C.J. Spillman News

Prior to their showdown with Mountain State rival West Virginia, Marshall players stressed the importance of defensive discipline.

Bill Stewart was asked Sunday whether he thinks West Virginia is ready for the Big East after having split in its four season-opening non-conference games.

With all the hoopla behind them, West Virginia and Marshall are set for Saturday's Friends of Coal Bowl football game before a sellout crowd of 60,000 at Mountaineer Field/Milan Puskar Stadium.

If there was any year that Marshall thought they had a good chance to beat West Virginia it would be this year.

You had to wonder when and how, but you didn't have to wonder if Brandon Burns was going to become an impact player for the Marshall defense.

Runningback Damien Fletcher rushes through the defensive line for a touchdown during last year's game against Marhsall.

The confidence Marshall cornerbacks DeQuan Bembry and T.J. Drakeford exude each time they step on a football field stems from their high school glory days.

Saturday's game between Marshall and Memphis may not have been the offensive showcase that many fans were expecting, but the 27,349 faithful in Joan C. Edwards Stadium were surely satisfied as the Thundering ...

When: 11 a.m., today. Where: Madison. Stadium: Camp Randall Stadium , FieldTurf playing surface.

No. 11 Wisconsin had to rally from an early two-touchdown deficit to Marshall, reeling off 51 straight points to turn a potential upset into a 51-14 walkover Saturday.

If Marshall has any chance of upsetting Wisconsin, then it better have the lead going into the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTES: The nation's second longest home winning streak is on the line in Madison this weekend, as the 11th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers host the Marshall Thundering Herd at Camp Randall Stadium.

Marshall University opened the 2008 football season with a 35-10 victory delighting a Joan C. Edwards Stadium of 25,661 on a warm and muggy opening day.

Call them Abbreviations-R-Us, or maybe Initials Incorporated. They are C.J. Spillman, T.J. Drakeford and D.J. Wingate, three of the four projected starters in Marshall's secondary.

Considering Marshall must break in a first-year starter at quarterback, the Thundering Herd's rushing attack will be even more important than usual this season.

When looking at Marshall's defensive roster it is easy to spot the player will be relied on most this season.

Tight end Cody Slate and wide receiver Darius Passmore have been limited this preseason, and with good reason.

Marshall's scrimmage Saturday was planned, to the degree possible, to be a proving ground for some of its youngest players.

Mario Harvey ran and talked smack as if he chugged a vat of that awful-tasting "energy" coffee.

Save the NFL talk for the winter. C.J. Spillman is focused on ending his Marshall career with a winning season.