Before every practice, Ohio players ring the bell given to the victor of the annual Ohio and Marshall game to signify it’s time to enter the field in a winning state of mind.
“We actually ring the bell every day,” redshirt senior cornerback Travis Carrie said. “We get it out right before we come out to practice, and don’t ring the bell if you’re not going to come out here and practice 110 percent, so that’s a key thing that the coaches have put in our head.”
Ohio (1-1) will have to set their sights on that type of effort if they hope to keep the bell in Athens for a third consecutive year.
The Thundering Herd (2-0) boast an experienced football team, starting with their signal caller, junior Rakeem Cato, who has completed 61.3 percent of his passes and thrown for six touchdowns this season. Last year, Cato threw for 4,201 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Ohio offensive coordinator Tim Albin said Cato has put up Heisman-like numbers, similar to Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
“He’s obviously a tremendous talent,” Albin said. “His numbers are Johnny Manziel numbers, plain and simple. If I was the SID (Sports Information Director) at Marshall I’d be running a Heisman campaign that’s legit — you are what the stats say you are, so the stats say he’s pretty good.”
The Thundering Herd are one of the fastest teams in the nation in terms of offensive tempo.
Last season, Marshall led the nation in total plays from scrimmage, as well as the number of scrimmage plays that went for at least 10 yards. This season, Marshall has run 168 plays, which is ninth best in the NCAA.
Ohio coach Frank Solich said Marshall’s quick offense would be difficult for the Bobcats to defend. He also touched on the improvements of the Thundering Herd’s defense, as well as the several playmakers at Cato’s disposal.
“The Marshall tempo is a different challenge in that you don’t see a lot of different formations,” Solich said. “You’ll see some different formations, but they’ll stick with the same personnel groupings, so they’re not really subbing, which means they can go, go, go and makes it difficult for you to sub.”
Marshall is seeking its third win this year after defeating opponents Miami (OH) and Gardner Webb by a combined 93 points.
Cato is not the only Marshall player the Bobcats will have to keep at bay, as redshirt sophomore running back Steward Butler leads the Herd backfield with 129 yards per game.
With Marshall’s offensive firepower, Carrie said that Ohio must stop Marshall during third down situations.
“If they get the yardage that they want in (the first) two downs, it will be easier for them to actually move faster because you have less yards to worry about,” Carrie said. “It’s definitely going to be a line battle, their offensive line against our defensive line and then we’ve got to match up outside.”
Defensively, junior linebacker Neville Hewitt leads Marshall with 13 tackles. The Marshall defense has recorded seven sacks and four interceptions.
If the Bobcats defeat the Thundering Herd, it will be the first time Ohio has beaten Marshall three consecutive seasons since the 1978-80 seasons.
mk277809@ohiou.edu
