Devastating Night In Huntington

By The Herd’s Headset | The HerdLine Podcast

Years ago, Coach Doc Holliday made a statement that has always stuck with me.

“It’s an amazing feeling coaching in a game you cannot lose.”

He was speaking about the annual 75 Game, a night when Marshall comes together to honor the 75 individuals who lost their lives in the tragedy of 1970.

For years, there has been an unspoken standard surrounding this game.

No matter the circumstances, no matter the opponent, and no matter what the season looks like, Marshall is expected to put up a fight worthy of those who came before us.

Unfortunately, that mantra of coaching a game you cannot lose has not carried over through the coaching changes.

Huff would lose the 75 Game.

And now, Coach Gibson is 0-2 in the 75 Game.

But tonight wasn’t simply another loss.

Marshall didn’t just get beat, as they did a week ago against Georgia Southern.

They gave this game away.

And that’s what makes tonight so frustrating.

Here is how we saw things this week.

QUARTERBACK

Headset: 0 Stars

Trace: 1.5 Stars

It’s a shame.

Khalil Wilkins got the nod tonight, and unfortunately, his night ended early with an injury.

Honestly, he looked good.

He made some throws, showed the ability to make plays with his legs, and looked like a dynamic playmaker who could give this offense something it desperately needs.

Sadly, he was carted off the field, and there is legitimate concern that we may have seen his last snap of the season.

From there, we turned to Carlos Del Rio-Wilson.

Carlos finished 11/22 for just 106 passing yards.

That’s not good.

As a matter of fact, that’s bad.

The number of overthrown passes was incredibly frustrating.

Personally, I found his lack of pocket presence baffling for a quarterback at this level.

Running straight into pressure, taking unnecessary sacks, and making questionable decisions with his pass selections became a recurring theme.

Being a wide receiver at Marshall is tough enough.

Honestly, it can be dangerous when your quarterback consistently puts you in positions to take unnecessary hits.

There were several passes tonight that left Marshall receivers exposed to big hits from App State defenders.

And then came the goal-line fumble.

Looking back, that may very well have been the play that decided the game.

If he holds onto the football, Marshall wins.

We’ve seen some poor quarterback performances in Huntington over the last decade.

But this was one of the worst.

With Khalil potentially out and Zion also struggling, where in the world does Marshall go from here?

There are some serious questions that need answers.

OFFENSE

Headset: 1 Star

Trace: 1.5 Stars

Surprise, surprise.

Marshall couldn’t finish in the red zone.

Marshall committed horrendous mental mistakes that resulted in penalties and took points off the board.

It’s the same story.

Different opponent.

Different week.

Same problems.

There was one bright spot worth mentioning.

Jo’Shon Barbie put together a solid performance, carrying the football 17 times for 108 yards.

He gave Marshall some production on the ground and showed the ability to make things happen.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else to celebrate.

The offense once again failed to capitalize on opportunities, failed to execute when it mattered, and ultimately put this team in a position where one mistake could cost them the game.

And it did.

Horrible day offensively.

DEFENSE

Headset: 3 Stars

Trace: 2.5 Stars

Let’s be clear.

The defense is not why Marshall lost this football game.

They had some very solid moments tonight.

They came up with big turnovers, made important stops, and gave this offense opportunities to take control of the game.

But at some point, a defense can only do so much.

You cannot continually ask one side of the football to carry the entire team.

Brad Lambert has these guys looking good, and there are some encouraging things happening on this side of the ball.

It’s a shame the offense did absolutely nothing to help them.

This defense deserved better tonight.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Headset: 4 Stars

Trace: 4 Stars

As usual, special teams showed up.

Cooper Heimback only punted once, but it was a 49-yard punt.

Business as usual.

He also arguably provided the best quarterback play of the night with the trick play that resulted in a big gain and a first down.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Your punter was one of the more effective quarterbacks on the field tonight.

Jorge was also perfect once again, connecting on his field goal attempts, including a long of 53 yards.

He was fantastic.

Special teams continues to rise to the occasion.

Unfortunately, the rest of the team hasn’t followed suit.

Special teams is not the problem.

COACHING

Headset: 1.5 Stars

Trace: 1.5 Stars

The offensive play calling seemed to revert right back to the Carlos Del Rio-Wilson offense.

If the first option isn’t open, tuck the football and run.

And apparently, everyone was perfectly content with that game plan.

But perhaps one of the most questionable decisions came late in the game.

Fourth and one.

The game on the line.

And Marshall doesn’t run a quarterback sneak with a 225-pound quarterback?

I just don’t understand it.

These are the kinds of decisions that leave you scratching your head.

There were opportunities to take control of this football game.

There were opportunities to put points on the board.

There were opportunities to win.

And once again, questionable decisions and poor execution got in the way.

This was a very disappointing coaching performance.

ATMOSPHERE

Headset: 3 Stars

Trace: 3.5 Stars

One thing I will give Marshall fans credit for tonight.

Showing up to a night game, with snow falling, and supporting this team is impressive.

It was a decent crowd, and the fans were rowdy when they needed to be.

The atmosphere had its moments.

But once again, Herd fans walked away having watched a boring football game.

And that’s becoming a problem.

This isn’t good football to watch.

It’s frustrating, it’s difficult to sit through, and it’s getting harder to find reasons to be excited about what we’re seeing on the field.

Marshall fans deserve better.

OVERALL GRADE

Headset: 2.08 Stars

Trace: 2.42 Stars

Combined Overall Grade: 2.25 Stars

Marshall gets a disappointing 2.25 out of 5.

The defense and special teams did enough to give Marshall a chance.

But the quarterback play, offensive execution, and coaching decisions were simply not good enough.

You cannot turn the football over at the goal line, fail to capitalize in the red zone, commit costly penalties, and expect to win football games.

Especially not a game like this.

Marshall had opportunities.

Marshall had chances.

Marshall beat itself.

And that’s what makes this loss so difficult to swallow.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We are in a very rough era of Marshall football.

And it’s disappointing.

Honestly, I’m running out of words as time goes on.

This just hurts.

And I don’t see any indication that an improvement is coming anytime soon.

Tonight, we watched a performance that simply doesn’t make sense to me for a 75 Game.

This is supposed to be the best of Marshall football.

This is supposed to be a day when we defy all odds.

This is supposed to be a day when the standard means something.

Instead, we watched something that could have easily been predicted.

Marshall falls short.

And this time, it wasn’t because App State was simply the better football team.

It was because Marshall beat itself.

Changes need to happen.

And I’m not talking about minor changes.

I’m talking about major changes.

What exactly those changes look like?

I have my thoughts.

But I’ll allow you to determine your own.

Until then, Marshall has a chance to become bowl eligible a week from today at The Joan against Georgia State.

I have no confidence heading into that game.

And I won’t have any until I’m given a reason to believe otherwise.

Marshall is in trouble.

I hope they can dig themselves out of it.

But if I’m being completely honest, I truly don’t suspect they will.

This was supposed to be a night we could count on Marshall to be Marshall.

Instead, it was another night that left us wondering where this program is headed.

Go Herd.