Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Herd's impressive numbers on defense on the line at FIU
11/23/2018 12:11:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Marshall wraps up its Conference USA schedule on Saturday in Miami
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall has one of the nation's best defenses in November, ranking second nationally in average yards per game allowed (181.3) and average yards per play allowed (2.92) this month.Â
Those are eye-popping numbers, to be sure, but when the Thundering Herd takes its talents to Miami, Florida, to face FIU on Saturday at noon, the Conference USA's stingiest defense will meet the league's scariest offense.
"They got our attention really, really fast," said Adam Fuller, Marshall's first-year defensive coordinator and the mastermind behind one of the top defenses in major college football this season.
But if this is going to be a November to remember for the Herd defense, Saturday's test will be the determining test.
The Golden Panthers, who can clinch the C-USA East Division with a win in their regular season finale, is led by a careful quarterback who has carved up defenses this season. James Morgan, a junior graduate transfer from Bowling Green, needs 249 yards to become the single season passing leader in FIU history. He has a 26-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, which means he is engineering an explosive offense with nary a miscue. In fact, Morgan's 26 touchdowns ties him for No. 11 nationally, and of the QBs with a minimum of that many touchdown passes with as many or fewer interceptions, there is only one other name on the list: Alabama's Heisman frontrunner, Tua Tagovailoa.
"They don't make mistakes," Fuller said. "They're running the ball; throwing the ball. It starts with the quarterback."
FIU has been interception-free in six games this season, and is 6-0 when Morgan and the offense keep a clean sheet throwing the ball. Part of the reason for FIU's success is its ability to keep the quarterback upright, as the Golden Panthers are fourth nationally in sacks per game allowed. FIU's offense isn't just about safe and sound, though, and likes to take advantage of a four-man running back rotation and a receiving corps that is eight deep. The Golden Panthers have 11 plays of 50-plus yards this season – far and away the most among C-USA programs. No other league team has more than six 50-yard plays this season.
"They are probably the most complete offense in our conference," Marshall senior defensive lineman Ryan Bee said. "They have a bunch of guys back on the offensive line; good wideouts. Complete. It's a big challenge this week to be able to stop them."
Other league teams have found the task daunting, which is why FIU controls its own destiny in the quest for its first C-USA championship game berth. The Golden Panthers lead the league in plays of 30-plus, 40-plus, 50-plus and 70-plus yards. FIU ranks No. 18 nationally in yards per play at 6.45, and saw that figure boosted in last week's 42-35 win against Charlotte. FIU's offense ran 55 plays for 490 yards – an average of 8.91 yards per play.
FIU is 8-0 this season when it averages at least 5.0 yards per play, and 0-3 when it does not.
"It's going to be a tough atmosphere," Marshall junior cornerback Chris Jackson said. "It's a big game for us and them."
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FIU isn't simply good at protecting the football. Butch Davis' bunch is among the best in the country at takeaways, too.
The Golden Panthers have a plus-nine turnover margin his season, which ranks No. 11 nationally. The team is No. 9 among FBS programs with 15 interceptions.
"Protecting the football is our No. 1 key to victory every single week," Marshall offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said. "When we do a good job of it, we win."
Cramsey is correct. Three times this season Marshall has had a turnover margin of minus-2 – vs. N.C. State, vs. Middle Tennessee and at Southern Miss. The Herd is 0-3 in those games, and 7-0 when the turnover margin is minus-one or better.
If FIU has a defensive weakness, it is in the run game. Marshall is one of two FBS teams that has yet to allow 150 rushing yards to an opposing team (along with Texas A&M), while the Golden Panthers have allowed eight of 11 opponents to eclipse 150 rushing yards. FIU has allowed 77 plays of 10-plus yards this season, the most in Conference USA.
FIU does not allow the big play on the ground, though, having not allowed a run of 40-plus yards this season.
"They're a good defense all around," Cramsey said. "They create pressure up front. They roll a lot of guys on the defensive line. Not a big blitz operation. They've got fresh legs up there. They play a lot of zone coverage, which forces guys to put the ball in bad situations.
"This is as complete of a team we have played in a long time."
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Numbers to know:
*Marshall has won 16 consecutive games when scoring first.
*The longest run allowed by the Herd defense is 29 yards (twice), making Marshall the only FBS team that has not allowed a 30-yard run this season.
*No opposing player has been able to crack triple digits rushing against the Herd this season. Marshall is one of six teams that has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher, along with Clemson, Iowa State, Northern Illinois, Texas A&M and Southern Miss.
*A clash of stats: Marshall ranks No. 4 nationally in sacks per game (3.5), while FIU ranks No. 4 nationally in sacks allowed per game (0.73). The Herd has 35 sacks on the season, while the Golden Panthers have permitted only eight sacks in 11 games.
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a six-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
