Marshall Basketball: Notes on Longwood and Villanova

Marshall begins the 2012-2013 basketball this Friday in the Cam Henderson Center with a 7:30pm tipoff against Longwood University.

The Lancers are entering their first season in the Big South Conference, where they were picked to finish last in the North Division. Prior to this year, Longwood played as an independent.

Longwood only returns one starter from last year’s 10-21 squad, 6-foot-4 junior guard Tristan Carey. Carey will look to improve on his 13.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assist from last season while leading a team that features seven underclassman.

On Sunday, Marshall travels to “the city of brotherly love”, Philadelphia PA, for a 1pm tip against the Villanova Wildcats.

Villanova is coming off a tough, 13-19 season that featured only five conference wins. Things don’t appear to be getting better, the Wildcats were picked to finish 12^th in the 15 team Big East and need to replace leading scorers Maalik Waynes and Dominic Cheek, who combined averaged 30.1 points per game last year.

Like Marshall, Villanova relied on strong rebounding in 2012, averaging 39.1 boards per game, good for 16^th in the nation. The Wildcats leading rebounder, 6-foot-10 center Mouphtaou Yarou (8.2 RPG) returns along with second leading rebounder JayVaughn Pinkston (5.2 RPG).

Villanova is counting on highly touted recruit Ryan Arcidiacono to make a significant contribution. Arcidiacono, who ESPN ranked as the 16^th best point guard prospect in the class of 2012, will be tasked with replacing Waynes and dictating the Wildcat offense.

Longwood

Roster

ESPN Team Page

Villanova

Roster

ESPN Team Page

Marshall Football: Week 11 Game Notes, UAB

Marshall travels to UAB this weekend looking to secure their fifth win of the season and inch one game closer to bowl eligibility. Under first year head coach Garrick McGee, the Blazers have recorded two victories this season, including last week’s 27-19, comeback win over Southern Miss.

Much like Marshall, the UAB offense is powered by a strong passing attack. Redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Brown has completed 146 of 252 attempts for 2086 and 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Brown’s favorite target is five-foot-11 junior Jackie Williams, who leads UAB in receptions 39, and receiving yards, 674. Williams is not a one man band at receiver, he is joined by Nick Adams and his 34 catches for 535 yards.

Looking at the two previous Saturday’s, Blazers running back Darrin Reaves recorded 56 carries for 389 yards and five touchdowns. Reaves had a herculean effort in last week’s comeback win over UAB. Needing to erase a 16-0 halftime deficit, the Blazers turned to Reaves who rewarded his coaches with 223 yards and two touchdowns.  

On defense, UAB has struggled this year. The Blazers are allowing 257 passing and 184 rushing yards per game. When UAB is making stops, they are usually made by linebacker Marvin Burdette. The senior ranks second in the FBS with 115 tackles. UAB also has a hard time creating turnovers, their five interceptions are tied for second to last in Conference USA.

For more on this week’s matchup including  quotes from both coaches, follow the links below.

Marshall

Quotes from Doc Holliday’s Nov. 6^th Press Conference

Game Notes, UAB

UAB

Quotes from Garrick McGee’s Nov. 5^th Press Conference

Game Notes, Marshall

Marshall in the NFL: Week Nine

Weekly review of Marshall Alumni in the NFL.

1. Ahmad Bradshaw, Running Back, New York Giants

In a tough, 24-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 48 yards on 15 carries.

2. C.J Spillman, Safety, San Francisco 49ers

Bye week.

3. Doug Legursky, Guard/Center, Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers reserve offensive lineman Doug Legursky received limited playing as Pittsburgh defeated New York for their fifth win of the season.

4. Byron Leftwich, Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers

Byron Leftwich did not play as Steelers quarterback Ben Rothlisberger took every snap during Sunday’s win over New York

5. Albert McClellan, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens

Since the return of injured Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, Albert McClellan’s playing time has decreased. Over the last two games he has only played 39 snaps. In Sunday’s 25-15 win over the Cleveland Browns, McClellan registered one solo and one assisted tackle.

6. Lee Smith, Tight End, Buffalo Bills

Lee Smith saw action on special teams and as a blocker in the Bills goal line packages as Buffalo lost to the Houston Texans 21-9.

7. Randy Moss, Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers

Bye week.

8. Vinny Curry, Defensive End, Philadelphia Eagles

Vinny Curry was inactive, as he has been for every game this year, during the Philadelphia Eagles 28-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.  

9. Mario Harvey, Linebacker, Indianapolis Colts

Playing special teams, Mario Harvey recorded an assisted tackle during the Indianapolis Colts 23-20 win over the Miami Dolphins.  

10. Chris Crocker, Safety, Cincinnati Bengals

Chris Crocker lead the Cincinnati Bengals with 5 tackles in Sunday’s 31-23 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Marshall Football: Josh Knight Commits to Herd

A two star prospect according to Rivals, Fort Pierce Central High School (FL) wide receiver Josh Knight has verbally committed to Marshall University. Knight spent this Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on an official visit and gave his pledge to the Thundering Herd before returning to Florida.  

Standing in at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Knight caught 29 passes for 365 yards and six touchdowns during his junior season. Besides Marshall, he held scholarship offers from a number of schools in the MAC, C-USA, Big East, and Sun Belt.

For more on Knight, follow the links below.

1) Rivals profile

2) Highlight video

C-USA Football: Week Ten Review

It’s true, Tulsa held a late lead over an SEC school, on the road even, last Saturday. The opponent was lowly Arkansas, owners of two wins over FBS opponents entering the game, but given Conference USA’s dismal performance this season it would have been a marquee win. Unfortunately for the Golden Hurricanes, they could not hold onto their 15-13 advantage, allowing the Razorbacks to score a touchdown with just under eleven minutes left to secure a 19-15 victory.

The rest of the leagues action was in conference, most notably Houston’s trip to ECU. The Pirates scored 28 unanswered points to open the game and never looked back, taking down the Cougars 48-28. After completing 31 of 43 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns, ECU quarterback Shane Carden earned a share C-USA’s offensive player of the week award with Marshall’s Rakeem Cato.

Looking at other cross division matchups, UCF easily handled SMU at home, taking down the Mustangs 42-17.

In the East, Marshall let a feisty Memphis squad score 21 unanswered points in the second half, turning a 31-7 blowout into a 31-28 nail biter with just over 11 minutes to play. On a gutsy forth down call on the Tigers 28 yard line, Cato hit wide receiver Davonte Allen for a touchdown pass, sealing a 38-28 Thundering Herd victory.

Southern Miss was in line for their first win of the season, taking a 16-0 lead over UAB into halftime but, the Blazers had different ideas. Behind 223 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Darrin Reaves, UAB scored 27 second half points and walked away with a 27-19 road win.

Out West, Rice kept its bowl hopes alive, wining at Tulane 49-47.

Standings

East

1) UCF: 7-2, 5-0

2) ECU: 6-4, 5-1

3) Marshall: 4-5, 3-2

4) UAB: 2-7, 1-4

5) Memphis: 1-8, 1-4

6) USM: 0-9, 0-5

West

1) Tulsa: 7-2, 5-0

2) SMU: 4-5, 3-2

3) Houston: 4-5, 3-2

4) Tulane: 2-7, 2-3

5) Rice: 4-6, 2-4

6) UTEP: 2-7, 1-4

Marshall Basketball: Herd downs Bluefield 94-67, Canty has eligibility issue

Marshall defeated Bluefield College 94-67 in the Herd's lone preseason exhibition game Thursday night at the Cam Henderson Center. The Thundering Herd easily handled a Rams squad that does not feature a player over six-foot-eight, winning the rebounding battle 69-25.

Despite winning big, Marshall struggled in a few aspects of the game. Overall, it was a poor shooting night for the Herd. They shot less than 50 percent from the field while misfiring on 11 of 15 three point attempts. A big issue has carried over from last year as Marshall only converted 12 of 23 shots from the free throw line.

On a individual level, junior college transfer Elijah Pittman lead the Herd with 23 points. Getting his first chance to conduct Marshall's offense, sophomore point guard Chris Martin had more turnovers, four, than assist, two, but he did contribute 14 points and four rebounds. Speaking of rebounds, center Yous Mbao pulled down 13 while playing 25 minutes. Mbao was one of four players to snag at least nine boards as Pittman also had 13 with Jamir Hanner contributing 10 and Dennis Tinnon securing nine of his own.

Making their Marshall debuts, guard D.D. Scarver scored 18 points with eight rebounds while walk-on Austin Loop made the most of his six minutes of action, scoring two points. Also playing his first game in green and white, Tamron Manning converted one of three attempts for two points along with two assist and two rebounds.

Tonight's biggest story was the players that did not participate. Marshall's leading scorer from last year, DeAndre Kane and center Nigel Spikes were held out by coach Tom Herrion along with Robert Goff, who is recovering from off season knee surgery. Freshman point guard Kareem Canty did not play for what was described as a initial eligibility issue. Canty attended two schools last year, Arizona's Westwind Prep and Faith Baptist Christian School in Florida. Speculation on my part but, I would not be surprised if Canty's midyear transfer is causing his eligibility issue.

Box Score

Marshall Football: Herd Hosting a Number of Prospects Saturday

Marshall is hosting at least four football prospects on official visits this Saturday. Here is a list of recruits you can expect on the sidelines of Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Joseph Figueroa, Safety, Fort Pierce Central High School (FL)

The term “smart player” gets thrown around a lot but, Joseph Figueroa has earned the moniker. A 5-foot-10, 185 pound safety, Figueroa reports scholarship offers from a number of elite academic schools including Harvard, Holy Cross, and Colgate. With choices like that you might think Figueroa is all brains and no brawn but, during his junior season he registered 97 tackles and eight interceptions.

Rivals profile

Highlight video

Josh Knight, WR, Fort Pierce Central High School (FL)

A two star prospect according to Rivals, Josh Knight might be the big receiver Marshall is looking for. Standing in at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Knight caught 29 passes for 365 yards and 6 touchdowns during his junior season. Besides Marshall, he holds scholarship offers from a number of schools in the MAC, C-USA, Big East, and Sun Belt.

Rivals profile

Highlight video

Stafon McCray, RB, Osceola High School (FL)

Ranked the 67^th best running back prospect in the class of 2013 by Scout.com, Stafon McCray will also be making a trip to Marshall this weekend. Known for his hard nose running style, McCray gained 1,500 rushing yards and scored 19 touchdowns during his junior season. The competition for McCray’s services are intense, he holds scholarship offers from Iowa State and Arizona among many others.

Rivals profile

Highlight video

Maquedius Bain, DT,  University School of Nova Southeastern University (FL)

An elite prospect at defensive tackle, Maquedius Bain already weighs 308 pounds and stands at six-foot-three. Rivals.com ranks Bain the 77^th best prospect in Florida and he has official visits scheduled for LSU and Oklahoma later this month. As a junior he recorded 37 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles, and four blocked kicks.

Rivals profile

Highlight video