Week 1: Marshall Thundering Herd Preview

A lot has happened since we last previewed an Ohio State football game. On Jan 1, the Buckeyes won a decisive 26-17 victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Since then, it's been an offseason full of change. Several great players - and Ray Small - graduated and headed for the National Football League. Thanks to the addition of Nebraska, as of 2011, the Big 10 will have 12 teams, and the Big 12 will have 10. In an unfortunate byproduct of the expansion, it is becoming more and more likely that Jim Delaney and his Big 10 "brain" trust will move the Ohio State - Michigan game to October. It doesn't stop there. On September 2nd, Jim Tressel and his six captains are leading a team that promises to pass the ball 25-30 times per game into a Thursday night opener against Conference USA's Marshall. Oh, and as of August 30, Maurice Clarrett is playing professional football again. These are strange times indeed!

Fortunately for the purists among us, the field is still 100 yards long, each side still plays 11 at a time and a touchdown is still worth six points. And this Thursday when the Marshall Thundering Herd stampedes into the horseshoe, the Ohio State Buckeyes will be there waiting.

What To Watch For

Fresh off a 7-6 season that featured a 21-17 win against Ohio University in the Little Ceasars Bowl, first-year coach Doc Holliday leads a relatively experienced Marshall squad into Columbus. Holliday is renowned as one of the top recruiters in the country, having served successful stints as an assistant coach at West Virginia and the University of Florida. However, as any Illinois fan will tell you, your head coach has to be able to do more than recruit. This game will offer an early test for the rookie head coach's game planning skills.

Leading the Thundering Herd passing attack is Senior Brian Anderson. Anderson had a decidedly average 2009 season, passing for 2,646 yards with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The offensive line is an experienced squad, featuring four Juniors and a Senior. Sophomore Antavious Wilson is a playmaker at the wide receiver position. Last season he pulled in 60 catches for 724 yards.

The Defense is devoid of 5-star talent, but features some solid competitors. Senior Mario "Thumper" Harvey is a tackling machine, recording an incredible 117 tackles and seven sacks in 2010. He is joined by 6 upperclassmen, forming the core of a defense that gave up 24.3 ppg in 2009. If Marshall is to stand any chance of containing the Ohio State offense, this veteran defense must rely on its experience to keep contain and not allow Terrelle Pryor to break the big run.

The Bottom Line

The more things change, the more they say the same. Marshall is your prototypical "tune-up" game. They're stout enough to put up a fight, but not deep enough to pose a true threat. Jim Tressel claims that Terrelle Pryor will be throwing the ball 25-30 times a game this year, but it won't happen this week. Expect a veteran Marshall team to put forth a valiant effort in the first half, but fall victim to the talent gap as the game wears on. The backups should be in by the fourth quarter as Ohio State cruises to a comfortable 34-13 victory.

Next up: It's all about the U!