Marshall Football fans thinking undefeated season a possibility for Thundering Herd in 2014

By Woody Woodrum, Herd Insider Sr. Columnist (goherd.com)

Strengths & Question Marks

Marshall went into the spring with just a couple of question marks, the biggest being at quarterback – not the starting quarterback, who is three-year starter, senior and Heisman hopeful Rakeem Cato. No, the big story was who will be the backup, after redshirt junior Blake Frohnapfel announced he was going to transfer to UMass to try to become a starter his final two seasons.

Frohnapfel – whose twin, Eric, is a senior starting tight end for Marshall – was a very capable backup, hit 18-of-23 for 180 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman, rushing 13 times for 81 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown in a shootout against East Carolina. As a sophomore, he hit 17-of-22 for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns last year.

The three quarterbacks in camp were redshirt sophomore Gunnar Holcombe, redshirt freshman Kevin Anderson and true frosh Cole Garvin. After 14 days where most observers had Garvin surprising ahead in the competition, Holcombe put together a nice day in the Green-White Game, hitting for 11-of-18 for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns – 60-yards and 65-yards to wide out Justin Hunt (3-153, 2 TDs in G-W Game), who might have moved his way towards starting in the fall, along with Craig Wilkins (4-for-60 receiving G-W), and redshirt frosh Angelo Jean-Louis, who also had a good spring and caught 2 for 40 yards and a 35-yard touchdown from Garvin, who was 10-of-17 in G-W Game.

Added to this bunch for 2015 will also be JMU transfer Michael Birdsong, who will sit out in 2014 after being ousted as starter for Dukes by new coaching staff, new scheme for running quarterback and Georgia Tech transfer Vad Lee moving up to starter under first-year coach Everett Withers. Birdsong hit 227-of-376 last season for former James Madison Coach Mickey Matthews (a Marshall assistant 1990-95), for 2,278 yards and 22 touchdowns. Also coming is another true freshman for 2014, 6-foot-6, 190-pound Chase Litton of Tampa.

A strength for the team – just about everywhere else. The offensive line has back three full-time starters and two part-time starters, with quality in the top 10 on that side, while the defensive line has James Rouse back for a sixth year as well as Jarquez Samuel, Steve Dillon (who signed with USC originally) and broke in Ricardo Williams, a transfer from Miami, Fla. who looks like an instant playmaker, Joe Massaquoi and Josh Brown at tackles, and ends Ra’Shawde Myers, Gary Thompson and Arnold Blackmon as starters at end, along with Malcomb Strong and Armonze Daniel, who finally looked like the highly regarded player Doc Holliday recruited three years ago.

Linebackers, corners, safeties, kickers, punting, running back and tight ends are loaded with talent, and more is on the way back from injury as well as recruited talent incoming this summer.

Breakout Players

Rakeem Cato and Tommy Shuler have played together since midget league in South Florida, and the tandem has hit for 106 receptions, 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns last year after 110 catches, 1,138 yards and 6 TDs in 2012. While tight end Gator Hoskins (50-821-15 TDs) has moved on, look for more catches for Eric Frohnapfel (7-95-2 TDs) and Devon Johnson (12-218-2 TDs) at the TE/H-Back position.

Kevin Grooms is one of three juniors who are back at running back, but he is healthy and looked great this spring after rushing for over 500 yards last fall, second to returner Steward Butler, who rushed for 765 yards and 8 scores. Butler broke his first carry of the spring game for 75 yards and a score, while Grooms watched after 2 carries for 49 yards in the previous scrimmage.

On defense, D.J. Hunter was a freshman All-American at Will linebacker in 2012, moved to safety and started 7-of-14 games back at safety and was still eighth in tackles with 50 stops. Hunter is back with the linebackers, working now at Sam, and will be pushed by a talented bunch on the outside including senior Raheem Waiters backing him up, senior Neville Hewitt and Evan McKelvey at the Will and seniors Jermaine Holmes and Cortez Carter in the middle, along with talented backups like Stefan Houston and Kent Turene.

Also on defense, sophomore Michael Johnson played nickel all spring, allowing last year’s full-time nickel, Corey Tindal, to move to corner full time, opposite 2-year starter Darryl Roberts. Safeties A.J. Leggett and Taj Letman have Corie Wilson pushing for more time, and Keith Baxter, Jr. hopes to shake injuries the past two seasons to help at corner.

Position Grades

Quarterback – A+, for Cato, who threw for 298-of-499, 3,916 yards and 39 scores against just 9 interceptions. If he goes down, so will this grade.

Running back – B, solid with Grooms healthy, Butler looking good and fellow junior Remi Watson also had a solid spring, and they return with 1,380 yards and 14 touchdowns between them backing up the departed Essray Taliaferro (1,140 yards, 10 TDs in 2013).

Offensive line – A, as center Chris Jasperse (R-Sr., 6-4, 287, first team All-C-USA) and tackles Clint Van Horn (R-Jr., 6-4, 302) and Sebastian Johansson (R-Jr., 6-4, 285) are all returning starters (although Johansson moved out to left tackle from right guard), and senior Blake Brooks (6-1, 305) and sophomore Michael Selby (6-2, 277) both played a bunch of snaps, included extended work in the Military Bowl win over Maryland, 31-20. Backing up is redshirt sophomore Cameron Dees (6-1, 285), who was injured last year but can go at center or guard, R-Jr. Tom Collins (6-4, 277) at guard – who line coach Alex Mirabal called “the most improved OL of the spring” – R-Sr. Trevor Mendelson (6-7, 299) at tackle and a group of talented young linemen like A.J. Addison (T-Fr., 6-6, 274) at tackle, R-Fr. Cody Collins (6-1, 276) at center/guard and R-Fr. Chris Huhn (6-5, 284) and true freshman Sandley Jean-Felix (6-5, 323) at tackles.

Receivers – B, Tommy Shuler is two-time, all-conference player at slot, and has nice backup in junior Deandre Reaves. Wideouts were challenged by Holliday to take it up a notch in the spring, and there was definite improvement in Hunt, a 6-3, 193-pound sophomore as well as R-Sr. Demetrius Evans (5-11, 197). Breakout star could be redshirt frosh Angelo Jean-Louis (6-0, 175), with blazing speed, and Craig Wilkins and Davonte Allen will back as experienced players.

Tight ends – B, as Eric Frohnapfel (6-6, 229) and Devon Johnson (6-1, 254) are both experienced juniors, R-Jr. Joe Woodrum (6-6, 235) is playing on all special teams and expected to see some action, while R-Fr. Deon-Tay McManus (6-2, 227) has good size and better speed.

Defensive line – B+, with James Rouse (R-Sr., 6-5, 270) and Ra’Shawde Myers (R-Sr., 6-4, 246) are returning starters, while Jarquez Samuel (R-Jr., 6-4, 273), Steve Dillon (R-Jr., 6-3, 280), Arnold Blackmon (Sr., 6-1, 238), Gary Thompson (Soph., 6-1, 241) have all started at times. Also in the mix are Joe Massapuoi (R-So., 6-5, 253), Ricardo Williams (R-Jr., 6-5, 248) and Marcus Gilchrist (R-So., 6-4, 250) or Malcomb Strong (R-Sr., 6-4, 253).

Linebackers – A, with returning starters in MLB Jermaine Holmes (Sr., 5-11, 246) and OLBs Evan McKelvey (Sr., 6-1, 211) and Neville Hewitt (Sr., 6-2, 217), and D.J. Hunter (R-Jr., 6-0, 212) is a former starter. Backups who played last year include senior Cortez Carter (5-11, 240), senior Raheem Waiters (6-0, 220), sophomore Stefan Houston (6-3, 209) and R-Sophomore Kent Turene (6-3, 238).

Secondary – A, with starting safeties back in redshirt sophomore A.J. Leggett (5-11, 192), sophomore Tiquan Lang (5-9, 178), R-Jr. Taj Letman (6-2, 192), and backup R-Jr. Corie Wilson (5-9, 168). At corner, starting nickel Corey Tindal (R-So., 5-9, 178) moves in alongside of Darryl Roberts (5-11, 177), a redshirt senior, with sophomore Michael Johnson (5-10, 163) pencilled in at nickel. Also in the mix are Keith Baxter (5-11, 196), a redshirt junior who has battled health issues, and Virginia Tech redshirt sophomore transfer Donaldven Manning (5-10, 173) who is expected to take time at nickel, corner and on special teams.

Special Teams – A, with three strong kickers back in kickoff specialist Amoreto Curraj, a sophomore who had 52 touchbacks in 97 kickoffs, field goal and extra-points started the last two years in redshirt junior Justin Haig (11-16 field goals, with long of 42; 77-of-80 PATs) being pushed by freshman Nick Smith, who out-kicked Haig head-to-head much of the spring, and another powerful leg in freshman Kaare Vedvik. Sophomore punter Tyler Williams – who also holds for place kicks – averaged 42.2 yards per punt, with only five touchbacks, 13 placed inside the 20 and 13 kicks of over 50 yards. Return specialist Deandre Reaves averaged 25.0 yards per kick return last year, with a long of 81 yards, and also had six punt returns for 8.5 yards per return average. Freshman speedsters like Angelo Jean-Louie might also push for time here.

2014 Expectations

Doc Holliday inherited a 7-6 2009 team that had beaten Ohio University, 21-17, under an interim head coach in Rick Minter (taking over for Mark Snyder) in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and the Herd of 2010 was 5-7 his first season, including a heart-breaking, 3-point OT loss to WVU. Year two, Marshall finished 7-6 again, thanks to a big bowl game by current New England Patriots’ receiver Aaron Dobson, and the Herd beat now C-USA mate FIU in the Beef O’Brady Bowl, 20-10.

Then the Herd defense couldn’t stop anyone in 2012, and again the Herd slipped to 5-7, but Holliday replaced nearly his whole staff, including bringing in DC Chuck Heater. Heater’s defense went from allowing 44 points in 2012 to just 22.9 points per game in 2013, while OC Bill Legg and Rakeem Cato kept the scoring at 42.1 points per game, and ran 1,093 plays in a 10-4 season that included a first Conference USA East Division title and winning the Northrup Grumman Military Bowl over the ACC’s Maryland Terrapins – playing in its backyard at Annapolis, Md. – 30-21, Marshall’s first double-digit wins season since going 11-2 in 2002.

For 2014, Holliday only had to replace one coach, as Thomas Brown left the running backs to a job at Wisconsin, but the Herd did not miss a beat with new RB coach Chris Barclay in the spring. The team is loaded with a boatload of returning players, including six on first or second team All-C-USA post-season teams (Jasperse, Shuler, Rouse, Cato, Van Horn and Holmes), four returning from Honorable Mention (Myers, McKelvey, Roberts and Tindal) and five from the All-Freshman Team (Selby, Thompson, Houston, Leggett and Tindal).

The Herd’s 2014 schedule lightened a bit when Louisville asked to move the game scheduled for this year on down the road in 2016, and Purdue coming to Huntington in 2015. So for the first time since Doc Holliday took over, Marshall has no schools from the P5 Conferences on its schedule – the first time since Marshall was 15-0 and I-AA National Champs before moving up to the MAC in 1997.

2014’s opener is at Miami-Oh., an 0-12 team last year. Then the Herd returns home for FCS Rhode Island (3-9), then hosts Ohio University (7-6 last year, but has beaten Marshall three straight) and heads to Akron (5-7) to finish the non-conference. C-USA gave the Herd a break as well, as Marshall hosts all of the best teams on its schedule: Middle Tennessee – who beat the Herd, 51-49, on a last second TD last year; Florida Atlantic – who MU just beat on a last-second field goal, 24-23; Rice – who beat up the Herd in the C-USA Championship in Houston, 41-24; and league newcomer Western Kentucky (8-4 in Sun Belt), who plays Marshall on a Friday after Thanksgiving game the Herd was 2-0 at home in 2011 and 2013.

Marshall’s conference road trips are to ODU (8-4 last year as independent, 1-4 versus FBS opponents on the road, 7-0 vs. FBS teams and 6-0 at home), FIU (1-11), Southern Miss (1-11) and UAB (2-10). Herd fans are talking 12-0 regular season, hosting and winning the C-USA Championship then earning the only spot in the largest bowls among the G5 conferences (American, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt) in the new 4-team playoff for National Championship. Only three Marshall teams all time – 8-0 in 1919, 15-0 in 1996 and 13-0 in 1999 – have finished undefeated and untied, so while it appears the Herd has a chance, they have to get past the uneven performances that cost the team wins at Ohio, Middle Tennessee, Rice and Virginia Tech last season.

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Woody Woodrum, senior columnist of the Herd Insider, provided the information for our Marshall football 2014 spring wrap up.  For more Marshall football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Woody on Twitter  @woodywoodrum.

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