Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Quarterbacks take center stage in Marshall-MT matchup
11/10/2020 8:30:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
The Thundering Herd aims to stay unbeaten in 2020
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Saturday's matchup between the football programs at Marshall and Middle Tennessee will feature two of the most mobile quarterbacks in Conference USA.
Grant Wells, coming off his second C-USA Offensive Player of the Week award, averages more yards per carry (4.14 to 3.42) than Middle Tennessee's Asher O'Hara, but the Blue Raiders' quarterback is a much more relied upon weapon for his team's rushing attack than Wells.
In fact, O'Hara ranks No. 1 among C-USA QBs and fourth of any offensive position in rushing yards in the league with 476. Nationally, O'Hara ranks only behind Liberty's Malik Willis (603 rushing yards) and Virginia Tech's Hendon Hooker (515) in rushing yards among any FBS quarterback.
O'Hara is not an unknown weapon to Thundering Herd head coach Doc Holliday or his defensive staff. The redshirt junior from Rolling Meadows, Illinois, rushed 17 times for 76 yards in Middle Tennessee's win against Marshall last October.
"He's tough, No. 1," Holliday said of O'Hara. "He's got great toughness. He's fearless. I've spent the last two days watching him run around doing the same thing he's done to us at times. When he's great is when things break down; when things break down he gets out of the pocket."
Marshall (6-0 overall, 3-0 Conference USA) hosts Middle Tennessee (2-5 overall, 2-3 C-USA) this Saturday at noon (CBS Sports Network).
The quarterbacks will take center stage.
The Herd's rookie quarterback has drawn attention, too.
"Obviously, it's fun to watch his progression," Holliday said of Wells. "He's a guy who goes to work every day. He does a great job with his preparation. He deserves what he gets. I know his teammates have great respect for him and the way he goes about his business. I'm happy for him and I'm happy for Marshall."
Wells has been C-USA's Offensive Player of the Week twice in six appearances. Wells, who is 6-0 as the Herd's starter, is 101-for-155 passing for 1,338 yards and 11 touchdowns against four interceptions. He also has 28 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and already has three of the top 35 rushing performances by a quarterback in 11 seasons under Holliday.
Wells, though, ranks sixth in C-USA among quarterbacks in rushing yards. O'Hara has rushing performances of 45, 61, 98, 106, 79 and 69 yards this season.
"When you get a quarterback who has the escapability that he does, your defensive line has to be careful not to get beyond the quarterback with their pass rush," Holliday said. "If you don't get far enough up field with your edge guys, he will break contain. It's a fine line. The biggest thing is, you better have someone who can run him down and tackle him when you're putting pressure on him who is a spy-type guy. You better have an athlete on him when you have someone assigned to him."
The Herd did face a mobile quarterback this season when it traveled to play WKU and QB Tyrrell Pigrome. He was held to 28 rushing yards on seven carries. O'Hara hasn't fallen below that rushing total since a Week 1 loss at Army.
"That quarterback, O'Hara, he's a pain in the neck," Holliday said. "You watch him play and nobody can tackle him."
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Holliday named a quintet of captains for the third consecutive game, once again adding leading rusher and reigning Conference USA Most Valuable Player Brenden Knox to the mix. Knox has been a captain three times this year and 15 games overall since the start of the 2019 season.
Along with Knox on the offensive side of the ball will be junior running back Sheldon Evans, who has been a captain in all seven games this season, and senior offensive lineman Alex Mollette.
Defensively, senior linebacker Tavante Beckett and senior defensive back Nazeeh Johnson will be captains. Beckett, like Evans, has been named a captain for all seven games this season.
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Knox has rushed for 677 yards and nine touchdowns this season, moving him up the lists on the career charts. Knox ranks No. 8 all-time in rushing yards at Marshall with 2,639, which is 85 yards behind Glenn Pedro for seventh place.
Knox is tied for No. 13 all-time with Mickey Jackson (1964-66) and Erik Thomas (1993-95) on the career rushing touchdowns list with 24. Knox's 26 overall touchdowns – he also has one touchdown receiving this season and one on a fumble return in 2018 – is tied for No. 20 in program history, along with Ryan Yurachek (2014-17), Mike Barber (1985-88) and the aforementioned Thomas.
Knox enters this Saturday's game with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games, which trails only Iowa State's Breece Hall and Buffalo's Jaret Patterson for the longest such streak in college football. Hall and Patterson have accomplished the feat in seven consecutive games.
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The defense deserves a shoutout, too, as one of the most dominating units in college football. The Herd ranks No. 3 in scoring defense, No. 2 in rushing defense and No. 3 in total defense, while also checking in at No. 18 in pass defense and No. 10 in sacks. In scoring defense, Marshall ranks only behind Toledo and Wisconsin, each of which has only played one game. In rush defense, MU trails only Kent State, which has played one game.
Marshall enters Saturday's game with a seven-game streak of not allowing an individual 100-yard rusher. The Herd has not even allowed a team to crack 100 rushing yards this season, much less a single ball carrier. Last season, six individual rushers reached 100 yards, including two from Charlotte in the same game.
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).
