was Kaare Vedvik. He’s starting to show some consistency with his kicks and understanding of what the coaching staff wants out of him. I personally witnessed Special Teams Coach Todd Goebbel congratulate him on more than one occasion for terrific effort. Before practice started, Vedvik was working with the long snappers on their timing and he blasted three or four kicks over 60 yards in the air. He has more than enough leg strength, it’s just going to be about consistency for him.
This is my official warning to other teams in Conference USA. Between Marshall’s three “up” men (Yurachek, Shawn Petty, Byrd) and return man Harris, they’re bringing 930 pounds of punishment to the return game.
Good luck stopping that quartet C-USA.
Notes
Marshall will return to the field on Thursday afternoon at 3:00pm. Saturday’s practice will be a timed scrimmage and is only open to Big Green members, season ticket holders, and students. Those wishing to join the Big Green to gain admittance to the scrimmage will be able to do so on-site. Big Green members will be asked to present their BG card and students will be asked to show their MU ID.
