Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Herd defense focused on opponent's need for speed
12/23/2019 12:03:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Marshall, UCF meet in Monday's Gasparilla Bowl on ESPN
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
TAMPA, Florida – Media members and cameras surrounded Marshall linebacker Tavante Beckett following a practice at Berkeley Prep, where the Thundering Herd prepared this weekend to face UCF in Monday's Gasparilla Bowl.
One person tried to ask a question, but Beckett was certain where the question was headed and even more certain of his answer. Beckett started his response before the question was finished.
What, the media member wondered, jumped out most about Marshall's bowl opponent?
"Speed … speed," Beckett said. "Speed and the personnel and speed and how they operate."
That, Beckett said, is what makes UCF (9-3) such a challenging opponent in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, which will be played at Raymond James Stadium. Monday's kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN. The Herd-Knights clash is the only bowl game set for the eve of Christmas Eve, so the eyes of college football will be fixated on Tampa, Florida, for the afternoon.
Beckett, a junior, noted how fast the Knights are and how quickly their players race to the line of scrimmage between play so the ball can be snapped as soon as possible. That means the Herd defenders will have more than the challenge of facing a team that has scored 30 or more points in 37 of the last 38 games.
"Snapping the ball at 35 (seconds on the play clock), you've got to get the call and get set," Beckett said. "That's where they capitalize. Once you're out of position, they've got people with speed to make the plays."
UCF has one of the most potent offenses in the country, ranking No. 4 among FBS teams in total offense. The Knights cover ground quick, though, ranking No. 126 in time of possession. More yardage and more plays does not mean UCF has the ball long.Â
"I know they play really fast; the tempo is fast," said Marshall defensive coordinator Brad Lambert. "The tempo is the key. They get started fast. They create some chaos for you from a substitution standpoint because they don't let you substitute at times."
The coaching staff put an emphasis on that aspect since the bowl matchup was announced this month, and plans were put in place to combat the lack of opportunities to substitute.
"They got playmakers all over the field and they get the play off before the ref's out of the way," Marshall senior linebacker Tyler Brown said. "The refs are falling trying to get out of the way once they place the ball."
Overall, the UCF offense has 938 plays this season, an average of 78.1 per game. Only one Herd opponent – Boise State – eclipsed that average against Marshall this season (81 plays). Otherwise, the Herd defense was on the field for an average of 66.5 plays per game.
"They're pretty similar to FAU," Lambert said. "We've seen a lot of what they do. The hard part is practicing the pace. It's kind of like playing a triple option team, until you in the first drive and get a feel for it, it can jump on you early. We have to be ready for the pace early in the game and adjust to it."
FAU's offense ran 75 plays against the Herd, generating 419 yards of total offense. Marshall won that game, though, outlasting the Owls, 36-31, on Oct. 18. That was FAU's only Conference USA defeat in a championship season. The Herd, which enters the bowl game 8-4 overall, will need to handle the tempo in the same way in order to protect its nation-leading bowl winning streak (seven). Marshall is 6-0 in bowl games under head coach Doc Holliday.Â
"Whenever we start a drive, whoever is going out there, there's a possibility that no matter what the situation is, they're going to have to stay out there," Brown said. "There's times they don't sub. You don't have to just lock in mentally, we have to condition a little more now and get our bodies ready to go. They average 80 or 90 plays. We haven't seen that at all this year."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-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).
