HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Even though Marshall does not have an opponent to prepare for this Saturday, the first week of December has been anything but slow for the Thundering Herd’s coaching staff. On Sunday, The Herd learned it would face UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl and Monday the NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened.
Needless to say, there is plenty to keep the staff busy.
“Obviously we’re excited to be extending our season and playing in a bowl game in a place that is obviously very familiar to Marshall fans,” said Coach Charles Huff, referring to Myrtle Beach being a favorite vacation destination for West Virginians.
Preparations for the December 19th matchup with the Huskies have just started but Huff is aware that UConn was able to battle through a rough just to become bowl eligible. UConn began the year 1-4 but won five of its final seven games.
“They’ve done a really good job this year. They started out with some really tough opponents and battled and similar to us, the back half of their season has been really good,” Huff said during an appearance Monday on Metronews “Talkline”.
The Herd also battled through adversity early in 2022. After the historic with over 8th ranked Notre Dame, Marshall lost four of its next six games. With a record of 4-4 heading into November, The Herd’s bowl prospects were looking dim but Marshall flipped a switch and went undefeated in the final month of the season to finish with an 8-4 record.
“It takes time to develop. It takes time to gel. I think the older guys on defense hit their stride earlier. Our defense has played really consistent,” Huff said.
Describing Marshall’s defense as consistent is a bit of an understatement. The Herd’s defense finished the regular season ranked among the best defenses in the country. Marshall allowed just 16 points a game, 88 yards rushing a game, and 298 yards of total offense per game. Those all rank in the top ten nationally. Marshall also boasted the best third-down defense in the county, giving up third-down conversions just 23 percent of the time.
While, the Myrtle Beach Bowl looms two weeks from now, at the same time Huff and his staff must maintain an eye on 2023 and beyond. Monday marked the official opening of the transfer portal but Huff is not just going after anyone. Whomever the coaching staff brings in must meet Huff’s criteria.
“We want to make sure, when we go into the portal we’re bringing in guys that somebody on our staff or in the building knows, so we don’t bring in bad culture or things that disrupt our flow. Then you’ve got to make sure to fill a need,” explained Huff.
Huff also wants to make certain Marshall retains its current players and that effort to keep players in Kelly Green does not start when the portal opens.
“I think you constantly recruit your players. I think the way you treat them on a daily basis helps. The way you show them areas they need to improve and ways they can progress and show them that if you do these things you have an opportunity to create value for yourself. If you do that year round then you don’t have to have an end-of-the-year meeting of ‘hey we’d really, really like you to come back.”
Marshall will face UConn Monday, December, 19. The kickoff of the Myrtle Beach Bowl is set for 2:30 and will be televised on ESPN.