HUNTINGTON — Marshall’s football team's offense will look to get back on track at home on Saturday against Missouri State after just seven first downs against Georgia in its opener.
Thundering Herd coach Tony Gibson’s review of film found that there were positive flashes on both sides of the ball. One was that Marshall's offensive line didn’t give up a sack.
“I thought we had some specific guys that played really well. Justin Williams-Thomas ran the ball really hard,†Gibson said. “He had some positive carries. [Jo’Shon] Barbie did some good things. I was proud of our offense for not giving up a sack.
“We knew going in that we weren’t going to be a drop-back team that day for a lot of different reasons, but there were some positives on both sides.â€
Gibson said the most significant thing to learn was how players would react to playing in an SEC environment. While any player can stand out in practice, there are intangibles only seen on game day.
Nathan Totten produced more than 400 yards worth of punts. While one was blocked, the Russell High (Kentucky) product remained composed, booted two beyond 50 yards and pinned Georgia inside its own 20-yard line twice.
“With the situation we’re in with 72 new guys, not knowing what will happen when the bright lights come on and how they react,†Gibson said, "how are they going to play, and is the moment too big? We found out a lot about that, as well.
“Totten, it wasn’t his fault on the blocked punt. That was a scheme issue on our part. Totten averaged 45 yards a punt. Hell, his leg was probably about to fall off. We punted enough. For him to continue that all day long, I was impressed with him.â€
Barbie was one of 10 ball carriers for Marshall last weekend. He paced the Herd in touches with seven rushes for 14 yards and a touchdown.
Marshall averaged 2.5 yards per carry. As Gibson mentioned, Williams-Thomas had the longest run among backs with a 10-yard pickup. Quarterback Zion Turner had the longest tote at 11 yards. Altogether, the Herd had 78 yards and Barbie’s 1-yard touchdown.
“We had a couple of runs where we left some yards out there,†Barbie said. “On the good side, I thought the [offensive] line, on some plays, had a really good push. I feel like we should run behind those guys on the inside a little more. That’s what I’ve seen.â€
Despite the result, one conclusion to be drawn is that Marshall is more than capable of using a platoon of backs. Barbie said it can be a boon for future games.
“When we get fresh legs in there and [opponents] are getting tired, we just keep the foot on their necks with different backs and different run styles,†Barbie said. “The other thing is, we’re not tired. That gives us more explosive plays.â€
Offensive lineman and captain Eric Meeks’ perspective was one proud of the effort to not allow a sack. He also hopes to see more explosive chances.
“I thought the O-line did good at times, but there’s still things to fix,†Meeks said. “Looking back on the film, it’s one or two little things. We could’ve broken some big ones here and there, but I like the push we got as an O-line. We showed some good things, and there’s still more to build on.â€
The Herd offense’s brightest moment came in the fourth quarter, when Turner led the lone scoring drive. Two of those explosives came, and the Herd executed well.
Barbie said it was a moment of which to be proud.
“Georgia is the best team we have on the schedule, so if we can do it against those guys, we can definitely do it against anyone else on the schedule,†Barbie said. “That’s a top-five team right there. It definitely gave us a lot of confidence to make some guys miss, get some blocks and make some plays against those.â€
Gibson called Tuesday’s practice the best Marshall has had since his arrival. Meeks felt that the Herd put its feelings away quickly.
“We had practice on Sunday as well, and the focus was bouncing back and not focusing on the past,†Meeks said. “We did a good job of that, and it carried over to [Tuesday]. I really liked our physicality. We treated it more as a learning experience than moping around and hanging our heads on losses.â€
Marshall hosts Missouri State (0-1) at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The Bears are in their first season at the Division I FBS level and enter from a 73-13 loss to USC.
