PonyFans.com

Giving it away
Turnovers hurting Marshall again

By Doug Smock
Staff writer / Charleston Gazette


HUNTINGTON — The ghost of 2003 is reappearing in the Marshall camp, and it is unwelcome as ever.

That ghost is the turnover bugaboo, and it is costing the Thundering Herd dearly.

The Herd tries to cure that problem when it plays Southern Methodist at 4 p.m. Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The game has been moved up 30 minutes and will be televised nationally by College Sports Television, it was announced Tuesday.

In 2003, the Herd ranked 114th of 117 Division I-A teams in turnover margin with a minus-19. This team is “better,” at 85th, minus-2, but is 109th in turnovers (11) and 106th in lost fumbles (6).

Somehow, the ’03 Herd finished 8-4. This year, the Herd already has two losses, giving away games to Kansas State and Central Florida.

The number of points either allowed or surrendered on turnovers has been staggering.
* Against William & Mary, a Bernie Morris interception led to the Tribe’s 27-yard drive for a touchdown. Net swing on turnovers: seven points.
* In the 21-19 loss to Kansas State, Chris Hawkins lost a fumble on a long kickoff return, and the Wildcats drove 55 yards for their first touchdown. The Herd fumbled twice inside the K-State 5-yard line.

Then there was Jimmy Skinner’s interception with three seconds left, which cost the Herd a shot at a game-winning field goal. Net swing: 24 points.
* In the 23-13 loss to UCF, the Herd’s two fourth-quarter turnovers hurt, but it was Morris’ first-series fumble that resulted in the Golden Knights’ first touchdown. Net swing: seven points.

Total swing: 38 points and two victories. Instead of being 3-0 heading into the SMU game, the Herd is 1-2 and some fans are bracing for the team’s first losing season since 1983.

“We’ve had two games that we’ve learned that if you don’t take care of the football, you lose,” Marshall coach Mark Snyder said. “It’s not a crime to punt.”

Both Skinner and Morris lost fumbles at UCF, a stat of great concern. Better pass blocking is needed, of course, but so is ball security.

Morris knows he could have prevented his fumble.

“When I watched the film on that, I should have known that I didn’t have that much time,” Morris said. “If the lineman holds the block on the back side, usually that ball’s gone. But I should have had the thought in my head to know when to tuck the ball.”

Part of the problem is that quarterbacks are not hit during preseason camp. Under coach Bob Pruett, they were almost never “live” in spring drills, either.

Snyder will modify that practice.

“I don’t know how spring ball has been in the past, but there will be some scrimmages where the quarterbacks will be live, for that very reason,” Snyder said. “We will not do that in [preseason] camp, but we will do it in spring ball.”

For now, Morris, who will start against SMU, and Skinner will have to learn when to tuck and run, and how to hold the ball — the hard way.

“You get in a comfort level when you’re back there in practice and people are running by you and not hitting you,” Snyder said. “That clock doesn’t seem to go off in your head quite as well as it does when you’re live.

“It’s a fence you ride there, and it comes from game experience.”

• • •

Snyder on his quarterback strategy: “We’ll see as the game goes along,” he said. “Right now, we plan on going with Bernie and staying with him unless the game dictates something else.”

Morris, needless to say, wants to play the entire game Saturday. He was hooked after four possessions at UCF, in his hometown of Orlando.

“It was really tough just sitting there, not playing,” he said. “Then I’ve got all my friends and family sitting there behind me, asking me what’s going on during the game. I can’t turn around and explain to them.

“I didn’t know the reason they pulled me on Saturday. [Offensive coordinator Larry] Kueck, he just told me he wishes he could have gotten me back in there just to watch how the game turned out and everything like that.”