In the 100 days leading up to the kickoff of the college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, HERO Sports is ranking the top 100 teams in the FBS. Each day, starting May 17 and ending Aug. 24, a new team is revealed in the HERO Sports Top 100.
[divider]RANKINGS: Top 100 FBS Teams for 2018
TRIVIA: Daily CFB Trivia Question
MORE: Best FBS Player for Each Jersey Number
MORE: Best FCS Player for Each Jersey Number[divider]
No. 68 Marshall
Lane Kiffin and #theFAU will command all the Conference USA attention early in the season, especially if they compete with Oklahoma in Week 1. Do not overlook Marshall.
TRIVIA: Marshall's Nickname Before Thundering Herd?
The Thundering Herd is not far behind in both talent and depth and nearly upset the Owls in Boca Raton last year. Circle their Oct. 20 meeting in Huntington.
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2017 Record: 8-5 (4-4, Conference USA)
Marshall quickly rebounded from a three-win season — tying their lowest win total since 1981 — but it could've been better. Their final three losses came by a combined eight points, including a five-point loss at Florida Atlantic, which was the Owls' only win by fewer than 14 points all season.
They averaged nearly two turnovers per game and had nine giveaways in those three losses, including four in the FAU loss. Chase Litton led a good-enough passing offense and the run defense held opponents to 3.4 yards per carry.
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Head Coach: Doc Holliday (9th Year, 61-42)
Doc Holliday earned the benefit of the doubt long ago but the three-win dud still hurt and prompted some criticism after they won 33 games over the previous three seasons.
He obliterated any remaining doubt with an immediate bounce-back that proved he's one of the most underrated coaches in college football. Holliday's current contract — signed in early 2016 — runs through June 2021. Another strong season should result in another extension.
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Player Losses
QB Chase Litton, TE Ryan Yurachek, P Kaare Vedvik
Chase Litton unexpectedly left one year for the NFL after throwing for 72 touchdowns and more than 8,000 yards over three seasons as a starter. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent.
One of the nation's more reliable tight ends over the last few years, Ryan Yurachek, is also gone, as is all-conference punter Kaare Vedvik, who doubled as their kicker last year.
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Returning Offensive Players
QB Garet Morrell, RB Keion Davis, RB Tyler King, WR Tyre Brady, WR Willie Johnson, WR Marcel Williams, OT Will Ulmer, OT Tarik Adams, G Jordan Dowrey, C Levi Brown
Co-coordinator Bill Legg left for an offensive consultant job at Mississippi State, prompting the hire of Tim Cramsey away from Sam Houston State. Cramsey — also the quarterbacks back — joins Todd Goebbel as co-coordinators.
They're spending the offseason searching for Chase Litton's replacement. One candidate is Garet Morrell, a big (6-foot-3, 228 pounds) redshirt sophomore who started a couple games when Litton went down in 2016.
"I'm not sitting there talking about being the team leader right now," Cramsey said of Morrell, who's competing with freshman Isaiah Green and Wagner transfer Alex Thomson. "We're not expecting him to go over and tell everyone where to go, what to do and how to do it. Right now, it's take care of yourself and your actions will take care of you."
The winner gets a ton of experienced skill players, led by senior receiver Tyre Brady. Brady was spectacular in his first season after transferring from Miami (FL). The 6-foot-3, 208-pounder averaged 14 yards per reception, dominated NC State (11 catches, 248 yards, one touchdown) and finished the season with 165 yards in their New Mexico Bowl win.
"Let me tell you something about this guy right here," Holliday said about Brady after the bowl game. "Last night at midnight, we didn't think he was going to play today because he was so sick he couldn't get out of bed. He spent all night with the doctors who were trying to get him squared away so that he could get on the field today and what a great effort. He went out there today and just played tremendous."
Running backs Keion Davis and Tyler King combined for 13 touchdowns and 1,863 total yards last year. King had four 100-yard games as a redshirt freshman and repeatedly displayed big-play ability.
Despite shuffling throughout the season, the offensive line was much improved, allowing the fourth-fewest sacks in the FBS (0.8 per game, down from 2.5 in 2016) and helping bump the team's yards-per-carry average from 3.0 to 4.0. Center Levi Brown leads an experienced first team but they're searching for depth.
"We need five guys working together," new offensive line coach Greg Adkins said in April. "We have a strong nucleus coming back, which is exciting obviously, but we have to develop depth and get that production throughout our room."
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Returning Defensive Players
DL Ryan Bee, DE Marquis Couch, DT Channing Hames, LB Chase Hancock, LB Artis Johnson, CB Chris Jackson, S Malik Gant
Adam Fuller was promoted from linebackers coach to coordinator and safeties coach after Chuck Heater left to coach safeties at Maryland. Fuller inherits a unit that had more sacks and turnovers and yielded fewer points and yards from the previous season.
Nine starters return (three at each level) and they'll probably start 10 upperclassmen in Week 1, including linebacker Chase Hancock. Hancock is a former walk-on whom Holliday called "the best linebacker in the league" after the All-Conference USA Second-Team selection had 128 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and seven pass breakups.
"He should’ve been [first-team] all-conference a year ago and he wasn’t, but he’s a tremendous player, tremendous leader," Holliday said. "He just does everything right.”
Ryan Bee led the team in sacks (5.5) and has 14 sacks in his career. Bee, Channing Hames and Marquis Couch to hit 20 sacks this season.
Better pressure from the front seven contributed to improved turnover and passing numbers, among them 6.6 yards per attempt (8.5 in 2016) and 12.9 yards per completion (14 in 2016), but the secondary was a lot better. Former walk-on Malik Gant was all over the field in his first season as a starter due to injuries and Chris Jackson led the team in interceptions and passes defended.
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Player Additions
QB Alex Thomson, QB Isaiah Green
Wagner grad transfer Alex Thomson was courted by some Power Five schools but opted for Marshall, whom he said was in a position to win now. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder did not participate in spring practice, leaving Morell and redshirt freshman Isaiah Green to split first-team reps. Green isn't as big as the other two but he has a huge arm, played well in the spring game and was lauded by coaches for his improvements.
“Very consistent,” Holliday said after Green went 4-for-5 for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the game. “It seems like the game slows down for him, which is good at the quarterback position.
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Schedule
Marshall plays old MAC foe Miami (OH) for the second straight season and fourth time since the Thundering Herd left the MAC in 2004.
They play South Carolina for the second time ever and first time since 1998. And they host NC State in Week 4, the second half of a home-and-home series that began with a 17-point loss in Raleigh last year.
Date | Opponent |
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Saturday, Sept. 1 | at Miami (OH) |
Saturday, Sept. 8 | vs. Eastern Kentucky |
Saturday, Sept. 15 | at South Carolina |
Saturday, Sept. 22 | vs. NC State |
Saturday, Sept. 29 | at Western Kentucky |
Friday, Oct. 5 | vs. Middle Tennessee |
Saturday, Oct. 13 | at Old Dominion |
Saturday, Oct. 20 | vs. FAU |
Saturday, Nov. 3 | at Southern Miss |
Saturday, Nov. 10 | vs. Charlotte |
Saturday, Nov. 17 | vs. UTSA |
Saturday, Nov. 24 | at FIU |