Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Marshall stays focused on process ahead of Bowling Green
9/17/2022 11:36:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Thundering Herd is receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio. – Two years ago, the Marshall University football team spent eight weeks inside the Top 25 poll, twice peaking at No. 15 in the nation late in November.
Then came the fall.
A trio of losses – in the regular season finale, conference championship game and bowl game – ended the season on a dour note. Seven players who started in the 2020 Conference USA title game are still starters on this year's Thundering Herd team, which is on the cusp of re-entering the Top 25 after defeating No. 8 Notre Dame, 26-21, last Saturday.
Now, Marshall hits the road again – the second of three consecutive games in the role as the visitor – to face Bowling Green (0-2).
"They've been there before," Huff said of his team and the national rankings conversation. "We've used that."
The Herd is 2-0 after a comfortable season opening win against Norfolk State and last Saturday's win in South Bend, a historic achievement for the Marshall program, which had only ever defeated one other Top 10 team. That's old news going into Saturday, however, for a game that will be broadcast on the NFL Network (click here for assistance finding the game). Marshall's old Mid-American Conference brethren lost at UCLA and then to Eastern Kentucky – a drastically different start to the season – but Huff knows that in today's college football, his own team's process matters more than what the team on the other side has, or hasn't, accomplished so far.
"We talked to them about understanding how we've won these two games, not who we've beaten," Huff said. "If we can remember the how and repeat the how – with great preparation and playing extremely and being consistent on gameday – we'll be able to replicate this feeling more often than not."
Huff even rattled off a list of negatives he found from watching Marshall beat Notre Dame in front of 2.48 million viewers on NBC. He harped about third downs – the Herd was 4 of 13 against the Irish – and criticized the offense's performance in the red zone, remarking that the team needed more touchdowns and fewer field goals.
The second-year head coach also pointed out the team's poor tackling in Saturday's fourth quarter.
"There are things you can use to combat the noise," Huff said.
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In the Associated Press Top 25 poll, Marshall received 85 points from 63 voters. Teams are awarded points based on the placement on each ballots, with the No. 1 ranking earning 26 points, and the No. 25 ranking earning one point.
The Herd appeared on 24 of 63 ballots with well-known college football insider Brett McMurphy placing Marshall at No. 13, the highest of any voter. Four voters ranked the Herd in the teens, while most had MU in the 20s. The Herd finished four points behind Oregon for the final spot in the national rankings.
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Count Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green's head coach, among those unsurprised by what transpired at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday.
"Whenever we started our prep work in the wintertime and in the summer time for these four opponents, we all thought that, arguably, Marshall could be the best team that we play all year long," said Loeffler, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the Falcons. "They're fast, they went down the transfer portal in some areas where they had some holes and to be quite honest with you in all three phases, they're loaded. They're a very good football team. It doesn't shock you one bit that they beat Notre Dame."
Bowling Green played at UCLA to open the season and has a date left on the schedule with Mississippi State.
"The emblem on the helmet doesn't matter," Loeffler said. "What we gotta do is we gotta play our best football. They've got more talent than we do. There's no question about that, but we gotta do all the little things really well to give ourselves a chance."
Bowling Green annually plays multiple ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 or Pac-12 teams. Last season, the Falcons lost at Tennessee to open the season and then beat Minnesota on the road. The Golden Gophers play in the Big Ten.
"Just looking at their talent, this is the equivalent to playing a Big Ten team," Loeffler said. "You don't walk into South Bend and dominate the game the way they did if you're just average. That was not just a fluke. This Marshall team is very, very good. They've got a ton of talent. They play extremely hard."
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This is the 30th meeting between Marshall and Bowling Green.
So far, the Herd defense is one of 23 teams that has not allowed a 40-yard play.
Marshall had a plus-three turnover margin at Notre Dame, the 10th time the Herd has accomplished that feat since the beginning of the 2013 season. Marshall is 10-0 in those games.
Watch out for sixth-year senior Khalan Laborn in the second half. The dynamic running back, who is No. 6 in the nation and No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing through two games, averages 4.81 yards per carry in the first two quarters. In the second half, that number surges to 8.24 yards per attempt.
Chuck McGill is the Associate Athletic Director for External Engagement and Fan Experience 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).
