Marshall Overview:

The one and only time the Buckeyes have ever faced the Thundering Herd was back in 2004, and the results were not pretty. After having four costly turnovers in the game, Nugent kicked a 55 yard field goal as time expired to lift the Buckeyes to a 24-21 victory.

The 2010 edition of the Buckeyes enter the season with much higher aspirations than the one who played Marshall in 2004. Not only that, but Marshall is in a much different place as it takes the field under first time head coach Doc Holliday. He brings lots of experience from being on staff at schools like West Virginia and Florida, but has his work cut out for him in year one. 

On offense, there was lots of optimism from Marshall fans as many expected Clemson transfer, Willy Korn, to lead them at quarterback. Korn was a huge recruit coming out of high school, but has had a rocky road since heading to college. That continued at Marshall as Holliday attempted to move Korn to safety, forcing Korn to again transfer to North Greenville University, a Division II program. That means senior and returning starter Brian Anderson will be taking the snaps under center. He hopes to improve on what was a very mediocre year in 2009, as he completed just 58 percent of his passes for 2,646 yards with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

On the positive side for Anderson, Marshall does return three of their top four receivers from last year, including their leading receiver Antavious Wilson. He missed the last three games of the season with a torn ACL ('09), but still managed 724 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman. Obviously, those in Huntington have high hopes for the 6'0" 196 pound sophomore.

Other wideouts who might have their names called Thursday night include Aaron Dobson (362 yards, 4 TD), Chuck Walker (350 yards, 3 TD), and Wayne Bonner (89 yards, 0 TD). The biggest target outside of Wilson though, is tight end Lee Smith. He had 335 receiving yards a season ago, and many expect him to be the best TE in Conference USA in his senior season.  

At running back, the Herd have to replace Darius Marshall who rushed for 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. The starter named for Thursday is Andre Booker, a 5-10 178 pound sophomore. Booker saw limited touches in '09 and had just 73 yards. Behind him on the depth chart is Martin Ward (5-9 201 pounds). Ward was the second leading rusher last season with 393 yards and three touchdowns. Both guys will run behind an experienced line as the Herd return six guys with starting experience this season.

On defense, Marshall is looking to improve on what was a frustrating campaign a season ago. They gave up 372 yards and 24.3 points a game, but do bring back a lot of experienced players. The guy to watch is WLB Mario Harvey, a 1st Team C-USA player a year ago when he totaled 117 tackles and seven sacks. He is joined in the linebacking core by MLB Kellen Harris, who had a solid season last year as a sophomore.

The secondary could really struggle Thursday night, even more than it did at times last season. Their best player, cornerback DeQuan Bembry (2nd Team C-USA in '09) was kicked off the team by Holliday earlier this year after his third arrest in two years.

Game Outlook:

It's hard to know what to expect from Holliday in his first game with Marshall or even how the Buckeyes will come out on a Thursday night as a heavy favorite. Our guess is that it is a slow first quarter. The offense will put together some exciting plays, but won't get into a rhythm until the mid-2nd quarter. We all know Tressel won't fully unveil the offense in week one, especially with a showdown with the Hurricanes looming. He will give Pryor the chance to make some confidence throws to help with his comfort, but outside of that we expect a lot of carries from the stable of backs the Buckeyes have this season. So overall, just don't expect to wowed by the offense tomorrow night due to play calling. 

On defense, the Buckeyes are banged up. With Nathan Williams sidelined and Chimdi Chekwa limited, it will be interesting to see how cohesive this unit is in week one. We do know that Marshall probably won't be running the ball with any consistency. The Buckeyes have strong DT's in Larimore and Simon, and behind them sits the strength of the defense in linebackers Homan, Rolle, and Sweat. So Marshall's best bet is to air it out and test the very banged up and unproven Buckeye secondary. Our prediction is that Marshall will put up a surprise score early on, but won't score again until the second team defense is on the field. 

Let's hope we get to see some of the youngsters in the 4th quarter...

Father vs. Son Prediction Battle:

Dave: OSU 34-13
Drew: OSU 31-9