Herd Insider vol 19 #5 10-28-2016

The Brain Behind The Band: Adam Dalton October 28, 2016

SEARCHING SEASON for a

Exactly one half of the way through the 2016 season, Marshall continues to search for the consistency needed in the second half of the season.

Keion Davis (left) led the rushing in the 27-21 win over FAU in mid-October.

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herdinsider.com

UP FRONT

10.28.16 VOLUME 19 NO. 5

As the Thundering Herd has, at least in the short term, gotten back on the winning track in football, no other team on campus is rolling quite as well as the Marshall volleyball team. With a win on October 16, Marshall improved to 16-6 overall and 5-2 in Conference USA play thanks to a road victory at Louisiana Tech. Coach Mitch Jacobs, who has been here since 2002, is into his 15th season at the helm and is at 453 career wins and has a record at Marshall of 271-196 (a 58% winning percentage).

For Jacobs, it is all about the defense his team is playing.

They are holding opponents to an attack percentage of just .183 (the Herd is at .249, for reference), and is averaging 15.1 digs per game, led by senior libero Allie Kellerman, who has 349 digs. Last year, she set a Marshall record of 555 digs in a season, and Jacobs calls Kellerman, “the best libero in program history,” and quickly adds, “and we have had some good ones!”

Kellerman also had 36 digs at Davidson in 2015, second best game in Marshall history and this year has won the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week award four times since the season started with a 3-0 win over Evansville on Aug. 28. Her 1,544 digs through mid-October is third most in program history, and needs about 215 more to pass Maggie Arias (1,758, 2004-07) as the all-time leader with seven regular season matches left, plus the C-USA Tournament in Houston in mid-November.

compiled by Woody Woodrum, HI senior editor

Another player doing well is middle blocker Ally Kiekover, another senior and from Grand Rapids, Mich.

All-C-USA first team as a junior, as well as making the All-Academic C-USA Commissioner’s honor roll and the earning the C-USA Academic Medal. She had 329 kills last season, and went double-digit kills in 16 matches. She is over 1,000 kills, and is moving up in the top ten for kills.

Senior Cassie Weaver (a local from Cabell Midland HS and from Huntington) has become only the fifth player in Herd history to have 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, accomplished most recently by Laura Der in 2010-13.

Another player having a great season is doing it as a freshman, and has twice been named the C-USA Freshman of the Week. Jac’cara Walker is second on the team to only to Weaver with 244 kills (three behind Weaver). Weaver is from Gainesville, Fla. and the PK Youge Developmental Research School — which doesn’t exactly sound like an athletic mecca — where she was the Gatorade Florida Player of the Year and a Preseason All-American as a senior with over 1,700 career kills and 1,100 digs.

The Herd is 5-0 in the Cam Henderson Center this year, and 7-2 at neutral sites. The Herd has taken down rivals WVU, Ohio and Morehead State.C-USA Championships are just around corner.

Hope to see you at a game in November!

WHAT WE’VE GOT

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10.28.16 VOLUME 19 NO. 5

This page: A full moon rose over the east stands of Joan C. Edwards Stadium during the third quarter of Marshall’s win over FAU. photo by Greg Perry/HI staff On the cover: Keion Davis was the hero of the win over FAU, scoring Marshall’s first and game-winning touchdowns. photo by Greg Perry/HI staff

555 Fifth Avenue Huntington, WV 25701 (304) 523-8401 General Manager Mike Kirtner

PRE-GAME

24 Hours of Thunder Heading to south Florida for

Publisher Greg Perry Associate GM Reeves Kirtner

the FIU game? Here’s where you’ll be and a cool thing to do and see at History Miami.

Senior Editor Woody Woodrum Web Operations Alex Hackney First Subscriber: Geoff Sheils Printing: Printograph - Hebron, KY All contents ©2016 Kindred Communications, Inc

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THE GAMES

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SEARCHING for a SEASON Crossing the mid-season mark, Marshall is still searching for its identity as the second half of 2016 begins.

COLUMNIST

COLUMNIST

Bob Pruett

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If you want to know the secret to college football coaching success, simply watch where the assistant coaches go.

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Recruiting

It’s easy to drown in a sea of Twitter followers and Facebook friends when trying to stay on top of the collegiate recruiting scene.

PRE-GAME

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The BRAIN Behind The BAND

Adam Dalton is director of the Marshall Marching Thunder. We pick his brain in this Herd Insider Q&A.

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PUBLISHER

/ October 28, 2016

GREG PERRY

Sholten Singer/Herald-Dispatch

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COLUMNIST

Trying To Reason With Football Season

gregkperry@herdinsider.com

There’s an old adage that goes like this: fan is…or should I be reserved, calculated, and analytical like a Good things come to those who wait. columnist is supposed to be?

If only the person who coined that adage had a Twitter At any rate, here is my mid-season report card of sorts for account, we would have all learned it much quicker.

Marshall football at precisely the midway point of the 2016 And therein lies the rub with being a college football fan season. A little bit of fan perspective, a little bit of columnist these days. Actually, the rub lies in my pocket for most of my persona, and just a tinch of jaded old guy thrown in for good 18-hour-long days. My smart phone and the attendant access measure. For what it’s worth. to instant, overbearing, yet somehow social, media. We are a society that knows it all, and knows it now.

Take for example, Google. 20 years ago, if someone had told me that one day I would carry in my pocket a device with which I could look up anything —and have the answer almost instantaneously— I probably would have searched for a nearby handy wood stake, at which to burn them. Or, I’d weigh them A win is a win, whether over FAU (above) or any other program on the schedule. against a duck on a set of cool, old balance scales. That’s a vague Monty Python reference, right September 10 - Morgan State - W 62-0: there.

Marshall came out and played good football against an Yet, here we are. We find answers multiple times a day in obviously overmatched opponent in Morgan State. Did the less time than it takes me to type this sentence on an archaic 62-point display set me up as a Marshall fan with high hopes keyboard. and expectations? Absolutely. This game was the equivalent of It’s almost become passe’. taking a 100-level class during your senior year; it’s supposed The Twitterverse and Facebook world were all alight folto look easy because it is easy. Grade: A lowing Marshall’s 27-21 win over FAU in mid-October, within hours after the game. Wasn’t pretty. We are in trouble. How far September 17 - Akron - L 38-65 have we fallen?

Ego and pride were sitting on my shoulder after this one, Ad infinitum. telling me that this game was a stunner, a shocker, a not-supSo here’s the dichotomy (or paradox, even) of being a posed-to-happen affair. While playing decent football in the Marshall fan first and foremost (which I am), while at the same first half, the second half was a display (on Akron’s part) of time being in the sports media business covering the same how to make adjustments, how to take advantage of what your continued on page 5 program/school that I am a fan of. Should I be critical like a

COLUMNIST opponent (Marshall) gave you in the first half. It didn’t help that Marshall quarterback Chase Litton suffered what was (supposedly) a concussion in that game.

The hit was one of the hardest I’ve seen in over 20 years on the sidelines. Still, Akron took advantage of our youth and the result wasn’t pretty. Grade: D+ September 24 - Louisville - L 28-59 It’s not every day the (then) #3-ranked team comes into Huntington, and quite honestly, most folks would not have been shocked if the Cards had rung the bell to the tune of 70 points or better.

They were that good, coming off a giant win at Florida State the week prior. However, Marshall surprised a lot of people (and fans) by putting up 28 points with a freshman quarterback in Garet Morrell, who was getting his first start. Some hope was found in the result, despite the loss. The hope was palpable. Grade: C+ October 1 - Pittsburgh - L 27-43 This was the game that really brought out what Marshall is capable of, and also what they are not capable of.

One only need look at the first half versus the second half. Lethargic and unable to score, something happened to the entire Marshall football team at halftime that should be noted. What exactly it was that happened is anybody’s guess. The second-half performance by Marshall was -arguably- their best single half of football to date. The question is (and remains): Where is that team that came out in the second half against Pittsburgh?

No players have left the team since that game. I know. I checked Twitter and Facebook to verify this. They’re all still here. Grade: C+ October 8 - North Texas - L 21-38 Here’s where the wheels all but fell off the bus. North Texas is a game that Marshall is supposed to win, according to the folks who cornered me in church the very next morning. I refer to this weekly interaction with live humans as Social Media v.1988. <John Gruden voice> Supposed to win? Never heard of such a thing. </John Gruden voice> Either North Texas improved dramatically over the last year, or Marshall didn’t play anywhere near the capability they showed just one week prior in the second half at Pittsburgh. Probably a little of both.

The uneasiness factor ramped up by a

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factor of ten with the Marshall Faithful after this one, and rightly so. Sundays after games like this one, I just stay in the house to avoid having “the talk” with friends and family. Grade: D

win the game late in the fourth quarter.

Apparently, it was too close for comfort (again judging by the congregation’s response the following morning at church). A win is a win. Grade: C+

October 15 - FAU - W 27-21 Yes, it wasn’t a Glory Days type of win. Nobody will fondly remember ten years from now how we beat FAU on that nice October evening with the full moon rising over the east side of Joan C. Edwards Stadium back in 2016. Yet, the fans that did remain at The Joan got to see another Marshall comeback to

The business side of me leaves emotion on the sideline when writing such columns as this. Emotion, ego, and pride can be an occupational hazard if left unchecked.

And after all the analyzing, all the scrutinizing, all the criticizing…I come to a single conclusion. continued on page 19

24 Hours vs ofSaturday Thunder: November 19, 2016 | FIU Stadium | Miami, FL

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Where You’ll Be: FIU Stadium

What To Do: History Miami

Beyond the Game: Sports and the Evolution of South Florida explores the

305’s past through the lens of athletics. Curated by filmmaker and former New Times writer Gaspar Gonzales, it tells the tale of the city through film and interviews. It examines locations such as Miami Beach’s Fifth Street Gym, Miami Marine Stadium, and Hialeah Park and takes a look at memorabilia and stories A cozy 20,000-seat stadium that features east-west end zones, FIU Stadium is situated in the heart of Miami, Florida. The stadium opened of athletes like Muhammed Ali in 1995, replacing nearby Tamiami Field, which was used as a recreation- — who spent time here during the Jim Crow era — and teams al field by the university and local high school football teams. When such as Dan Marino’s Miami FIU began its football program in 2002, FIU Stadium became the home Dolphins. The exhibit also covers venue for the team.

The stadium was renovated in 2007. After completion of a lower level the unique sports of jai-alai and powerboat racing. bowl in 2012, the stadium has seating capacity of 20,000. The most well-attended event at the stadium was a football game on October 1, The exhibition runs through 2011 versus the Duke Blue Devils, with an attendance of 22,682. FIU January 15, 2017. The museum is Stadium is the southernmost NCAA Division I football stadium in the open Monday through Saturday Continental United States.

The stadium is also home to Miami FC, an American professional soccer from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Regular team based in Miami, Florida. They began play in the North American tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 Soccer League, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid, in the for seniors, and $5 for children, 2016 season. except those under 6, who get in In September 2011, the university announced plans to begin the third free. Call 305-375-1492, or visit phase of stadium expansion by removing the last remnants of the original 1995 stadium on the north side to complete the bowl around the historymiami.org. It is located at 101 W. Flagler St. field. The expansion of the stadium could increase its capacity beyond Miami, FL 33130 20,000, and it will include additional suites, press boxes, and a second 305-375-1492. stadium club.

courtesy of History Miami

Beckley, WV Register-Herald photo

COLUMNIST

COACH BOB PRUETT

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Football Success Depends On Hiring Great Assistant Coaches

HUNTINGTON — Most Herd fans can quickly list the head coaches of the Marshall Thundering Herd football program, going back from Doc Holliday (2010-present) to Mark Snyder (2005-09), myself (1996-2004), Jim Donnan (1990-95), George Chaump (198689), Stan Parrish (1984-85), Sonny Randle (1979-83), Frank Ellwood (1975-79) and Jack Lengyel(1971-74). And, so on.

And while many of those coaches have returned to Marshall over the years in various roles, it’s easy to forget that many of the assistant coaches at Marshall have done very well since their time in Huntington, as well.

Look at the staffs Coach Randle put together. It was my first collegiate job after being a high school coach in Virginia. I worked for Randle from 1979-82, then later became the head coach at Marshall.

The late Bill Stewart (1980) was the head coach at VMI and West Virginia, Jimmy Grobe (1979-83) went on to be the head coach of Ohio U., Wake Forest and is currently the interim head coach of undefeated Baylor. And, Reggie Oliver (1979-83) was an assistant at Bowling Green State before he became the head coach at Columbus (Ohio) Eastmoor Academy.

As far as assistants, some of Sonny’s assistants have done very well as assistant coaches, and many are still working. Steve Marshall (1982-83) is currently the offensive line coach for the New York Jets, but has also coached at Green Bay, Cleveland, Houston in the NFL and at at 11 college programs. John Zernhelt (1981) was a head coach for the 2004 season at The Citadel, worked at seven other colleges and worked eight years in the NFL, at the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans. He currently is a scout for the Los Angeles Rams.

Jeff Hanson (1980-81) is currently an assistant at James Madison, back for a second run with the Dukes in 2016, and also coached at Virginia, Richmond, VMI, West Texas State, Southwest Texas State and Lamar.

Coach Randle’s first offensive coordinator was Jim Cavanaugh (1979-80), who was an assistant at Denbigh (Va.) HS and Newport News HS before moving to first NC State (GA), then VMI (RB/WR),

North Carolina State (WR), Marshall (OC/QB), Virginia (WR), Maryland (OC/QB), North Carolina (WR), Virginia Tech (DB/LB/recruiting/OLB) and the director of recruiting and high school relations for Virginia Tech football before retiring in 2014.

Sonny’s second offensive coordinator was Bob Brown (1981-83), who is still coaching at Ferrum. Brown coached Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers at South Carolina in 1980, and also coached at Davidson, WVU, Texas Tech, South Carolina, Ohio, Hargrave Military and at his alma mater William & Mary. Waverly Brooks, who got out of coaching, runs a very successful restaurant in Williamsburg, Va., the home of the William & Mary’s Coaches Show.

My staff at Marshall from 1996-2004 included many coaches who are still working at the highest levels. Lou Anarumo (2001-03) was an assistant at Wagner, Syracuse, US Merchant Marine Academy, Harvard, Purdue and is currently an assistant for the Miami Dolphins since 2012. Scott Bennett (1996-97) was at Ole Miss, Clemson and Virginia Tech as an assistant strength coach before I hired him as our head coach for conditioning. Since then, he was in charge at Southern Miss, Wyoming and now Radford.

Tim Billings (1990-99) was an assistant at Duncan (Okla.) HS, head coach at Prairieland HS in Pattonville, Texas, assistant at Norman (Okla.) HS, Oklahoma and Missouri before Jim Donnan hired him at Marshall. Tim stayed with me for four seasons, leaving to become the head coach at Southeast Missouri State, then an assistant at Wake Forest and Memphis (DL). Tim was hired in 2014 as the Director of Athletics and Head Coach of North Lamar HS in Paris, Texas, but got back into the college game when Jay Hopson hired him at Southern Miss (who the Herd will see on October 29 in Hattiesburg).

Speaking of Jay Hopson (1996-2000), he is the Head Coach at Southern Miss after serving as the former head at Alcorn State, where he was 32-17 from 2012-2015, won two SWAC Championships and played in the Celebration Bowl in 2015 as the first white head continued on page 8

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Pruett from page 7 coach in Alcorn State history at the historically black university.

Gunter Brewer (1996-99) was an assistant at Wake Forest, East Tennessee State, head coach of Northeast Mississippi Community College and then came to Marshall. He moved to North Carolina, Oklahoma State, then to Ole Miss where Gunter was the Associate Head Coach and passing game coordinator, but then returned as an assistant coach at North Carolina (Co-OC/WR) since 2012.

Jim Collins (2004-06) was with me one year, then two more with Coach Snyder. He was an assistant at Page (N.C.) H.S., Lees-McRae Junior College, Appalachian State, Duke, Jacksonville State, Duke, Florida, Washington Redskins (NFL) before coming to Marshall. Jim is currently an assistant for the third time at Duke since 2008.

Phil Elmassion (2002) was an assistant at William & Mary, Richmond, Ferrum, East Carolina, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Wisconsin, LSU and West Virginia before landing for a year at Marshall. Phil retired after that final year to do sports talk radio.

Alan Fiddler (2000) was head coach at Glenville State, winning the WVIAC crown in 2008 as well as WVIAC Coach of the Year, and currently is the sixth year head coach at Patrick Henry High School in the Roanoke, Va. area, finishing 5-6 in 2015 and going out in the first round of the state 5A playoffs — but 6-1 this year, to date.

Marty Galbraith (1998-99) is working at a Harley-Davidson dealership and also coaching in FXFL, a fall experimental football league with a five-game schedule for players who have recently been in NFL camps. Galbraith also coached at the Tennessee Titans, at Duke, at Georgia Tech, Pitt, Wake Forest, at LSU, with the Arizona Outlaws, with the Kansas City Chiefs and in the USFL with the Tampa Bay Bandits.

Dave Johnson (1997-2000) is just up the road at Ohio U., where he has been since 2014. The former WVU player and coach has also coached at at the University of Georgia, Cincinnati, Indiana University-Pa., and at Shippensburg to start his career after being a grad assistant.

Kevin Kelly, who had two terms with our team (1996-98, then 2000-01, with a year at Syracuse in 1999), and also was a head coach for the Hoyas of Georgetown for eight seasons. He is currently the head coach and associate athletic director at Wyoming Seminary College.

Mike Cummings (2005-09) was an assistant at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Millersville, Central Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Central Michigan and currently an assistant at UConn (Co-OC/OL).

Tim Nunez has coached at the University of Texas, Southwest Texas Sate, Tulane University, and Texas A&M, and these days is a published coach as well in a book called The Coach’s Advantage: Offensive Line Fundamentals.

Dwayne Nunez (Tim’s son) worked at Marshall (1999-2005), after stops at Port Arthur, Southwest Texas State, UNC, Nichols State and since leaving Marshall has been the offensive coordinator at Barbers Hill HS and CE King HS back in Houston, Texas.

Tony Petersen worked at Marshall for Jim Donnan (1991-95), stayed on to work with me (1996-98) and then came back again home to Marshall under Mark Snyder (2005-09). “Pete” also worked at UK, Minnesota, Iowa State, South Dakota, LA Tech and is currently at East Carolina. Kip Shaw was a grad assistant for me (1998-99) who went on to be the Assistant Head Coach/Receivers at Southeast Missouri State for Tim Billings, then the Asst. Head Coach/OC at WV State University before moving to Tulsa, Okla. to teach high school and coach.

Finally, former Herd safety Shannon Morrison worked for me as a grad assistant in 1997, after coaching at Marshall in 1995 and Sam Houston St. in 1996. He went on to work at Hampden-Sydney, Southeast Missouri, Lehigh, back for Marshall for Mark Snyder, then a few other stops. He is currently the Co-DC/DB coach at EKU. No wonder we were able to win big here at Marshall. We had good coaches who went out and recruited great players, and I am proud to call many of these coaches good friends as well.

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SEARCHING SEASON

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for a

CROSSING THE MID-SEASON MARK, MARSHALL CONTINUES TO SEARCH FOR THEIR IDENTITY AS A TEAM IN THIS 2016 SEASON, TRYING TO TURN THE UPS AND DOWNS INTO A SECOND-HALF-OF-THE-SEASON CONSISTENCY.

The Marshall defense ganged up on FAU quarterback Jason Driskel in the Herdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 27-21 win over FAU in mid-October. photographs by Greg Perry/HI staff

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last drive down there and they won the game, which was an important

by Woody Woodrum HI senior editor thing. FAU has some good players and I thought out players kept fightn the baseball movie Bull Durham, Tim Robbins plays a young ing and they found a way to win it.” pitcher with a ton of potential if Kevin Costner’s Crash Davis It was the fourth close loss in a row for the Owls of Coach Charlie can get him in line to use his talent. In the bus, Ebby Calvin Partridge, losing the week before visiting Huntington on a Hail Mary “Nuke” Laloosh hops in the seat beside Costner after the team get on the final play against Charlotte that was ruled by replay to be out going and says, “I love winning, man, I ... love winning — it’s like better of the end zone in a 28-23 loss. FAU had lost 33-31 in the “Shula Bowl” than losing.” against FIU on Oct. 1 and lost to Ball State at home, 31-27, on September The Thundering Herd of Marshall may have had some players say24. ing it somewhat different, but after four losses in a row — the first time in the seven-year tenure of head coach Doc Holliday — the Herd was happy to get any win, especially against a Florida Atlantic team that has given the Herd problems in the matchup of the Owls and Marshall.

Such has been the season thus far in 2016 for Marshall. Midway through the 12-game stretch, it is safe to say that up-and-down adequately describes the six games played. At mid-season, Marshall is still indeed searching for the consistency on field that leads to convincing wins.

But with a shutout in the second half of the Owls by the Marshall defense, and 11-points scored on a second Amoreto Curraj field goal, a second Keion Davis touchdown and the first two-point conversion of the season, the Thundering Herd evened its Conference USA record at 1-1 with a 27-21 win, moving to 2-4 overall.

The win sent home a Homecoming crowd of 22,839 happy with the win in the 115th Homecoming game at Marshall since 1895’s first “Coming Home” for Thanksgiving game. The Herd improved to 62-45-8 in all Homecoming Smiles returned to the faces of Marshall players like Chase Litton after the win over FAU in mid-October. games, and wins for the four year in a row and sixth of seven Homecoming wins under Holliday since 2010.

Despite out-gaining the Herd in total yards, 456-to-436, includThe Herd controlled the clock in the second half, with 19:18 on ing rushing for 281 yards to 106 for Marshall, the Owls took another time of possession and an overwhelming 10:37 in the fourth quarter. heartbreaking loss, having lost to the Herd by one in 2013 (24-23), then They held FAU to only four possessions for the second half, resulting losing 35-16 in Huntington in 2014 (a game they also led at half) and in two punts and two times turning it over on downs, but that final losing last year to Marshall, 33-17, in Boca Raton. turnover on downs was the difference in a Marshall win or loss.

“We’re four possessions away from being a 5-2 football program,”

I

“I was proud of our kids, and the way they continued to fight,” Holliday said of the win. “I thought we came out in the second half and the defense shut that team out. The offense found a way to get that

Partridge said. “There’s a lot of things to be proud of. We just have to find a way to finish. We were very close against what we know is a good continued on page 14

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Historic Indoor Game

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Due to complications from the summer floods, Dupont Middle and Elkview Middle schools held their football game in Marshall’s Chris Cline Indoor Athletic Complex in mid-October. It was the first game ever held in the facility, which is usually relegated to hosting only practices for Marshall’s sports teams. Even better…Elkview’s team is the Elk Herd, so it was the Herd playing on The Herd’s field in this first indoor football game for W.Va. photos by Greg Perry/HI staff

continued from page 11 football team.

“We had two turnovers when we were approaching what we call the high-red zone (in the first half). You certainly want to come away with points there, and if we come away with more points there, we probably win. But I’m seeing continued improvements. We were just inches away.”

Holliday was calling for his players to execute better and to make plays, and he liked what he saw in the long drive to go-ahead, although running back Keion Davis was put on notice about ever removing his helmet on the field after a score (which he did after the game-winning touchdown, resulting in a penalty).

“Players made plays and it was good to see,” Holliday said. “It was great to see Chase Litton come back from that turnover at the end of the half. He knew he made the wrong decision but I thought he came back and made great decisions in the second half and he found a way to win the game which is the important thing.

“You tell (Davis) if he ever takes his helmet off again, he will never play again. He is a young player and that was critical. That ball is going to be at the 25-yard line, instead of the 50 — it made me sick. Sometimes growing pains with young players are hard, it’s a hard lesson to learn and thank God it didn’t cost us the game, because it very well could have.”

Davis was just happy he got into the end zone, and remembered to thank the players who got him there. “The offensive line did a tremendous job, especially in crunch time. I just ran the ball hard behind them.”

He also said it was about making a play his team needed on the score, which took two attempts to get the lead. “If you call yourself a big-time player, you have to make plays when it is time. I just had to make a play there.”

Litton passed the ball very effectively on the evening, completing 69% of his 27-of-39 passes for 330 yards and one score — a 65-yard

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strike to Knight, who also had big night with nine catches for 129 yards and scoring eight points, his second 100-yard game of the season. Litton had one interception, ending a drive and giving FAU the ball, which they turned into the halftime lead of 21-16.

Knight said he and Litton got comfortable, which led the big game for both.

“When you start getting touches and getting your feet wet, you begin to feel comfortable and with a good quarterback like Chase [Litton], you know he’s going to feed you,” Knight said. “He was putting the ball where I wanted it and I was trying to go out there and make plays.

“You don’t understand (what the win means). It means the world.

It was a great team win. We still have room to improve but the only thing that matters is that we got a W. That’s all that matters today.”

It was Litton’s third 300-yard passing game of this season and the fifth time in the true sophomore’s career but he wanted to talk about the win more than stats in the post game.

“We wanted to win. All 11 guys on the field wanted to win,” Litton said. “The whole team wanted to win and the whole crowd wanted us to win. We knew that it wasn’t just going to be given to us and that we had to make plays.”

The defense was very happy after pitching a shut out in the second half, led by juco safety CJ Reavis who posted a new season best with 15 tackles in the game, six of the 15 solos, while Chase Hancock was close behind with 10 tackles. Reavis said the plan for the defense was not complicated by defensive coordinator, and secondary coach, Chuck Heater.

“The plan was pretty simple this week. The goal was to find your guys and make the tackles,” Reavis said. “The first drive, [FAU] showed us up but we came out there and tightened down on them after that. It feels great (to win).”

“We’re a better team than we’ve been playing. It felt good to see all the players and coaches smiling again.”

RECRUITING

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Trying To Keep Up With Recruiting, It’s Easy To Drown In A Sea Of Followers And Friends

T

by Bill Cornwell HI contributing writer

he lifeblood of intercollegiate athletics is recruiting, as there is a constant need for coaches to annually re-stock their rosters with new talent as seniors move on.

Twenty or thirty years ago, the transaction between university, coach and potential athlete and his-or-her parents would have been quiet and personal, but that all changed in the 1990s with the growth of the internet and websites that fueled a desire for fans to learn about their favorite school’s recruiting efforts.

The social media explosion has also changed the focus from the schools and traditional media to the recruited athletes themselves. In many cases, the athletes dictate the narrative of their recruiting path, especially through the use of a personal Twitter page.

An example of “controlling the message” can be seen through the Twitter account of Marshall Football 2017 verbal commitment Niron Washington, a 6’1” defensive back from from Arcadia, Florida who announced on Twitter on September 26th that he plans to head to Huntington to play college football for the Thundering Herd.

Weeks after announcing his commitment, Washington remains tied to the Marshall program and Herd fans on his Twitter page, Especially so, as he links for football and articles and telemen’s basketball. vision coverage related to the The role of me2016 Herd football dia outlets that cover season. He also intercollegiate sports retweets the verbal also changed regardcommitments ing recruiting. In the of other Marshall past, many newspapers recruiting targets, or TV and radio stations such as one from Ben might have waited until Maffe, a 6’3” athlete letter-of-intent signing from Ashburn, Virginia Twitter feeds and Facebook followers are used to control the message in recruiting these days. day to do significant who announced his Marreporting on the number of or shall plans on June 24th. quality of recruits, but the pull Washington is also in contact of internet competition forced more established media outlets to with current Herd players on Twitter as he retweets many of their game jump into the recruiting news frenzy. A couple of the more favored fan week comments. recruiting websites are rivals.com and scout.com How does the media use the new recruiting news tools on social The arrival of the 21st century brought another player to the media? Doug Smock is the veteran Marshall sports beat writer from the game--social media! Now, everyone with a Facebook or Twitter account Charleston Gazette-Mail and he says Twitter and Facebook have their becomes a recruiting reporter as they repeat word on potential recruits pluses-and-minses, especially in the hands of overeager fans. originated by others, or provide original information on schools which might be the future home for an athlete. In fact, traditional media “The idea of harassing 17-year-olds about unofficial visits is unoutlets encourage consumers to share information they originate by seemly, and there are fans who seem to cheer harder for verbal commitproviding Facebook and Twitter links on stories. continued on page 16

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/ October 28, 2016

continued from page 15 ments than for actual touchdowns on Saturdays, so maybe they should reassess their priorities,” Smock said. “In many ways, social media has been a positive development as the kids simply tell what is on their minds leaving out the hassle of media members contacting players, high school coaches and others. But on the flip-side, some less-thanhumble prospects get even more full of themselves.”

“I don’t have 24 hours a day to constantly check my phone or laptop.”

—Doug Smock, Gazette-Mail writer

Smock says another concern for writers such as he and others who regularly follow a particular team is falling into a sea of recruiting news overload.

“Prospects get lost in the sea of Twitter-follows and Facebook-friending and I follow more than 500 figures in the world of sports and politcs,” Smock said.

“I don’t have 24 hours a day to constantly check my phone or laptop.”

continued from page 5

Marshall football is having a bumpy year in 2016.

I can’t deny it.

Yet, isn’t this why we buy tickets? To see the drama unfold, to experience the ups and downs that invariably come with being a college sports fan? If it all went well and Marshall repeatedly went 12-0, year after year, would we as fans be genuinely happy?

Or would we continue to find things to pick apart, in search of absolute perfection?

Ah, there’s those pesky questions again. Except this time, there are no quick Google answers to them.

The only way to find the answers is to show up at games, suit up in your best fan livery, and yell your head off.

Leave your smartphone in your pocket.

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The

BRAIN Behind The BAND

ADAM DALTON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU SEE AND HEAR ON THE FIELD BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER MARSHALL FOOTBALL GAMES. WE PICKED THE BRAIN BEHIND THE BAND’S…BRAIN. ANOTHER HI Q&A.

photographs by Greg Perry/HI staff

Q&A

by Mike Kirtner Herd Insider staff Adam Dalton is the director of the marching band at Marshall University.

You’ve probably seen him coordinating, watching, and moving all over the sidelines at Edwards Stadium on game days. We sat down with Dalton in September and October to find out what goes on in the brain of the guy behind the band in this Herd Insider Q&A. HI: Being the guy behind the band… how did you get to Huntington?

AD: I’m from Virginia, a small town called Martinsville. Ended up going to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, and I found my way to Atlanta, Georgia and taught high school and elementary school for a few years. A position opened up as a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama, and I did my master’s and doctorate there.

Marshall opened up, and it’s just a great school, a great area, and it’s closer to my home. That was 2014. Two years in, this is my third year.

HI: On game day, what are the emotions involved for you? It’s a big production to do what you do, and there are no do-overs.

AD: It is very much timed-out to the minute, and you have to make

sure everything lines up perfect/ October 28, 2016 / HERD INSIDER / 21 ly. There’s advertisers, presentations, and you have to make sure it lines up. Our day starts about six hours before the game starts. We rehearse for a couple hours on our practice field before most people even show up on campus. Then, we’ll go do the Thunder Walk, play some smaller pep rallies, and we head to the stadium about 30 minutes before the game starts. We get there about five minutes before we go on. It’s all timed down. It’s a big production.

HI: Do you think doing the smaller performances before the game makes it easier for the big show during the game?

AD: Absolutely. If we just showed up at the field and said, ‘alright, here we go’, I can’t imagine what that would be like. With the rehearsals and several performances before, it becomes another performance.

HI: The day after the game…is that a day to decompress and get away from football and music?

AD: I do watch football, but I barely leave the couch. Which is a nice thing.

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HI: You hear music as your job, all day long. If someone rolled up on you in your car at a stoplight and wondered what you were listening to…what would it be?

AD: Great question. In my car most of the time, I have on the news.

Talk radio. Just to kind of clear the air. Also in my car, I have a classical station, and a pop music station from New York I listen to. It depends on my mood and where I am.

Sometimes when I get out of band rehearsal, I don’t have anything on the radio, because maybe I want to “cleanse” a little and let my ears relax.

If you saw me in my car jamming out, it would probably be rock. I try to keep up with where music is and where it’s going.

HI: It’s not like the old days when you played the Sousa classics and were done. You have to keep things modern.

AD: Absolutely. Last week, we played “Sweet Caroline,” in the fourth quarter and people started pulling out their phones with flashlights. That was a really cool moment. That’s not a new, popular song, but it was something that brought everybody together.

HI: Do you conduct the music on the radio in your car?

AD: Absolutely. I do it all the time.

HI: What kind of rewards do you get out of working with your students?

AD: The first thing I learned when I moved here is how eager these students are. Here, the students are really excited about everything.

They’re easy to work with, fun to work with. They get some experiences with the band that they might not get anywhere else. Boca Raton for a football game. St. Petersburg for a football game. This December and January, we’re going to Rome, Italy for the New Year’s Day Parade. They get those kinds of opportunities to perform in places they’ve never been. Some of them have never been out of the tri-state area, never been to the beach. That is really cool to give them those opportunities. That’s what I love to do.

HI: What has Marshall taught you, what have you learned about this school, this area?

AD: I learn stuff every day. When you stop learning, then you should stop doing what you’re doing. This is my first job as a college band director, so I learned a lot in that first year about how the university works, how the community works, what the community needs. And, it has really shaped the way the marching band has gone, going into this third year.

I learned a lot about being able to appreciate what the students are able to accomplish and experience. It’s really been a great opportunity.