Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Shared philosophy leads Marshall, UAB to C-USA title game
12/17/2020 11:30:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Thundering Herd, Blazers meet Friday night for conference crown
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall won Conference USA's East Division. UAB is the C-USA West champion.
The teams meeting in Friday's conference championship game – 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network – are from different divisions, but they're two peas in a pod.
The football philosophy of head coaches Doc Holliday and Bill Clark is similar. The offensive stars – the Herd's Brenden Knox and the Blazers' Spencer Brown – are running backs who pack a punch in a 6-foot, 230-pound frame. Of the 10 conference title games this weekend, the C-USA battle is one of only two that features a pair of Top 15 defenses – Marshall is No. 2 nationally in total defense, while UAB is No. 15. The other is the ACC title game featuring Clemson (No. 7 in total defense) and Notre Dame (No. 14).
No wonder Marshall and UAB make it here more than anyone else. This is the Herd's third C-USA title game appearance since 2013, more than any other East Division team. The Blazers are in the final game for the third straight season, the first team in C-USA history to accomplish that.
"Thankful to be here and represent our conference in the championship against what I think is a great Marshall team," Clark said this week. "One of the teams that if I'm wanting to watch somebody play, I like to watch them play.
"They play the way I want our teams to play. They play hard; they play really good defense; sound in the kicking game; explosively offensively; they're tough. They do it the right way."
Knox and Brown have produced nearly identical statistics in the backfield this season. Knox has 168 carries to Brown's 156. Knox has gained 820 yards, while Brown has 740. Brown has the edge in rushing touchdowns – 10-9 – but they are tied in scoring because Knox has a receiving touchdown on his resume.
The comparisons do not end there.
Sacks allowed: UAB is first in Conference USA, followed by Marshall.
Defensive third downs: Marshall is tops in the league, followed by UAB.
Both teams have 13 takeaways in eight games. Both teams have 17 rushing touchdowns on the season. Both teams have thrown nine interceptions. Both teams have scored 23 touchdowns in the red zone.
"(Bill Clark) builds his program very similar to how we do," Holliday said. "It starts with playing great defense. They're one of the top defenses in our league. They're very physical. They're very well-coached technique-wise. Fundamentals. They play great special teams. They take care of the ball on offense. They want to run the ball on offense and take shots and do a good job in all three phases."
Since 2017, when UAB returned to the field after two years away from competition, no program has won more games than the two teams that will meet at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Friday night. This season, in a year marked with so much uncertainty, only two C-USA teams were able to navigate the schedule with only one conference loss: Marshall and UAB.
By the end of this week's media session, Clark found himself again looking at the Thundering Herd's No. 1-ranked scoring defense as the benchmark for what he wants his teams to be.
"I compare them to who we want to be defensively," Clark said. "They're athletic; they give you multiple looks; they're good tacklers; they're good at taking the ball away; they're aggressive; they're physical."
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).
