The Insider Magazine vol 20 #8 April 2018

INSIDER

the

April 2018

www.HerdInsider.com

A SEASON TO

REMEMBER

AFTER YEARS OF FRUSTRATION, MARSHALL MEN’S BASKETBALL WINS A FIRST CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT TITLE AND INITIAL NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME

UP FRONT

04.18

VOLUME 20 NO. 8

compiled by Bill Cornwell THE INSIDER editor

Herd Nation was taken on quite a fun run in early and mid-March by Coach Dan D’Antoni and his Marshall Men’s basketball team.

The win over Western Kentucky on March 10th in the Conference USA Tournament championship game was satisfying for the MU faithful after the Herd suffered two frustrating losses to the Hilltoppers during regular season. It also provided some extra joy after Marshall had lost to Memphis and Middle Tennessee State in two previous trips to the league title game.

The joy continued the next afternoon as around 2,000 Kelly Green-clad fans joined the Herd at the Henderson Center to learn where Marshall would make its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 31 years.

The joint was “jumpin’” when it was learned that Marshall was paired against Wichita State in the East Regional in San Diego. What made the matchup interesting was that the Shockers were coached by Marshall assistant coach Gregg Marshall and one of his assistants just happened to be former MU Head Coach Donnie Jones.

No one in the national media gave the Herd a chance to beat the 4th-seeded Shockers, but Marshall played one of its best games of the year in pulling off the upset. The win was the first in NCAA tourament game for the Herd and it gave junior guard Jon Elmore plenty of national attention for his all-around performance against Wichita State, but it was a truly a team win. The spunky Herd won over the crowd in San Diego State’s Viejas Arena as it seemed to become “Henderson Center West”.

What was as amazing as the west coast win was the reaction at home. The long distance for the NCAA tournament contest kept most Marshall fans at home, but those fans filled restaurants and bars throughout Huntington, Cabell County and the entire Tri-State and Kanawha Valley areas. The cheering when Marshall would score could be heard on the streets and more than one driver could be seen cheering while on the road. After the win, you could see plenty of smiles on those wearing the Kelly Green, but there were also tears of joy, all acknowledging the great accomplishment of this team.

Things didn’t go as well for Marshall on March 18th as the Herd was soundly defeated by arch-rival WVU, but that didn’t dim the championship accomplishments of the Thundering Herd. This team is poised to make a solid run next season for another league title and NCAA tournament spot. continued on page 4

UP FRONT

2

UP FRONT

Editor Bill Cornwell shares some of his experiences as a voice in the Huntington-area sports media.

6 HISTORY

12

Marshall MBK

Marshall FB

Marshall men’s basketball win’s a first Conference USA Tournament title and initial NCAA Tournament game.

Marshall Football great Vinny Curry is a Super Bowl Champion, but he enters a new phase of NFL career in Tampa Bay.

CHAMPION

HS Basketball

17

WRAP UP

Editor Bill Cornwell wraps up the local high school basketball seasons.

THE INSIDER / April 2018 / 3

Marshall FB

SPRING

Marshall Football faces a spring practice dealing with new coaches and new offensive pholosophies.

WHAT WE’VE GOT 555 Fifth Avenue Huntington, WV 25701 (304) 523-8401

General Manager Mike Kirtner Editor Bill Cornwell

Creative Director Haley Donaldson Contributor James E. Casto

Associate GM Reeves Kirtner First Subscriber Geoff Sheils

19

Writer Dave Walsh Printing Printograph, Inc.

04.18

VOLUME 20 No. 8

Web Operations Alex Hackney All contents ©2018 Kindred Communications

4 / THE INSIDER

/ April 2018

Jon Elmore wasn’t the only part of the Herd family to get national exposure by the NCAA appearance, as Head Coach Dan D’Antoni made numerous national TV and radio appearances prior to the trip to San Diego. D’Antoni’s “cool” attitude, mountain “twang” and sense of humor attracted lots of attention and created plenty of new fans for Marshall, fans who now are also followers of “Danalytics” and a coach who marches to the “beat of a different drummer”.

Marshall’s basketball program could be on the edge of a great era thanks to the great exposure of two championship weekends in March, a great returning lineup and the promise of exciting young talent on the way.

------------------Marshall’s softball program had an outstanding 2017 season as Head Coach Shonda Stanton played its way into an NCAA Tournament spot, even winning a game in Lexington, Ky. over DePaul.

When Stanton left Marshall for the head coaching job at Indiana, there was much concern that the winning magic might leave the MU program, but, so far, that hasn’t been the case.

First year coach Jen Steele has led Marshall to a solid 2018 start, including a good start to the Conference USA season with a home series sweep of Southern Miss and a series win at league rival

UAB. The Herd is also getting sold work from two returning standouts--base-stealing whiz Elicia D’Orazio and slugging catcher Taylor McCord.

The Herd tested itself with a challenging early schedule which included a narrow 5-4 loss to national power Tennessee and a close loss to another SEC opponent, South Carolina.

There are plenty of additional chances for quality wins, because Marshall has upcoming games with Pitt and Louisville along with some huge Conference USA series.

------------------Herd fans--save the last weekend of April on your calendar, as its a huge weekend. The annual Big Green Huntington dinner is on Friday, April 27th and that is followed on Saturday, April 28th with the annual Green-White Spring Football scrimmage, which begins at 2pm at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

2017 football season ticket holders will receive two free tickets to the spring scrimmage, but all other tickets are $5 each and West Lot parking passes are $20 each. Tickets and passes can be purchased at the MU Athletic Ticket office in the Henderson Center. compiled by Bill Cornwell THE INSIDER editor

5 / THE INSIDER

/ April 2018

6 / THE INSIDER

/ April 2018

COLLEGE

BASKETBALL

TEXAS & C ALIFORNIA

“304 BOYS”

MAKE HISTORY IN

At the outset, consider the 2017-2018 Marshall University men’s basketball team a puzzle. Coach Dan D’Antoni knew where to plug in the three returning pieces. Over the course of the season, the former Marshall standout guard would juggle the other pieces in and out of slots many times. By season’s end, all the pieces had been plugged into the right spots. story by Dave Walsh

THE INSIDER writer

When D’Antoni got everything to fit to his liking, the Thundering Herd

orchestrated one of the most successful seasons in school history. Marshall won the Conference USA tournament for the first time to secure an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 1987. The Herd won a first-round game for the first time in school history and got a second-round date against in-state rival West Virginia, a school which halted the series between the two, perhaps prompting the NCAA selection committee to set the bracket where a Mountain State Showdown could take place on the West Coast with millions watching on national TV.

The setting would be the East Regional in San Diego. The Big 12’s Mountaineers capitalized on a 19-0 first-half run to race to a 94-71 victory and reach the Sweet 16 again and improve to 34-11 all-time vs. Marshall. That’s not the performance the Herd (2511) wanted, but coaches and players realized what this team had accomplished. With the knowledge all starters return, visions of even better days dominate the conversation now. And, D’Antoni gets to plug in one more missing piece. Levi Cook and Iran Bennett, two 6-10 transfers, get eligible and hopefully make opponents pay a price when they enter the paint.

“Could not be more proud of this group of guys. Came out and battled from day 1,” junior point guard Jon Elmore wrote on his twitter account. “Didn’t have the ending we planned, but it was one hell of a ride. Back to the drawing board and come back stronger. Back to the lab and can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon.”

7 / THE INSIDER “It was a great journey,” D’Antoni said. “They’ve lifted Marshall basketball further than it’s ever been … ever. This is the first time we’ve been here.”

The Herd ended other dry spells along the way. Marshall beat a Top 25 opponent on the road for the first time in 18 years, won a conference road game against a ranked team for the first time and defeated a pair of ranked teams (Middle Tennessee and Wichita State) within a 13-day stretch – the first time the program has ever defeated two Top 25 teams in the same season.

Wichita State was No. 4 seed in East Region and Marshall the 13th seed.

By now, everyone knows how the Herd plays. Fast (average time of possessions 14.3 seconds). Launch threes and mix in some alley-oop passes for dunks. Excite the crowd. Similar to the way NBA teams race up and down the floor, especially the Houston Rockets, who are coached by Dan’s brother, Mike. Dan coached with Mike when Mike was head coach for the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks.

Elmore, a 6-3 junior guard, runs the show and runs it well.

The Herd paced C-USA in scoring. Elmore is among national leaders in scoring, assists, rebounds and steals. He scored 27 points in the Herd’s 67-66 win over Western Kentucky in the C-USA title game and earned MVP honors. He racked up 27 again to lead the Herd past Wichita State, 81-75, and became an overnight sensation on social media. Running mate C.J. Burks averages 20-plus points a game, too, and then there’s European dynamo Ajdin Penava, the 6-10 junior from Serbia who led the nation in blocks. He was the league’s defensive player of the year. Jarrod West, Jannson Williams, Rondale Watson and Darius George turned out to be quite a support group. Elmore, Burks, West and Watson are from West Virginia.

“We shoot a ton of threes, throw alley-oops. The crowd gets fired up,” Elmore said. “We run a lot of NBA plays. Everything Houston does, we do. You will see Golden State running our plays, and we will run their plays. Then you will see Cleveland running some of that stuff. It’s very pro-oriented. That is where (the D’Antonis) came up, was in the pros. I think it shocks a lot of college teams when they play us or see what we do.”

Only two NCAA tournament teams at the outset, Oklahoma and Lipscomb, played at a faster pace. They both lost in the first round.

“We’ve got some weapons,” D’Antoni said. The good thing about it is everybody on my team is capable of scoring, You don’t have the big scoring droughts trying to find somebody who can score because we put out six or seven guys that can score.”

D’Antoni said this season’s success has done wonders for the program, but he doesn’t want to see this be a one- or two-year run. In football, Marshall fans wondered if the Herd would be a one-hit wonder after it reached the I-AA title game in 1987. The answer has been a resounding no.

“To break down doors, it’s always going to be tight,” D’Antoni told David Wetzel of sunnews.com in Myrtle Beach. “Then once you get through it, you get a feeling for it, your school or your teammates pass it on down to the next group of kids that come and you kind of a get a little swagger for it. This was important to try to maybe see if we can’t get that going and kind of understand what it takes to win a conference championship now and get into the NCAA tournament.”

For D’Antoni, tempo is an important word. Another is execution.

“The team that usually wins plays whatever their style better than the other team plays their style,” he said.

photographs by Primetime with Adam Gue

/ April 2018

That’s what happened against WVU. The Mountaineers proved too thick, from shoulders to shins. They muscled away more rebounds and loose balls. A switch to a half-court trap midway through the first half brought the Herd’s offense to a virtual stop. That’s an area D’Antoni must address so future opponents won’t find similar success if they play that way. Elmore had eight of the team’s 18 turnovers.

“I think their physicality got to us a little bit,” Elmore said. “They have quick hands, hand-check you up the floor. They defend, trap, run all different kinds of guys at you. They’re versatile.”

“Our ball movement wasn’t good enough, and we weren’t cutting hard enough,” D’Antoni said. “Against some teams you can kind of jog over to where you want to be. Can’t do that with West Virginia. We ran into a very good — very good — West Virginia team.”

There was another lesson the game taught D’Antoni.

“We’ll probably have to get in the weight room,” he said.

Players and coaches returned home March 20. From the first practice until that time, they did everything possible to get the Herd program back on the college radar. Reporters from national media outlets such as ESPN, Big Ten Network and USA Today helped spread the word on the Herd.

Take Dan Dakich, college basketball analyst for ESPN. He said viewers should pay attention to Elmore. His advice came when asked to name a player who could have a big tournament and might play at the next level.

“I give you MU’s (John) Elmore,” Dakich said. “He scores 20 in the second half of the championship game. He changes the game. If you see MU beat Wichita State, I guarantee you everybody in the country will be talking about Jon Elmore. He’s really good.” continued on page 10

April 2018 / THE INSIDER /

8

THE INSIDER / April 2018 / 9

It was a great journey. They’ve lifted “Marshall basketball further than it’s

ever been… ever. This is the first time we’ve been here.

-Dan D’Antoni, Head Coach

”

10/ April 2018

/ THE INSIDER continued from page 8

Big Ten Network’s Mike DeCourcy called Elmore the most underrated point guard in the country.

Off the court, Marshall officials hope being the national spotlight can convince prospective students to come to Huntington for their education.

Success in football continues to reap dividends for the school.

“Anything that puts Marshall out there and sort of puts us in the minds of prospective students and their families is a good thing for us,” Dr. Tammy ecutive director of admissions for the school, said in an interview on West Virginia MetroNews.

“We monitor here things like our advertising value equivalency of the coverage we get when something like this happens and we can just sit andwatch it skyrocket,” said Ginny Painter, senior vice president for communications and marketing at Marshall.

Painter estimated the advertising value equivalency, or “earned media,” due to Marshall athletics in the month of March totaled $75 million. Saturday alone, Painter said, that number was at $15.9 million, compared with less than $300,000 on a typical day.

“That’s just beyond anything that we could do without the basketball tournament,” Painter said.

Success on both ends of campus. D’Antoni and the Herd have to be happy about creating those kinds of numbers. the

INSIDER

April 2018 / THE INSIDER /

COLLEGE

FOOTBALL

LEAVING PHILLY

ON TOP

Marshall Football great Vinny Curry is a Super Bowl Champion, but he enters a new phase of his NFL in Tampa Bay. In less than two months, Vinny Curry experienced the highs and lows of life in the National Football League.

story by Dave Walsh THE INSIDER writer

One minute the defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles is able to reflect again on the team’s 41-33 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52 played inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., plus possession of the cherished Lombardi Trophy and a Super Bowl ring.

Moments later, the former Marshall University standout defensive end learns the Eagles, a team he’d admired since growing up in Neptune, N.J., and who had rewarded him with a contract extension in 2016 worth $47 million and a $23 million guarantee that would run through 2020, had decided to cut him.

It was all about production and money. Curry, who turns 30 in June, was considered surplus after the Eagles acquired Michael Bennett from the Seattle Seahawks, but they were hoping to either get him to take a pay cut or find a new home for him. He was scheduled to make $9 million this year, which was too much for a a guy who had 2.5 sacks last year.

It didn’t take long for Curry to find a new home. Free agency lasted 24 hours as the veteran signed a threeyear deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that’s worth up to $27 million -- including an $11.5 million injury guarantee, ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported. It so happens in 2018, Tampa Bay has a home game against Philadelphia and pays a visit to Cincinnati to face the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium where Thundering Herd fans who remember him are likely to show up and root him on. It’s not yet known when or how Curry will get that Super Bowl ring or what number he will have with the Bucs. photo by Adam Smith/ Getty Images

12

THE INSIDER / April 2018 /13

With the Eagles, Curry wore No. 75 to honor the 75 people who perished in the Marshall plane crash on Nov. 14, 1970. Curry, who started at Marshall as a non-qualifier, played for the Herd from 2008-11 and was named Conference USA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 and helped Marshall to two bowl wins.

“It’s official, I am officially a Buccaneer!” Curry said in a message on his twitter account, “Vinny Curry@MrGetFlee99.” “First and foremost I would like to thank the man above of all for his continuous blessings and allowing me to play the game I love! Always remember, every end is a new beginning. Bucs Nation are you ready? #TIMETOEAT #LetsGoBucs.”

And while so many players tend to forget where they come from when they reach the bright lights of the NFL, Curry never forgets about his time at Marshall. He continues to give back to the community and football program. A recent example was unveiled in April of 2017 with the new ‘Vinny Curry Locker Room’ as he paved the way for upgraded, state-of-the-art locker room facilities for the Marshall football program with a $200,000 donation.

“My love for Marshall – it’s tattooed on my skin. That’s forever,” Curry said in a story posted at HerdZone. com. “You can’t forget where you come from. You can’t forget how that experience prepared you for the next step. That’s real life, the friends and relationships I have built in Huntington, in West Virginia, at Marshall University. That’s going to last a lifetime, and you can’t ask for anything more than that.”

Curry, who became a father on May 6, 2017 with the birth of his first child, Noah Vincent Curry, became one of the most popular players in Eagles’ history. He was a second-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He earned a reputation as one of the most underrated defensive players in the NFL and garnered the respect of teammates, coaches, fans, and analysts of the NFL. On Curry’s message board, Eagles fans showed their love for the departing player.

“Nooooo! Your gonna be missed in Philly, too many of our great players are gone. Next season is not going to be the same at all! Good luck!!!!”

“Gotta say man! I wore your jersey every single Sunday this year. After week 6 I purposely kept wearing it because we were doing so good! Thank you for making a good tear drop from my eye, on of all days Jerome Brown’s birthday! Good luck, I’ll be there to see you play.”

“Best of luck Vinny. Can’t take away the history you made in Philly.”

“Congratulations still rooting for you no matter what team you’re on. Gooooo Vinny.”

“May God continue to Bless you. Come back when your contract is done.”

14 / April 2018

/ THE INSIDER

Curry expressed his appreciation with an emotional farewell to the Eagles and their fans on Instagram.

“Thank you fans for opening your arms and taking me in as one of your own!” Curry said. “This has been a dream come true for me to have the ability to play for my dream team and bring the Lombardi trophy home to you all!”

The Buccaneers believe Curry can help bolster the NFL’s least productive pass rush. Mike Smith’s defensive unit was last in the NFL in sacks last season with 22, 22nd in points allowed and last in yards allowed. Curry is the second former member of the Eagles defensive line to sign with Tampa Bay. Beau Allen was the first.

photograph by Rick Haye

Adam Caplan, NFL Insider for ESPN, noted Curry’s best season as far as sack production was when he was lining up in a 3-4 scheme, but like the signings of Allen and Mitch Unrein, Curry is a top tier run stopper – keeping with the theme of the off-season moves by Tampa Bay. At his introductory news conference, Curry said he wants to help iimplement the same attitude the Eagles’ defensive line had in Tampa Bay. One that places stopping the run in just as high a regard as getting to the quarterback.

“In our d-line room, tackles for loss are almost as good as getting a sack,” said Curry. “When you’re hunting and you can tackle a running back behind the line of scrimmage, that’s just another tally to put on the board to be proud of in our room, as a defense.”

Curry has been impressed with new Bucs defensive line coach Brentson Buckner, who takes over for Jay Hayes.

“When I talked to him on the phone, it seemed like he had a manual out on me: ‘Okay, this guy understands Vinny Curry,’ “ Curry said. “The way he wants guys to rush and wants his d-line room to be, I thought it suited me best.”

Curry said he is out to prove that he can be an every-down lineman. And that the Buccaneers are laying the foundation to seriously contend.

“There’s something special brewing here,” said Curry. “I’m glad to be part of it and I wanted to be a part of it.”

photo provided by NJ.com

April 2018 / THE INSIDER /

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBA LL

WRAP UP

compiled by Bill Cornwell THE INSIDER editor

High School Basketball 2017-2018 has ended in the Tri-State and there were several stand-out teams and individuals who had outstanding years.

No local teams were fortunate to win a state title this year, but a few came close.

In West Virginia, Huntington High was the only local boys team to make it to the state tournament in Charleston, but Coach Ron Hess and his Highlanders were eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual Class AAA champion George Washington. Coach Hess later announced that he’s stepping down as the coach at HHS, but he leaves a solid record, with three state titles and four state tournament appearances. In Class AA, Winfield made it the state semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Chapmanville Regional.

Boyd County won Kentucky’s 16th Region title after battling all season in the region and 64th District with Ashland. The Lions trip to Rupp Arena and the Sweet 16 came to an early end with a loss to Louisville Fern Creek, but Coach Randy Anderson’s squad piled up 29 wins while playing teams on all sides of the Ohio and Big Sandy rivers.

Fairland made another run to Columbus and the Ohio Division 2 Final Four, but the Dragons trip ended in Athens in the state “Sweet 16”. The Dragons will be losing some of the top talent in school history after this season, including Kollin Van Horn and Isaiah Howell. Another Lawrence County school, Dawson-Bryant, made a spirited run in Division 4, making it the regional semifinals while recording a school-record 19 wins.

The season was full of successes for local girls basketball teams.

Huntington St. Joe reached another WV Class A final and appeared headed for a ninth title in ten seasons, but the Irish fell to Wheeling Central in the state championship game. It was a special year at Wayne, as the Pioneers piled up 25 wins and reached the WV Class AA tournament for the first time in school history and won a game before falling in the semifinals to Wyoming East. Pioneers senior Ariel Adkins showed throughout the season that she was one of the Mountain State’s top players.

Boyd County made solid run in the Girl’s Sweet 16 Tournament in Highland Heights, Ky., reach the semifinals before falling to Mercy 78-59. Coach Pete Fraley’s Lions tested themselves throughout the season by playing the best regional competition, including WV standouts Huntington St. Joe, Spring Valley and Parkersburg South. Junior Point Guard Savannah Wheeler is one of the Tri-State’s top players, already exceeding 2,000 points in her career, and she’ll be back for another year before her planned move to Marshall to play college ball.

Fairland’s girls team matched the solid season of their male counterparts with a 20-win season. Jon Buchanan’s team featured a 1,000-point career scorer, Emily Chapman, who will continue her basketball career at Cedarville University.

Other standout southern Ohio players this season were Ironton’s Lexi Wise and Coal Grove’s Emily Compliment and Alexis Hall.

17

COLLEGE

FOOTBALL

THE INSIDER / April 2018 / 19

SPRINGINGINTOCHANGE story by Dave Walsh THE INSIDER writer

New Marshall University Offensive Coordinator Tim Cramsey has had the opportunity to see film on how wide receivers Tyre Brady and Marcel Williams, running backs Keion Davis and Tyler King and a young offensive line took opponents by storm for the Thundering Herd in 2017.

It’s now Cramsey’s turn to further develop those offensive performers and other returning pieces, plus yet-to-be-discovered contributors, most notably at quarterback, into an explosive unit this fall. Returning players have been going through offseason workouts since late December after Marshall put a bow on an 8-5 season with a 31-24 win over Colorado State in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. They headed outdoors the last week of March for the start of spring practice.

The GreenWhite game is set for April 28th at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

“Spring is huge.

We find out who we are,” Cramsey said. “We’re all a year older.”

Marshall fans wondered how the team would respond after going 3-9 in 2016. Well, the Thundering Herd came up 11 points short of winning 11 games a year ago. The defense, which got shredded time and again in 2016, developed into one of Conference USA’s best.

The Herd’s kicking game was one of the best in the league, too. On offense, Marshall did enough to get by.

When the season ended, defensive coordinator Chuck Heater left for Maryland and Herd assistant Adam Fuller got promoted to that spot. Bill Legg departed as offensive coordinators and Cramsey left Sam Houston State to join the Herd in that role, plus he’ll coach the quarterbacks.

all photos by Sholten Singer/ The Herald-Dispatch

One other big spot unexpectedly came open. Veteran quarterback Chase Litton opted not to return for his senior season, declared for the 2018 NFL Draft and attended the NFL Combine in March. Alex Thomson, graduate transfer from Wagner, signed with the the Herd in February and arrives in the summer. He was due in for one week in the spring. That leaves the untested four of Garet Morrell, Jackson White, Isaiah Green and Christian Shaw in spring drills.

Cramsey, fellow offensive coaches and players have been getting familiar with the new system and all the schemes and terminology.

“Terminology will remain very similar,” Cramsey said.

“We have to learn the terminology in the system to make it a go. The plan for spring is to make sure we’ve got all the schemes down.

Once we know as a coaching staff and players, we’ll start putting in different formations and keep the same schemes. Break down our offense, there will be a lot of different looks.”

While coaches say they would prefer a balanced attack (50-50 run/pass), Cramsey’s style is based on what the quarterback brings to the line of scrimmage. A gifted passer could swing the odds to say 70/30 pass/run. At Sam Houston last season, quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe threw for 5,003 yards and won the Walter Payton Award (nation’s top FCS player) for the second time. As a team, the Bearkats led the FCS in scoring (43.0), total offense (538) and passing (362). In 2016, Thomson threw for 2,436 yards and 16 TDs for Wagner. He missed most of 2017 due to injury. He has two seasons left with the Herd. continued on page 20

20/ THE INSIDER

/ April 2018

Phil Simms, former quarterback at Morehead State and who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants, has seen Thomson and believes he is a pro prospect. Another point in Thomson’s favor is Marshall has nine starters back on offense. While this is a plus for Marshall, it’s a headache for early opponents Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Kentucky with no film to study.

“The No. 1 thing is use the talent they have,” Cramsey said. “The good thing for me coming into a situation like this I can go back and watch film with the offensive staff.

Go back to Sam Houston film, watch Nevada, watch Montana State (Cramsey’s previous coaching stops) it was different for the opponent for the first couple of games how we were doing things. You have to match up to who you’re playing. We have the talent here that allows us to do a lot of stuff. How much do we run the quarterback, r.p.o (run/ pass options), take shots downfield. We have running backs who can do a couple of different things. We have receivers who can do a couple of different things.”

As for tempo, the Herd will hustle to get off snaps, but not likely in the 15- 20-second range as some fast-paced offenses (FAU) do. That call would be left up to head coach Doc Holliday. Sam Houston averaged 77 snaps a game last season.

“We have to get going, play with a sense of urgency,” Cramsey said. “It’s going to be culture shock. It’ll take all spring. We have the ability to change the tempo of the game and put the defense in a bad situation. It (pace of play) is a program decision. It’s a philosophy. Defenses have to practice that way.”

When coaches put up numbers the way Cramsey does, offers to move pour in. That was the case after the 2017 season, but Cramsey appeared set to stay in Huntsville, located 70 miles north of Houston. Until former Herd assistant Alex Mirabal came calling. Mirabal, who recently left to become offensive line coach at Oregon, knew Cramsey.

Visits by Mirabal, other Herd assistants, Holliday and a trip by Cramsey to Huntington convinced him Marshall should be his new home.

Apri 2018 / THE INSIDER / 21

“Go with my gut,” Cramsey said. “My wife (Amy) and I found a spot, we’re not moving. No desire for a new job unless the Pittsburgh Steelers call. Others came, but I didn’t look. Then Marshall, Alex Mirabal. I knew all about the tradition. There was an interest. I met Doc. I met the people (on his visit). I could tell they loved the program. I said I want to be a part of that. This is it. I’m not a bright lights guy. I look for a good life with my wife and two kids (Brock and Bryce). I wouldn’t want to go someplace where it’s not fun.”

On defense, the Herd has nine starters back. In recruiting, the Herd had either the No. 1 or No. 2 class in C-USA depending upon which service one reads.

Marshall made an early statement in 2017 by winning six of its first seven games to become bowl eligible.

The loss was to nationally-ranked North Carolina State.

Points off turnovers contributed greatly in three close late-season losses to FAU (30-25), UTSA (9-7) and Southern Miss (28-27).

The Herd had 13 players recognized on C-USA’s all-conference and all-freshman teams. Brady, who had 11 catches for 248 yards against N.C. State, made first team.

Davis made second team as kick returner. Williams got honorable mention. King and tackle Tarik Adams made all-freshman first team.

Seven linemen who combined for 61 of Marshall’s 65 combined starts return. Will Ulmer, like Adams, is a sophomore now. All the necessary tools appear to be present.

“Time to go to work,” Holliday said. “Last season is over.”

all photos by Sholten Singer/ The Herald-Dispatch

22 / Apri 2018

/ THE INSIDER