Something happens to Herd fans when Marshall losses to Central Florida in football. I am not to sure what to call it but symptoms include doubt, short sightedness, and last but not least panic.
Last season UCF came to Marshall for a mid-week game and won a thunder delayed contest 35 -14. The loss dropped Marshall to 1 – 5 and people started to wonder if Doc Holliday was the right guy in Huntington. After the game I did some soul searching, how long would it take for Marshall to compete in C-USA? I figured it would take three seasons, and wrote a lengthy column about it here. Despite another loss to ECU the following week Marshall showed resolve the rest of 2010. Doc Holliday and the Thundering Herd finished on a 4 -1 tear, only losing at C-USA west division champion SMU.
After last weeks loss to UCF Marshall fans started to question Holliday’s decision making again. Why are you bench freshman quarterback Rakeem Cato? Why continue to run the same offense? What I would like to tell Herd fans is this, Holliday has a clear vision for Marshall’s football program, lets give him more than eighteen games to execute it.
Let me be very clear, Holliday did not bench Cato for on field performance. Holliday can’t come out and say it that way, instead he is relegated to vague answers like this "We've got certain standards and expectations that we expect every player to live up to and if they don't they sit and watch with me and the other guys play,". Read between the lines, did Holliday mention Cato’s difficult transition to the read option or his turnover ratio? No, the only thing he mentioned was standards, so what standards could Holliday be talking about? During the UCF game, cameras caught a visibly upset Cato talking on the phone to co-offensive coordinator Tony Peterson. I don’t know what was said during that conversation but I am 100% sure it lead to Cato’s benching. I think Cato made a freshman mistake and talked to his position coach in a derogatory manner, his punishment, on the bench to start this weeks game. Holliday has a clear set of rules for his program, if you break those rules there are repercussions. Besides, Cato’s benching might only be temporary, Holliday said he would play this week. Given all of that I don’t understand my fellow Herd fans slamming Holliday for having Cato start the six toughest games of 2011 only to bench him in favor of A.J Graham. It just dose not add up.
Marshall’s offense is predicated on the zone read option, offensive coordinator Bill Legg talked about it in detail here. If you are not familiar with the zone read option take a minute and review this excellent write up by the Charleston Daily Mails Chuck McGill. Being a true freshman Cato only had August practice before his first college start and it has hindered his understating of the zone read. In a Herald Dispatch article Cato admitted his high school rushing plays involved handing off to this guy and watching him run. Marshall’s system is a little bit more complicated and Cato has understandably struggled. Marshall has tweaked its zone read to better suite its personnel. At Louisville the Herd employed a three man diamond set in the backfield. That formation helped MU to it's best rushing performance of 2011. Adjustments like the ones made against Louisville make sense, abandoning an entire offensive system does not.
Like I wrote after last years UCF game we all need to take a step back and let coach Holliday operate his program. We are eighteen games into a clear and defined plan, lets give Holliday time to execute it.
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