Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: At long last, opener arrives for Herd, Huff
9/3/2021 11:22:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Marshall plays at Navy this Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Finally, this Saturday, a long 228 days since Charles Huff was introduced as Marshall's new head football coach, the Huff era can officially begin.
Sure, that era started in the dark mornings of winter when Huff, new to the gig, would spend those early rises getting coffee at local spots and mingling with a passionate fan base excited about his arrival. Since then, the 38-year-old Huff has guided the Thundering Herd through spring football drills, the dog days of summer and a rigorous preseason camp. Now, Saturday, at 3:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) inside the historic Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium here, Huff can add a "1" to the win or loss column. A modest man, Huff will not make this about his debut. A side-stepper of the limelight, Huff will downplay a game in his home state, less than an hour from where he grew up.
But Marshall opening the 2021 football season at Navy is a little about Huff, too, whether he likes it or not.
"I'm excited," he said this week. "It's an opportunity to go out and show all of the hard work we put in the past eight months, since we got here. One game is not going to determine our season. Regardless of the outcome of the game, there's still a lot of football ahead of us.
"I get an opportunity to lead a phenomenal football team into battle against a phenomenal opponent. Where else would I rather be?"
Huff's love for Marshall is evident. But here's what the native of Denton, Maryland, is facing in Saturday's game:
The last five first-time Marshall head coaches to open on the road have lost: Doc Holliday (2010, Ohio State, L, 45-7); Frank Ellwood (1975, Akron, L, 20-8); Jack Lengyel (1971, Morehead, L, 29-6); Rick Tolley (1969, Morehead, L, 27-14); and Herb Royer (1953, Virginia Tech, L, 7-0).
"Ultimately, it's not about me," Huff said. "It's about the 125 guys who are going to be pulling together to get this done."
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On Aug. 9, on The Athletic, college football writer Bruce Feldman unveiled his annual list of the "biggest Freaks in college football."
Marshall had one representative on the list: Shane Simmons.
If you don't know much about Simmons, that's OK. Simmons is a 6-foot-4, 246-pound defensive end who joined the Marshall football program this summer after spending time at Penn State. That's where he met Huff, who was previously an assistant for the Nittany Lions.
Simmons had three sacks for Penn State in 2020.
Feldman named Simmons one of his 101 Freaks in college football for this season: "New Thundering Herd coach Charles Huff is reunited with one of his old buddies from his Penn State days, Simmons, a 242-pound defensive end who had 10.5 TFLs in his time in Happy Valley. Simmons' athleticism should be a welcome addition to Huntington."
Feldman then mentions Simmons' 4.25 shuttle, 4.65 40 time and a vertical of 31 inches.
"Shane is one of those guys who has come in and done a really god job of buying into Marshall," Huff said. "Sometimes you get transfers and they come in and put on the uniform but they are still wearing the colors where they come from by their attitude and their actions. Shane is the total opposite of that.
"He brings a lot of depth to our d-line; he brings a lot of character to our d-line. The one thing I really think he brings to our d-line is he has a really extensive knowledge of the game."
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Huff's adversary on the other sideline, Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, will be coaching in his 169th game at Navy. Huff is well aware of Niumatalolo's ability to swing an underwhelming season into a dominant one.
"Navy, traditionally, when they've had a down year they've bounced back with a phenomenal year," Huff said.
It's true. Navy went 3-10 in 2018, and then bounced back with an 11-2 finish in 2019. Last season, the Midshipmen finished 3-7, although the team was severely limited because of protocols related to the coronavirus pandemic.
"People have picked them not to do well in their conference, well, that's not affecting the way we view it because historically, when they don't do well, watch out," Huff said. "It's like a dog backed into a corner."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a nine-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).
