HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Marshall UniversityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s defense will likely face its toughest challenge of the season in its first football game when the Thundering Herd travels to No. 5 Georgia next week.
Herd coach Tony Gibson said that the focus in practice is internal.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe have to establish who we are as a football team,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Gibson said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œOn offense, defense and special teams. Everyone says that your biggest jump is from game one to game two. We need to play a game, see where weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re at and adjust some things from there.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Gibson said throughout fall camp many of his players see themselves as more than capable.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œOur kids have seen the film. We have a challenge, but we wouldnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t have it any other way,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Gibson said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œA lot of these kids think they could play at the Power Four level, and theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re going to get their opportunity to do it against one of the best teams in the country.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe most important thing on our schedule is us. We have to make sure that weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re prepared the right way, go down and see what happens.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
That said, MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s defense has been a bit disrespected ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” left without a pick in the preseason All-Sun Belt Conference teams and boasting one of the largest groups of newcomers in the nation.
But the Herd defense could be its strong suit. Gibson was a defensive coordinator at North Carolina State and brought some defensive pieces with him, namely Cannon Lewis and Jayland Parker.
Not sticking out immediately from the roster is Josh Pierre-Louis. He spent three seasons at N.C. State before transferring to Marshall from West Georgia.
Multiple linebackers and Pierre-Louis as a defensive back help ramp up the familiarity in multiple position groups. Fill in the gaps with veteran defensive line coach Ralph Street and seasoned defensive coordinator Shannon Morrison and the Herd feels as if it has some answers already.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI played in this defense for two years at NC State, and I came here, so I know a lot of the playbook already,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Pierre-Louis said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™m an older guy, so I know a lot of thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s going on.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The 3-3-5 defense that Gibson is known for ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” three down linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” is the type of defense that Pierre-Louis says places pressure early and then lets the defensive backs work.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe want to attack, and in the back end, we want to cover,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Pierre-Louis said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWith this defense, if you canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t cover, you canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t play. We play fast. We play tough and physical up front. In the back, we get it done.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s certainly helped the run game. JoÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™Shon Barbie said following MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s final fall camp scrimmage that a 3-3 stack hardens the run game quickly.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI love our defense. I hate going against the 3-3 stack, so itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a hard one to go up against,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Barbie said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œGibby draws up a lot of blitzes. We are very confident in this defense. Defense is not a worry for me because I play against it every day ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” I know what they bring.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Gibson said during his days as a defensive coordinator that he didnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t want to give up a yard in practice. That same attention to detail now reaches the entire team.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œHe feels like if the defense is having a bad day that everyone is having a bad day,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Barbie said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe just got to keep attacking that defense. If they did bad, we did good.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Following TuesdayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s practice, one of the first with mostly scout work, Sweeting said the mentality going in is to remove the crowd quickly.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI think once we get in there, the crowd shuts up fast if youÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re winning,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Sweeting said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI think we have to go in there with a great mentality of winning. We canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t look at the crowd. We go in there and play ball. Ball is ball at the end of the day. You can go in front of 100 people or 100,000 people, but youÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve got to do the same thing.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
