As Marshall and Buffalo get set for their Friday matchup in the Camellia Bowl, the game comes down to one quality that is befitting of each.
That quality? Who can be the most bullish.
Both teams feature powerful rushing attacks that use their veteran offensive line play to move the football.
The game, which will be shown nationally on ESPN, takes place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.
?We?re getting ready to go play an excellent football team...,? Holliday said. ?We know they?ve got two tremendous running backs.?
Each team was ranked in the top-five in FBS among grades for offensive lines by Pro Football Focus.
Both teams come in snortin? mad after unexpected losses in their respective conference title games when they were favored to win.
Marshall (7-2) had offensive issues for the second straight game, missing all 11 of the team?s passing attempts in the first half en route to a 22-13 loss to UAB in the Conference USA Championship Game at Joan C. Edwards Stadium last week.
Buffalo (5-1) also was favored heading into its matchup with Ball State, but it was the Cardinals who left smiling after a 38-28 win over the Bulls in the Mid-American Conference championship.
One of these teams is going to end their seasons with a Christmas Day victory and the other is going to go into the offseason reeling a bit after such a promising start to the season.
Both teams were ranked in the national polls at one point this season.
Marshall was as high as 15th in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches Polls while Buffalo was as high as No. 23.
For the Herd, the game has a bit more difficulty to it, based on some of the pieces who have opted out of the game ahead of time.
Three All-Conference USA first-team selections will not be available: running back Brenden Knox, offensive tackle Josh Ball and linebacker Tavante Beckett.
Knox was the 2019 Conference USA Most Valuable Player and Beckett was just named the 2020 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, leaving the Herd without two leaders, along with Ball, who is one of the league?s most coveted linemen due to his strength and size at the tackle spot.
That means more emphasis will be put on Marshall quarterback Grant Wells, who has struggled under pressure in each of the last two games ? both Herd losses.
Wells started the C-USA Championship off-target on his first 11 throws before completing a pass to Artie Henry on the Herd?s first scoring drive in seven quarters in the third quarter of the loss.
Wells knows that he must perform well for the Herd to have a chance on Friday.
?We?re excited to go out there, knowing it?s our last time to suit up for the 2020 season,? Wells said.
Wells said the Bulls will do many of the same things UAB did against him, which included getting pressure with the front four while dropping seven into coverage.
That means he has to find his spots quickly and get the ball into good positions for success in moving the ball.
On the other side of the football, the battle of Marshall?s defense against the Buffalo offense is what makes this game worth watching.
The Herd comes in with the No. 2 rush defense in the nation at 89 yards per game while Buffalo?s rushing offense is ranked No. 1 in FBS at 309 yards per game.
The Bulls feature darkhorse Heisman candidate Jaret Patterson, who has rushed for 1,084 yards and 19 touchdowns in just six games.
Patterson is not the only weapon, however. Fellow running back Kevin Marks is averaging 100 yards per game, as well, behind an offensive line that pushes the pile forward.
Without Beckett at the linebacker position, all eyes move toward Eli Neal and Abraham Beauplan, who will be called on to step up in his absence.
?They are fast and elusive and shifty guys, and they run the ball a lot,? Beauplan said. ?We?ve just got to stop the run.?
Marshall and Buffalo have not met since the 2004 season when the Herd won 48-14 in their last meeting as Mid-American Conference foes. The Herd leads the all-time series, 8-1.
That quality? Who can be the most bullish.
Both teams feature powerful rushing attacks that use their veteran offensive line play to move the football.
The game, which will be shown nationally on ESPN, takes place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.
?We?re getting ready to go play an excellent football team...,? Holliday said. ?We know they?ve got two tremendous running backs.?
Each team was ranked in the top-five in FBS among grades for offensive lines by Pro Football Focus.
Both teams come in snortin? mad after unexpected losses in their respective conference title games when they were favored to win.
Marshall (7-2) had offensive issues for the second straight game, missing all 11 of the team?s passing attempts in the first half en route to a 22-13 loss to UAB in the Conference USA Championship Game at Joan C. Edwards Stadium last week.
Buffalo (5-1) also was favored heading into its matchup with Ball State, but it was the Cardinals who left smiling after a 38-28 win over the Bulls in the Mid-American Conference championship.
One of these teams is going to end their seasons with a Christmas Day victory and the other is going to go into the offseason reeling a bit after such a promising start to the season.
Both teams were ranked in the national polls at one point this season.
Marshall was as high as 15th in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches Polls while Buffalo was as high as No. 23.
For the Herd, the game has a bit more difficulty to it, based on some of the pieces who have opted out of the game ahead of time.
Three All-Conference USA first-team selections will not be available: running back Brenden Knox, offensive tackle Josh Ball and linebacker Tavante Beckett.
Knox was the 2019 Conference USA Most Valuable Player and Beckett was just named the 2020 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, leaving the Herd without two leaders, along with Ball, who is one of the league?s most coveted linemen due to his strength and size at the tackle spot.
That means more emphasis will be put on Marshall quarterback Grant Wells, who has struggled under pressure in each of the last two games ? both Herd losses.
Wells started the C-USA Championship off-target on his first 11 throws before completing a pass to Artie Henry on the Herd?s first scoring drive in seven quarters in the third quarter of the loss.
Wells knows that he must perform well for the Herd to have a chance on Friday.
?We?re excited to go out there, knowing it?s our last time to suit up for the 2020 season,? Wells said.
Wells said the Bulls will do many of the same things UAB did against him, which included getting pressure with the front four while dropping seven into coverage.
That means he has to find his spots quickly and get the ball into good positions for success in moving the ball.
On the other side of the football, the battle of Marshall?s defense against the Buffalo offense is what makes this game worth watching.
The Herd comes in with the No. 2 rush defense in the nation at 89 yards per game while Buffalo?s rushing offense is ranked No. 1 in FBS at 309 yards per game.
The Bulls feature darkhorse Heisman candidate Jaret Patterson, who has rushed for 1,084 yards and 19 touchdowns in just six games.
Patterson is not the only weapon, however. Fellow running back Kevin Marks is averaging 100 yards per game, as well, behind an offensive line that pushes the pile forward.
Without Beckett at the linebacker position, all eyes move toward Eli Neal and Abraham Beauplan, who will be called on to step up in his absence.
?They are fast and elusive and shifty guys, and they run the ball a lot,? Beauplan said. ?We?ve just got to stop the run.?
Marshall and Buffalo have not met since the 2004 season when the Herd won 48-14 in their last meeting as Mid-American Conference foes. The Herd leads the all-time series, 8-1.
