Achieving offensive balance first key to conference matchup

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Plane flights, hotel rooms in an unfamiliar city and a crowd decidedly in favor of the other team.

The UAB football team faces each of those things this weekend as they travel to play Marshall in a Conference USA East Division matchup at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Strangely enough, however, UAB football coach Watson Brown expects his team to feel right at home when the ball is kicked off today at 4:15 p.m. "To be very honest with you, we've been better on the road," said Brown, whose team nearly beat Tennessee in Knoxville and dominated Troy at Movie Gallery Stadium. "We've played two better games on the road than we've played in three home games. I'm looking forward to another (road game)."

UAB (3-2 overall, 1-1 C-USA) got off the plane on Friday afternoon and directly headed to the stadium to get acquainted with the surroundings. It was a lot more peaceful on Friday than it will be today when Marshall (2-3, 1-1) celebrates homecoming.

"They've just got a great home atmosphere," Brown said. "They draw really well. The stadium is built where they are right on top of you. From the way I understand it, it gets very loud."

Marshall's home field advantage shows in its home record. The Thundering Herd is 104-8 in at home since the stadium was opened in 1991.

But UAB is still confident heading into today's game with a chance to erase the bad feelings of last week's heartbreaking loss to SMU.

"The best way to feel better is to play," Brown said. "The second piece of that is to win when you play. There's only way to do that which is play another game. We're looking forward to doing that."

The key to today's game, which will be shown live on i network (formerly PAX), could be which team achieves offensive balance. UAB has spent the season relying on the right arm of Darrell Hackney. Until last week, when Marshall rushed for 164 yards against a very good Virginia Tech defense, Marshall relied almost solely on the passing game.

"We want to be able to take what the defense gives us," said Marshall coach Mark Snyder. "If they're maxing out the box and obviously we need to throw the ball efficiently, we also need to run the ball efficiently. We want to be able to dictate the game and not allow them to dictate the game to us. When you become one-dimensional, it allows teams at times to dictate you."

Brown said he felt much better when Marshall was one-dimensional on offense, even with quarterback Bernie Morris and the passing game supplying a pretty difficult dimension to stop.

"They tried to run it more (last week) and did it better," Brown said. "That bothered me. It made them a lot more of a two-dimension team."

Marshall has two running threats - sophomore Ahmad Bradshaw and Chubb Small - and a third if you count the shifty Morris. Brown spent the week trying to get his two running threats - Dan Burks and Corey White - going. If the Blazers can get production from the running game then Hackney could have an easier time.

 

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Marshall seeking complete performance



HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University fans have been teased with periods of promise, but they've yet to enjoy four consecutive quarters of confident, composed football from their team.

Marshall alum and head coach Mark Snyder can't imagine a more fitting Homecoming for fans, students and alumni than a complete performance today against UAB. The pivotal Conference USA matchup kicks off at 5 p.m. at Joan C. Edwards Stadium and the game will be televised by the i network, formerly known as PAX.


The Thundering Herd (2-3, 1-1) has strung together stellar halves of play (second half against Kansas State, first half against Virginia Tech), but a four-quarter outing remains on Snyder's to-do list.

"I've challenged our team to try to put all of our pieces together," Snyder said. "You know it's hard to be consistent week in and week out and have all three phases clicking. But two or three times a year every good football team has a game where they can put all three phases together.

"It sure would be nice for this to be the week when we put it all together, offensively, defensively and with our crowd. That makes for a great Saturday."

Seeking balance within balance, Snyder and the Herd would benefit from a blend between Bernie Morris' passing and the rushing tandem of Ahmad Bradshaw and Chubb Small. Marshall is averaging 274.8 passing yards and just 90.2 on the ground.

The Herd rushed for 164 yards, but added just 117 passing, continuing a season-long, either-or trend last week in a 41-14 defeat at Virginia Tech.

UAB (3-2, 1-1) is allowing 225.6 yards through the air and 124.8 rushing.

"Our goal is to become very, very balanced and be able to do whatever the defense allows us to do," Snyder said. "We want to be able to dictate the game to them. ... When you become one-dimensional it allows teams, at times, to dictate to you."

UAB is just as slanted offensively, leaning on senior quarterback Darrell Hackney to make things happen. The Blazers are throwing for 305 yards a game and rushing for 115.

Hackney, cut from the Steve McNair mold, is completing 68 percent of his passes for 1,492 yards and nine touchdowns with three interceptions.

Reggie Lindsey is Hackney's go-to receiver with 500 yards and five touchdowns on 28 catches (17.9 yards a reception). UAB's leading rusher, Corey White, has gained just 217 yards in five games, but Marshall isn't preparing for a one-sided attack.

"They really aren't," said Marshall safeties coach George Darlington, who headed scouting of UAB's offense. "And I thought they were when I first started looking at them. But they have some good running backs.

"They have some big, thick-legged running backs that complement it. And their quarterback can run. I think this game means so much in the conference I think you'll see him run more than he's run all year."

UAB also boasts an all-conference standout on defense in Larry McSwain. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound junior defensive end led C-USA with 13 sacks last season, but has just one in five games this year.

McSwain and the Blazers operate a risk-reward defense, blitzing often in a scheme that can produce big plays from both teams. UAB has 10 interceptions and 12 sacks while being vulnerable to long scoring plays.

"We've been real inconsistent," UAB coach Watson Brown said. "We've had some really good play defensively and we've been real inconsistent. We'll play well and then give up something that's just too easy."

UAB is a 5.5-point favorite in a matchup that will keep the winner in East Division contention.

 

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Neutralizing Hackney key to Herd win

Anthony Hanshew covers Marshall football for The Herald-Dispatch

Through five games, schizophrenic is a fair way to asses the 2005 Marshall football team.

Was the offense more productive behind Bernie Morris or Jimmy Skinner? That quarterback quandary lasted three full games until coach Mark Snyder declared Morris as the starter.


With that settled, is offensive coordinator Larry Kueck adopting a pass-happy approach or a grind-it-out style from Snyder's Big Ten roots? Morris and the Thundering Herd have leaned toward the former, but flipped the game plan last week at Virginia Tech.

Defensively, is this the group that contained Kansas State (after halftime) and smothered SMU or the group that lost its tackling touch in Blacksburg, Va.?

Big picture, is Marshall a Conference USA championship contender or a middle-of-the-pack team that will struggle with youth and inexperience throughout Snyder's inaugural season at his alma mater?

By, let's say, 9 p.m. today, the answer to at least question No. 4 should be clear. An upset win over UAB (a 5.5-point favorite) maintains Marshall as a player in the wide-open East Division; a second loss in three conference games (including a setback to division leader UCF) would relegate the Herd to the East Division's second tier.

Adding to today's suspense is the sense of the unknown. Similar to SMU two weeks ago, Marshall coaches and players have pretty much no familiarity with UAB.

What Marshall is getting today is a veteran opponent predicated on speed with an unquestioned leader. UAB quarterback Darrell Hackney is averaging more pass attempts than handoffs, a trend that likely will continue against the Thundering Herd.

Yes, Marshall is averaging more than 142 rushing yards a game, but don't expect UAB to switch dance partners at midseason. The Blazers need today's victory as much as the Herd, and their best shot features Hackney taking repeated shots downfield.

Reggie Lindsey is the burner, totaling 500 yards and five touchdowns on just 28 catches, but H-back Chico Cleveland could be the toughest matchup. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior has caught 15 passes for 183 and two touchdowns and Marshall has struggled to cover a tight end or a fullback, much less a hybrid of the two.

"The biggest thing is they have an H-back that can go deep, and that presents a problem," said Marshall safeties coach George Darlington, who headed scouting of UAB's offense. "And then their other tight end (Cedric Hampton) is 275 pounds and he can catch the ball downfield."

Right on cue, Marshall's struggles against opposing tight ends was mentioned. Each week, opponents have opened with play-action passes to either the tight end or fullback.

"They sure have," Darlington said.

Hackney vs. Marshall's veteran secondary is the top game within the game that will decide the Herd's direction for the remainder of the season.

"It's the second best offense (in C-USA) against the second best defense and the defense usually wins out in that unless the offense has balance," UAB coach Watson Brown said. "And right now we're not balanced."

Today's game will be decided by Marshall's ability to pressure Hackney. UAB has allowed just four sacks this season and if Hackney's allowed to pick and choose among Lindsey, Cleveland and Hampton, he will.

The guess here (and yeah, it's an optimistic Homecoming guess), is that Marshall defensive coordinator Jim Collins will find a way to find Hackney. ... MARSHALL, 28-27.