Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Team chemistry important to Marshall football success
10/2/2020 2:11:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Thundering Herd has started the 2020 season 2-0, cracked Top 25
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – There is a picture attached to this story that shows multiple players on Marshall's defense leaping for joy.
Take a long, hard look at it. They're not leaping for themselves; they're leaping for each other. That is the mark of a good team.
"We are playing with a swagger because we love every single person we are playing with," said senior offensive lineman Alex Mollette, "We're close-knit brothers."
Need more proof? Watch social media after a Marshall football game. So far, the Thundering Herd is 2-0 in 2020. After wins against EKU – a 59-0 drubbing – and nationally ranked Appalachian State – a 17-7 victory on an historic day at Joan C. Edwards Stadium – MU players basked in the triumphs of others on various social media platforms.
"Grant Wells balling out today for the 304," wrote defensive lineman Owen Porter after the EKU win, referencing the team's first-time starting QB. "But how about that o-line? Them boys are dogs down there."
The praise for teammates didn't stop there.
Reigning Conference USA Most Valuable Player Brenden Knox muscled his way into the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown against EKU. He had help, though, and acknowledged it on social media after the game.
"Some extra horsepower in the back of the dually," Knox wrote on Twitter, before giving recognition to tackles Josh Ball and Will Ulmer, and then center Alex Salguero.
Ulmer, a fifth-year senior, then shouted out the redshirt freshman Wells, who had an historic day in his debut with 307 passing yards, the most ever for a first-time starting QB at Marshall.
"We love to see it bub," Ulmer tweeted.
"My boy drop straight dimes," tweeted sophomore receiver Broc Thompson.
"That Grant Wells kid is good at football," tweeted backup quarterback Luke Zban.
What better person from whom to receive praise from than the person you beat out for the starting job? Zban is Wells' backup QB.
That is an extraordinary compliment from a teammate. And, perhaps, that's why Marshall cracked the Top 25 for the first time since 2014, and is still receiving votes as the Herd awaits its C-USA opener on Oct. 10 at Western Kentucky. This Herd team is different, and it is as united as ever.
"We're really close," said Mollette," "We're a close-knit group."
The fifth-year player continued:
"We've got a lot of guys who are getting more comfortable. It's really cool to see Grant Wells – he's one of my good friends – to see him being a little goofball on the field is awesome. (running back) Sheldon (Evans) is a two-time captain; no one has earned it more than him. He's really, really taken over – he's our voice. He gets up in front of us every single day and tells us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. I've seen him transform. He's playing with a passion that I haven't seen before.Â
"That's why you see Knox getting pumped up. You see Grant getting all pumped up. You'll get a first down and our offensive line will jump up and down, pumped, knowing we earned every single yard of it."
Mollette then started talking about this team's swagger and togetherness.
He said the coronavirus pandemic has made this team closer. Spring football drills were wiped out. When most of the team returned to campus in May, they vowed to do the right things to protect the season. This is, after all, a season for the "75" – the 50th anniversary season for the 1970 plane crash, which killed 75 people, including team members, coaches, community supporters and flight crew.
The players are willing to do anything – which mostly means they're willing to do nothing and stay inside and stay away from others – to play.
It shows on the field.
"Our team chemistry is great," said senior offensive lineman Cain Madden. "We're all buddies."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and an eight-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).
