SMU is trying to shake off its worst performance of the year as it travels to Huntington, W. V. to take on the 1-2 Marshall Thundering Herd. The Ponies seemed poised to have a successful season following its stunning upset over the then nationally ranked TCU Horned Frogs, but the last couple of weeks have seen a noticeable step back from this possibility. The Mustangs have lost consecutive games by a combined score of 97-18. The Thundering Herd feels the Ponies’ pain, as they, too, stare a two-game losing streak in the face. Their losses include last week’s shocking 23-13 loss in Orlando to a Central Florida team that had lost 17 straight games.
Key Match-Up
Special Teams
SMU had a bright spot on special teams last week, and that spot was Jessie Henderson (see X-Factors). Besides Henderson, however, the Mustangs have been anything but special in the kicking game. The Mustangs have had three punts blocked, a kickoff returned for touchdown by TCU’s Cory Rodgers and three field goals missed by kicker Chris McMurtray. Punter Ryan Mentzel and McMurtray are not solely to blame for their woes, as the snappers on both units have struggled with freshman Jackson Taylor now manning both spots. The key is consistency, and so far, all the Mustangs have consistently struggled. Teams seem to have a read on the snap count and at least the blocking scheme that the punt team employs, because there have been a couple of near misses on top of the three blocks.
SMU’s opponent finds itself in the same predicament, as it has struggled this year in the kicking game. Marshall’s field goal kicker Ian O’Connor has made only three of six attempts and has missed an extra point. The punter, Marty Biagi, is averaging only 37 yards per kick despite getting plenty of work with 13 attempts. The return game has been solid but not spectacular, with the team’s main kick-returner, Chris Hawkins, averaging less then 20 yards per attempt. All of this means that on Saturday, the team that cleans up special teams may be victorious, as both teams have cost themselves wins with mistakes in the kicking game.
X-Factors
SMU’s Jessie Henderson
The explosive Henderson was the lone bright spot against Tulane as he exhibited his prowess in the kickoff return game. Henderson returned Tulane’s second-half kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown as he made two sweet cutbacks and then used his 4.25 40-yard dash speed to race away from the Tulane coverage unit. Henderson had four kick returns for 179 yards, which left him just 12 yards short of establishing a new school record for return yardage in a game. Henderson must continue to give the Mustangs a lift and avoid mental mistakes, such as the fumble on the kickoff that allowed Tulane to break open the game in the second half.
Marshall’s Jimmy Skinner
Someone needs to let Marshall know that having two starting quarterbacks means you really have none. After last week’s performance, if Jimmy Skinner isn’t the guy, what are the coaches watching? Skinner threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns while trying to lead his team back after the deficit, which was caused in part by the poor play of starting quarterback Bernie Morris. Skinner is an X-Factor, not only because he can make big plays in the passing game, but also because he has the tendency to make huge mistakes. He had two picks against the Knights to prevent the Herd from completing Saturday’s comeback, and he single-handedly cost Marshall an upset over the K-State Wildcats earlier in the season with a last-second interception after the team was already in field goal position. If Skinner can eliminate the mistakes, he has the ability to join former Marshall quarterbacks Byron Leftwich and Chad Pennington in the NFL.
Inside the Mustangs
Compete
Mustang fans who sat in Ford Stadium last weekend could be heard making comments about how it didn’t even look like the Ponies wanted to be out on the field. Sometimes fans are way off base, but sometimes fans are exactly right. Count senior cornerback Rolando Humphrey as one who agrees with the fans. “We didn’t compete today. Right now, it’s a gut check for our team. It’s not the coaching – coaches aren’t out there in coverage. This one was on the players. We’ve got to play better,” he said. Humphrey continued his attack on the work ethic of his team, saying, “We’re capable of competing 10 times better than we did today. We just didn’t have a presence out there.”
Humphrey is a stand-up guy for answering questions that he could have easily ducked or given the standard athlete cliches. The diminutive Humphrey showed that he could stand tall and take the heat, but the key will be for his teammates to follow behind the big words spoken by their leader.
Inside the Herd
Ch-Ch-Changes
Bob Pruitt has the most wins by a head coach in Marshall history, with a 94-23 record that includes a Division I-AA National Championship and five conference championships in the Mid-American Conference. Pruitt was gearing up for his first season in Conference USA when he had a change of heart at the last minute and decided it was time to retire. Enter 37-year-old Mark Snyder to rescue his alma mater in the middle of spring practice. The former Marshall safety was serving as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State when Marshall came calling, and Snyder leapt at the chance to coach in Huntington. “I have always been proud to have been part of Marshall’s resurgence in football,” said Snyder, “and now I am honored to have the opportunity to return.”
Snyder has faced criticism in his first season as head coach at every level. Against Kansas State, Snyder allowed his inexperienced quarterback Jimmy Skinner to run a play when Marshall was already in position to kick the game-winning field goal with just seconds on the clock. After that game-management mishap, Snyder’s team came out absolutely flat last week after losing to the Knights of Central Florida. The fans in Marshall are not used to losing, but expect Snyder to get some leeway because of the inexperience on his roster. Marshall returned only six starters from last year’s bowl team.
The Mustangs travel to Huntington, WV to take on the Thundering Herd for the first time in school history. The game has been changed to 3 p.m. central time as it will be broadcast nationally on CSTV.
Trent Redden is a senior accounting and public policy major. He can be reached at [email protected].
