Herd Insider Magazine vol. 19 #8 December 9, 2016

12.09.16

www. herdinsider .com

IT’S A

WRAP

MARSHALL FOOTBALL ENDS A TUMULTUOUS SEASON WITH A LOSS TO WESTERN KENTUCKY

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UP FRONT 12.09.16 VOLUME 19 NO. 8

Some statistics for you to mull over, following the final Marshall football game of the 2016 season against Western KY… ▪Sophomore wide receiver Donquell “Gator” Green (playing in six games) and redshirt freshman offensive lineman Alex Locklear (from nearby Spring Valley HS) received their first career starts. Green lined up in the backfield, then motioned to the left side of the field for a reception on the game’s first play and had seven kick returns (147 yards). Locklear started at right guard, and has played in 10 games in 2016.

▪Junior tight end Ryan Yurachek caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Garet Morrell in the third quarter. The catch extended Yurachek’s streak of consecutive games with a reception to 29 games. Morrell got his second start of the year, also staring the Louisville game when Chase Litton got a concussion against Akron.

compiled by Woody Woodrum, HI senior editor

games). Litton was minus-133 yards rushing. Freshman Garet Morrell (2 starts) finished with 33-of-67 (49.3%) for 290 yards, four TDs and three picks, and 14 yards rushing.

▪Senior slot receiver Josh Knight caught three passes against WKU and finished as the team leader with 62 receptions. Knight was edged out for the team lead in receiving yards by sophomore Michael Clark. Knight’s 16 yards in the finale gave him 631 yards on the season. Knight, Clark, Yurachek and senior Justin Hunt finish in a four-way tie for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with five each.

▪Junior Keion Davis led all rushers with 469 yards and six scores on four starts in nine games. The is the least amount of rush yards to lead the Herd since Martin Ward had just 345 yards and one score in 2010, Doc Holliday’s first season. Under Holliday, the Herd has had just two 1,000+ rushers — Essray Taliaferro (1,140 in 2013) and Devon Johnson (1,767 in 2014).

▪MU sophomore quarterback Chase Litton, who missed Saturday’s game against WKU with shoulder issues, ▪Senior safety Corey Neely finished as the team leader in finished the season with 2,612 passing yards on 231-of-371 tackles with 79 this season. He was followed by juniors (62.3%) and 24 scores, 4-of-5 better than frosh stats. Litton is No. in safety Kendall Gant (77) and cornerback Rodney Allen 10 on the MU’s all-time list for completions (461), No. 7 in (76), and Allen also led the Herd with 12 passes broken up and passing touchdowns (47) and No. 6 in completion percentage with four forced fumbles.

(61.1), and has 21 starts in two years in the program (25

WHAT WE’VE GOT

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12.09.16 VOLUME 19 No. 8

On the cover: Garet Morrel fought hard against the WKU Hilltoppers in Marshall’s last game of the 3-9 season. photo by Greg Perry This page: Heading into halftime, the scoreboard told the tale of the final game of the year. photo by Greg Perry

COLUMNIST

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BOB PRUETT

Pruett shared a meeting with Doc Holliday on his radio show and Woody Woodrum wrote it so you will know more about what comes now for Herd football.

VOLLEYBALL

EARLY EXIT

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The Marshall volleyball squad made an unplanned –and early– exit from the Conference USA tournament.

555 Fifth Avenue Huntington, WV 25701 (304) 523-8401

General Manager Mike Kirtner

FOOTBALL

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IT’S A WRAP

Marshall’s football team finished out a tumultuous season with a 60-6 loss at the hands of Western Kentucky

Publisher Greg Perry

First Subscriber: Geoff Sheils

Associate GM Reeves Kirtner

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

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EARLY ELEVATION

The Thundering Herd teams are off to good starts on the men’s and women’s side, and here is why.

Senior Editor Woody Woodrum

Printing: Printograph - Hebron, KY

Web Operations Alex Hackney All contents ©2016 Kindred Communications, Inc

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MIKE KIRTNER General Manager

COLUMNIST

How To Turn A Bad Season Into A Really Great One

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It’s watching a senior football player that stuck it out even though he would never play a down...just to make his father proud.

Allow me to explain.

It’s grandkids mixing with friends and family, a melange of people having a great time, eating Mexican food in a stadium suite as clients were entertained.

mikek@kindredcom.net

n the evening of November 26, 2016, I had a revelation about the college sports world. Sitting in Joan C. Edwards Stadium and watching the final game of Marshall’s tumultuous season, I realized that I’ve learned that games are not so much about scores…what it’s really about is the people that love them.

It’s the friends that come from Louisville to spend an afternoon in a parking lot, with a cold one in hand, to visit with an old friend...and it’s those same folks that needed a place to spend the night ..so they chose our house, the one with pleasant humans, but also with a psychotic cat...

It’s an athletic director taking time to mentor a young boy on the sideline prior to the game...the band members coming off the field and saying thanks to the guy that did their public address for football performances...

It’s the people in the press box needling each other as they report the on-field show.

It’s reliving memories with those that shared a night together in the historic Keith-Albee Theatre during the 10th Anniversary of “We Are Marshall.”

And, it’s learning that Red Dawson had written a book and suggesting that I would enjoy receiving it as a Christmas Present.(another reminder).

It’s laughing and sharing stories with a band director prior to another halftime performance, one wherein the kids will be glad to never play another Prince song.

It was also a special moment sharing the stories of production of “We Are Marshall” with one Mark Patton, just prior to him watching it on the big screen for the first time.

It’s standing around during the pre-game with Mayor Steve Williams, and he’s paying attention to my granddaughter as she stood in awe of her surroundings on the sideline helping her old granddad (me).

And it was a cool moment, such as telling the crowd gathered at the Keith-Albee Theatre to watch “We Are Marshall” the story of Alan Meadows being the first player to sign with the “Young” Thundering Herd. Even better than that, was watching Meadows receive a well-deserved standing ovation.

In the same breath, it’s also laughing as I watched a mayor, drenched with nervous sweat, mounting a podium to conduct the Marching Thunder as they performed the national anthem…moments after I suggested he try real hard not to mess this things up.

Or, as season is something as simple as seeing a granddaughter’s smile as the marching band leaves the field and continued on page 5

COLUMNIST continued from page 4

surrounds us with trumpets blaring and drums in full cadence…then laughing as I tell her that we are IN the band now as she nodded her head, grinning ear-to-ear.

Or, a season can be remembering the look of surprise on my daughter’s face after she poured something to drink and accidentally caused a spill … all over her mother.

Being priveleged to be within earshot and laughing out loud at comments made by administrators as they ribbed (in good humor) their co-workers.

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he said that he identified with the film.

It (quite literally) hit me that being in the college sports business, a season isn’t nor should it be) defined by the Ws and Ls sitting that are inevitably used as yardsticks by us diehard fans.

I realized that I’ve learned that games are not so much about scores…what it’s really about is the people that love them.

Allow me to explain.

Something as somber as watching, up close, as yet another player leaves the field with an injury that could affect him the rest of his life … and wondering why he had put himself into harm’s way.

It doesn’t even have to be here in West Virginia for it to be a part of a team’s season: Something as simple as spending time with an old friend in Florida and watching the game on TV as we couchcoached the team.

On the business side, a season can be defined by meeting and making new friends with those that I partner with for Marshall game broadcasts. And, especially enjoying their stories of previous stints with professional sports teams.

Going back in time, a season can be defined by movie-time with a former Marshall AD watching “Concussion” as

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A season is defined by its people. Specifically, it’s the lives that touched you throughout the season, as well as the lives you were lucky to touch.

So, you can look at the scoreboard and the results, and come to the conclusion that I (we) had a bad season.

To the contrary.

Now that I think about it, I had an absolutely great season.

Beckley, WV Register-Herald photo

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COACH BOB PRUETT

COLUMNIST

Taking Ownership Is How To End One Season And Begin Another

Bob Pruett talked with Marshall coach Doc Holliday on the Monday after Marshall’s season ended with a 3-9 record. Here is what Pruett had to say about that on his weekly radio show with former WVU coach Don Nehlen on WVMetroNews, and transcribed by senior editor Woody Woodrum :

we are going to work to get it fixed and if I can’t fix it, then you will have to get someone else to get it fixed [after next season].

“Doc Holliday and I talked Monday (November 28), and we have talked periodically during the year,” Pruett said on the show. “No matter how bad a loss is or how good a win is, the losses really affect the coaches more than players and fans, no matter how bad the fans think it affects them. They came back together on Sunday, trying to get this thing fixed at Marshall.

“When you lose, there are all kind of rumors out there, and most of it is either BS or just rhetoric. 99.9 percent of those rumors are not true. You have got to fire this or fire that or do this, but these guys are good coaches. Prior to this year, they were 33-8 the past three years. What we need to do is to let that man assess his job and let him try to get it fixed, and if he can’t, replace him.

“These are coaches who were 33-8. The offensive coordinator, Billy Legg, was running a top five offense the previous five years. Legg, who coached for me and Don, Marshall was in the top five with him. This year, it didn’t work for a variety of reasons, but Doc has taken ownership of it and he gets a chance to fix it.

“Let me say this first: Coach (Don) Nehlen and I talked today. He thinks a lot of Doc, and Doc coached for Nehlen for many years. Don and I want to see him do well and get this thing fixed. He had a horrendous year this year, especially the way it ended [a 60-6 loss to WKU in the final home game].

“Doc wanted me to say — and he will make his own statement, but told me it was okay to talk about what we talked about — he is going through things with his staff just like they are at Michigan State, Notre Dame, UCLA, Oregon and other programs who have had a down year this year. Michigan State had six straight years of top five or six rankings, and like Marshall, went 3-9 this season.

“We are not worried about what happens somewhere else, however, we are worried about Marshall football. I think Doc, what his attitude is, and he said it was okay to say this, so listen — We as coaches have to coach better. Our players, they have to play better. What happened this year is unacceptable. What happened on Saturday is inexcusable. It is my job to get it fixed,

“That’s taking ownership, and I don’t think it could be said better.

“What happened Saturday, that was not pretty. Their players were saying Marshall did not come to play, but there were 9 or 10 players on Saturday who were starters early in the year who could not start due to injury, and injuries are a part of every football team. On a marginal team, that really affects the way you play. When you lose, every thing –every wart and pimple– you have shows up and festers up and jumps its ugly head.

“Doc understands that. He has got to get it fixed. He came in here (in 2010) and got it fixed once before, taking us to a Top 25 program. Has he earned a chance to do it? Well, that’s above continued on page 7

Pruett continued from page 6

my pay grade, but Doc, he is taking ownership, meeting with each player and telling them what went on this year is not exceptional, every facet of the program needs to be better starting now for next season. That’s what you do.

“Circle the wagons, that’s exactly right. You make wholesale changes at the end of the season, that is only an emotional response. What he has to do is to is sit everyone down and explain what we just went through is unacceptable, and Doc knows that. He has done this before in his career.

“No one there performed up to their best. We have to coach them to go out and do their best. When people get on shows and say, “he’s gone or he’s gone,” it’s what that person wants.

What’s on the internet is not fact. But you as a coach, you have to deal with that. What ever the perception is becomes reality.

The players, they will be more around the fans than the coaches the next month.

“There are great coaches at the other schools that are having similar seasons, for different reasons. The reason our fans are so down about this year is we have set the standard high.

Marshall plays for championships, and the last three years under Doc they won one, lost one and played right down to the final game trying to get back there a third year. But it is what it is, and it is not acceptable to anyone — now, be good or be gone.”

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SURPRISE EARLY EXIT

COMING INTO THE CONFERENCE USA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT, MARSHALL WAS ON A ROLL AND GOOD THINGS WERE SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. TOURNAMENT HOST RICE HAD OTHER PLANS, HOWEVER.

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by Bill Cornwell

HI contributing writer

hen the 2016 season began for the Marshall University volleyball team, the Herd wasn’t getting much love outside of the program. Conference USA coaches picked the Herd to finish eighth in the league during a preseason poll, based on the fact that Marshall was expected to field a young team and the squad hadn’t been high achievers in past years.

Those predictions of doom turned out to be wrong, as the youthful Herd finished with a 22-8 record, 11-3 in the league, good enough for a tie for second with Southern Miss in the league race. Unfortunately, the season ended earlier than hoped with a first round 3-0 loss to host Rice in the opening round of the Conference USA Volleyball Tournament.

Included in the success were wins over rivals WVU, Morehead State and Ohio and a successful 4-game road swing to Florida in which the Herd won three matches and played strong in a 3-1 loss at perennia SEC contender Florida, ranked seventh in the country at the time.

Marshall Head Coach Mitch Jacobs says the early predictions of a down or mediocre season were neither a surprise nor a snub.

“I felt that we could be pretty good, but we were going to need younger players to step up and have unproven players get on the court,” Jacobs said. “We had a really deep team, so it was up to us as coaches to find the right group and get them on the court, so we were able to use quite a few different players early in the season and it actually kept us fresh late in the season.”

There was leadership returning for the team, as four seniors looked to have a special year...Allie Kellerman, Ally Kiekover, Cassie Weaver and Taylor Riedel. They were joined by returning juniors such as Kayla Simmons and Justice Craft and sophomores Kassidy Lemons and Shelby Conley.

Jacobs says the returnees made great off-season strides after a 16-14 (7-9 league) record in 2015 and it showed in their on-court performances.

“The returning girls bought in further and worked hard,” Jacobs said. “They really came together and liked being around each other.”

The pickup in performance really paid off for Kellerman as she was named this season’s Conference USA Libero of the Year and was named to the all-conference first team and all-academic team. continued on page 9 “Allie’s always had it,” Jacobs said. “She’s a perfectionist and a knucklehead at the same time.”

Volleyball from page 8 “She quarterbacks out there and she took the lead along with the other seniors.”

Ally Kiekover was also a first-team all-conference honoree.

Marshall had high hopes for its six freshman coming into the fall and Jacobs expected to use them extensively. The coaches faith paid off as Marshall placed three players on the Conference USA All-Freshman team - Jac’cara Walker, Madelyn Cole and Madison Hill. Hill was also named second team all-conference.

Jacobs says that the Herd youngsters were no surprise to him.

“They had plenty of talent and they had to push it every day in practice,” Jacobs said. “They hit a wall early in the season, but the older players did a good job of telling the youngsters that they’d get through any homesickness or nervousness regarding their school work.”

The youth movement will continue next year for the Herd with the arrival of 3 strong youngsters...Hurricane High redshirt freshman

Tiffany Isaacs along with two recent signees who will bring height to the Herd’s front line-Katie Jacques of Mount Pleasant, SC and Addisyn Rowe of Limestone, Tenn.

“Tiffany redshirted and did a good job in practice,” Jacobs said.

“Jacques is similar to Isaacs but probably jumps a bit better and can go to the outside, while Addie is a beautiful athlete to watch, really long and smooth and a strong jumper and she’s even going to be a high-jumper for the track team.”

Jacobs says the season ended way too soon for his liking, but he has hopes even brighter days are ahead for Marshall volleyball.

“It’s taken us some time to be significant.” Jacobs said.”Every year, we get some good wins and we never miss the conference tournament.”

“Our kids have a lot of heart and they stay here. Its important to get the right kids who want to give their heart and soul and be daughters of Marshall.”

It’s taken us some time to be significant,” Jacobs said. “Every year, we get some good wins and we never miss the conference tournament.

Justin Hunt hauled in one of his five catches against Middle Tennessee State. Hunt racked up 87 yards and scored two touchdowns in the 42-17 late-season win.

continued on page 13

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FINISHING AS A TEAM

photographs by Greg Perry/HI staff

MARSHALL COACH DOC HOLLIDAY (BELOW) KEPT HIS TEAM TOGETHER AND PLAYING UNTIL THE END, A 60-6 LOSS TO WESTERN KENTUCKY ON A CHILLY NOVEMBER NIGHT IN HUNTINGTON.

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by Woody Woodrum, HI senior editor

arshall football losses are painful, no matter if you are a player, coach, manager, trainer, administrator or fan. We all know Huntington is a better place when the Marshall football team is winning.

Herd fans have battled through back-to-back 1-10 seasons, an 0-26-1 streak of not winning not just once — in seasons from 1966-69, with three head coaches — but also in the first five years of play in the Southern Conference, 1977-81. We saw the Herd go 0-11 versus the Furman Paladins in the first 11 games, saw coaches come and go about every 4-to-5 years (win or lose) or watched the program be dropped from Division I to I-AA — which saved the program starting in 1983.

Cut to the present day, and coach Doc Holliday has certainly had success with the Herd — winning a C-USA title, winning the East Division twice and winning four bowls in the past five years. He had two of the greatest players in Marshall history rewrite the quarterback and receiver portions of the yearbook in Rakeem Cato and Tommy Shuler, and then posted a 10-win season and three bowl wins, and then Doc’s Herd won another bowl over UConn when those two players had moved on to professional football in 2015.

home win versus Middle.

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ow did Marshall get here? Well, it was like one of those years in the 1970s, when Marshall’s football team went 23-83 over the decade — worst in NCAA Division I football from 1970-79. A high water mark of 5-6, thanks to a Morehead State forfeit of the Eagles’ win in week one of 1976, but included three 1-10 seasons. Thank the heavens for Akron (2-1), Dayton (2-4), Morehead State (5-3) and Toledo (4-5), over half the wins of the decade came from the Zips, Flyers, Eagles and Rockets.

Marshall started the 2016 season with a small group of seniors and during the season many of them became injured. Tight end Emanuel Byrd,tackle Clint Van Horn and guards Michael Selby and Ryan Riedel as well as linebacker Shawn Petty didn’t even dress out for their final game at home.

The Herd secondary lost four starters from 2015, and started a true freshman Chris Jackson at corner, a junior corner with only one start coming in (Rodney Allen) and Terry Richardson — a graduate transfer from Michigan who had not recorded a tackle for the Wolverines in three seasons — and he was backed by redshirt freshman George Davis in his first season.

In 2016, however, Marshall slumped to a 3-9 mark — their worst record since 2007 — losing for the first time to teams like North Texas, FIU, Old Dominion and Charlotte. Marshall was 0-for-5 on the road, last doing that in 1989.

In the final against WKU, the Herd lost by the worst defeat in JCE Stadium history (1991-2016) when the Hilltoppers won, 60-6. It was the worst home loss since Louisville beat Marshall — in 1977, at Fairfield Stadium — by 56-0.

The 54-point loss is the fifth worst loss in Marshall history in the modern (post-WWII) era of Herd football and is the sixth worst loss in all Marshall history, back to the first games in 1895.

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The defensive line, like the offense, had its share of injuries and departures — as Tomell One did at mid-season, two weeks after he was named captain.

The 60-6 loss to WKU was the worst in Joan C. Edwards Stadium history.

Watching WKU players celebrate touchdowns became common, as above.

Marshall also was just 2-6 in C-USA, the worst mark since joining the league in 2005. The Herd only registered wins this season against 3-8 Morgan State from FCS’s MEAC; 3-9 Florida Atlantic (3-9/2-6, tied with the Herd for last place in the C-USA East, as well as Rice with the same record in the C-USA West) and the surprising win over Middle Tennessee (8-4/5-3) on an emotional November 14 weekend.

There were good plays at times, like any other winning or losing season — especially the second half against Pitt and the win over Middle Tennessee in the game where the 1970 and 1971 teams were honored — to make folks shake their heads harder about the losses to Akron (by 27, 38-65) or FIU (by 17, 14-31), in the week following the

Linebackers also shared in missing games with injuries.

Tight end depth was so back, by game 11 at FIU as well as game 12, the Herd coaches had a tackle — AJ Addison — playing tight end, instead of burning redshirts on true freshmen Cody Mitchell and Jarret Hockenberry. Ryan Yurachek did not play at FIU, and had one catch for a 4-yard touchdown in the finale, making it his 29th played game in a row with a score.

The running game really never got on track, with the injuries to Shelby, Van Horn, Byrd, Yurachek and redshirt center Levi Brown at FIU (and missing the WKU game, with all but Yurachek out), along with three tight ends going down.

The pass defense has improved, but depth has really been a problem back there along with little starting experience. Linebackers have seen the greatest movement by young players as freshman Omari Cobb and redshirt sophomores Chase Hancock and Frankie Hernandez became starters, and will return everyone but Petty and Devontra’e Tyler. Hernandez led the team with 08.5 tackles for loss this season, and safety Kendall Gant and Allen led all players returning in tackles, with 77 and 76, respectively. continued on page 21

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Senior Day Emotion

Coach Doc Holliday had an emotional send-off for his seniors, including Terry Richardson, as part of the senior day celebration prior to the start of the game against Western Kentucky. photo by Greg Perry

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EARLY ELEVATION FRESH OFF THE EXHIBITION SEASON, MARSHALL MEN’S BASKETBALL BEGAN ITS EARLY-SEASON FLIGHT, GAINING ELEVATION WITH A 4-1 START.

Ky’re Allison elevated over Jackson State’s 6-8 Janarius Middleton during an emotional second half at the Henderson Center in late November. photographs by Greg Perry/HI staff

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by Woody Woodrum, HI senior editor

he month of November was pretty good to the Marshall University men’s basketball team. Except for right at the end of the month, that is. The Herd literally shot out of the gate to a 4-0 record early in the season, behind a mix of fast play and high scoring performances.

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scored 62 of 111 points. Taylor is the sixth player in Herd history with at least 1,300 points (1,350) and 700 rebounds (741), a list that includes NCAA rebounding record holder Charlie Slack, NBA Hall of Fame member Hal Greer, D’Antoni’s teammate George Stone, NBA first round pick Russell Lee and JR VanHoose.

The only bump in that road came on the road, at Ohio State.

At the Value City Arena at Schottenstein Center, Ohio State shot 55% from the field and out-rebounded the Herd 61-to-32 on the way to an 111-70 win over Marshall. The Buckeyes moved to 6-0 on the season, winning the championship of the Global Sports Invitational, while the Herd fell to 4-1 and were runner’s-up in that tournament, becoming the last Conference USA team to take its first loss.

It was the worst loss since the Herd fell to Southern Miss 102-46, a minus-56 point loss on Jan. 23, 2013, in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Herd lost in D’Antoni’s first season by minus-39 at Middle Tennessee on Feb. 19, 2015, 90-51.

“They played extremely well, and beat the tar out of us,” D’Antoni said. “They did an outstanding job, while we were a little like deers in the headlights, especially with Ryan not our there. But it’s just one game, we are 4-1 and we will play another team with Ohio [University, the following week] on their jerseys — maybe we can beat them.

“Ohio State looked much quicker in person. They’re spacing was a lot better. What worries me, is I hope it wasn’t us that made them look better in person. They played Jackson State and N.C. Central and we watched that film. We had an easier time with North Carolina Central than they did. I don’t want to take anything from Ohio State, because they played extremely well.”

Taylor, who averages 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds as well has having 11 blocks and eight steals on the season, would have certainly helped the Herd against Ohio State in the lane — where the Buckeyes

Aleksa Nicolic grabbed a rebound in the Herd’s late-November win over a feisty Jackson State team at the Henderson Center in Huntington.

“We were missing Ryan Taylor, who is our glue. We came out flat, ”D’Antoni said. “We were doing things that we normally didn’t do. If we had Ryan, it may have helped us — I’m not saying it would. It may have helped us do the things that we want to do.

“When we came out, that wasn’t Marshall basketball. The ball wasn’t moving like it was supposed to. We couldn’t get open. We took quick, bad shots. That’s not us. Our brand is a good, quick shot, but it’s a good shot. Ohio State’s defense made us do it. We have to be better.”

Ohio State finished the first half with continued on page 19

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Jon Elmore was on fire in the month of November, averaging just over 20 points through five games.

Basketball continued from page 17

a 60-37 lead.The Herd was outscored 6037 in the opening half, then 51-33 in the second half.

“They executed well, and hit a lot of shots we hadn’t seen them hit when we looked at tape,” Elmore said. “We will learn from this loss, head home and move on.

We were 4-0 and maybe came in a little bit on our high horse, and tonight we got set back. Ryan is a huge piece for us, and would have helped in many ways.

“Our game is undersized but on defense we have to step it up. Their game plan to play us was great.”

Elmore led the Herd with 25 points, hitting 8-of-20 from the field, 4-of-12 from three and 5-of-6 from the line. He added six assists (against six turnovers) and a rebound. Loop hit 5-of-9, all from three, and finished with 15 points, two rebounds, an assist, no turnovers and a steal. Loop is now No. 5 in threes with 197 made, passing Ronald Blackshear (195, 2001-03), and has made at least two threes per game in his last 10 contests, back to last year.

Junior Terrence Thompson had 10 rebounds for the second time in five games and tied his career high for the third time, but was only 1-for-11 shooting. Senior Stevie Browning had nine points, two rebounds, four assists and a steal while Portsmouth, Ohio, freshman Ky’re Allison had a career high six points and hit 2-of-5 from three with two assists and a steal while Bledsoe finished with five points and a career high five rebounds.

Sophomore forward Ajdin Penava had four points against four fouls in just nine minutes played, while junior center Milan Mijovic scored four points with two rebounds before fouling out. Aleska Nikolic, Christian Thieneman, Jacob Kilgore and Ot Elmore played but did not score.

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Marshall coach Danny D’Antoni has see reason to smile early in the season, shooting out to a 4-1 record in the month that included winning all home games at the Henderson Center in Huntington.

Marshall’s December home games are few and far between, with a matchup against Toledo on December 10 and another home game against WV Wesleyan on the 19th at the Henderson Center.

Football from page 11 Running back might have been the biggest quandary, as the Herd returned three players with significant playing time, but at the end only redshirt junior Tony Pittman — out of the Doc’ “dog” house to being a captain in 3-of-final-4 games (and all senior captains in WKU game) and redshirt sophomore juco Anthony Anderson dressing, with Hyleck Foster and Keion Davis not even on the sidelines.

That was true again of sophomore quarterback Chase Litton, as he missed the Louisville and WKU games with separate injuries. He was not on the sidelines when true freshman Garet Morrell got his second start of the year.

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similar to his numbers last year in winning 10 games as a true freshman who started from game three on. He has thrown for 231-of-371 passing (62.3%), for 2,612 yards, 24 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions.

Since the WKU game, Holliday has sat down with his staff and made decisions that may change the face of the program if one or two coaches and possibly some players are replaced.

Holliday will have already met with AD Mike Hamrick, and possibly even Dr. Jerry Gilbert — the relatively-new president of Marshall University — by the time you read this, and get feedback from both about what is going to be done.

With five quarterbacks in all on the 2017 roster, for now, spring football will be very interesting. Marshall will also have to replace Byrd, slot Josh Knight and wideout Justin Hunt, who both had their best seasons as seniors.

Many theories have been floated by the fan base, questioning play-calling, lack of depth, lack of experience, players intensity on the field in certain games, players leaving or being asked to leave the program and calling out many coaches, some administrators and even yours truly on the post-game shows for our poor choices in game-aftergame-after post-games.

Litton has taken heat from fans, but his numbers are remarkably

change as Marshall pushes forward.

Holliday will have already met with AD Mike Hamrick, and possibly even Dr. Jerry Gilbert — the relatively new President of Marshall University — by the time you read this, and get feedback from both about what is going to be done and what will need to

When asked if he had experienced a season with the injuries and inexperience both holding back Marshall’s ability to win, he said, “No, not in 35-40 years of coaching. And I hope I never will again.”

So does everyone else in Herdville, Doc.