Marshall University Athletics
Football Faces Tulsa Saturday
10/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Marshall at Tulsa Game Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Marshall will travel to Oklahoma to meet the University of Tulsa for the first-time on the gridiron, Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (EDT) at H.A. Chapman Stadium and the game will be televised in the Huntington/Charleston area via WOWK-TV and available across the state of West Virginia on W.Va. Media Holdings stations (check local listings).
Saturday's game will be Marshall football's first trip to Oklahoma and only the Herd's second game ever against a school from Oklahoma. The Herd's only other meeting with an Oklahoma school came in 1938 when Oklahoma City College dropped a 66-0 decision to Marshall in Huntington.
Tulsa (3-2, 1-1 C-USA) features a high-powered offense that is led by senior quarterback Paul Smith. The standout signal caller has guided Tulsa to more than 600 yards of total offense in each of its last two outings. Smith ranks third in the nation in points responsible for with 24.4, fourth in passing yards per game (365.4) and is fifth in total offense with 374.8 yards per game.
The Golden Hurricane is coming off of a 48-47 loss at UTEP and will celebrate its homecoming this Saturday.
Marshall (0-5, 0-1 C-USA) is coming off a tough 24-21 loss to an emotionally charged Memphis team on the road. The Thundering Herd has battled through a series of injuries that has sidelined as many as six starters this season and has struggled to force turnovers. In the first five games, Marshall has only one interception and one fumble recovery to its credit - a number the puts the Thundering Herd 119th out of 119 in takeaways in the latest NCAA Statistical Rankings. That has helped to put Marshall at 0-5 for the first time since 1969.
The Thundering Herd offense has received strong play from senior quarterback Bernard Morris who currently ranks among the national leaders in passing efficiency and total offense. Morris ranks 16th in the nation with a 149.99 efficiency rating and is 24th in total offense with 288.60 yards per game.
Morris' top targets have been Mackey Award candidate Cody Slate and wideout Darius Passmore. Slate ranks among the top pass-catching tight ends in the country with 31 catches for 377 yards and three touchdowns, while Passmore contributes 29 catches for 384 yards and four scores.
Defensively, Marshall is being paced by junior free safety C.J. Spillman who is ranked ninth in the nation in tackles with 11.20 stops per game.
