HUNTINGTON - 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.
HUNTINGTON - 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.
He started Saturday in the Thundering Herd's 17-16 victory over Memphis, making nine tackles and breaking up a pass. The latter was a biggie, on a fourth-and-6 near midfield with the clock ticking inside the 3-minute mark.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound product of Columbiana, Ala., was considered a three-star catch for the Herd out of Pearl River (Miss.) Community College. But he didn't come to Marshall until summer, so he was behind in picking up new coordinator Rick Minter's scheme and fighting Ashton Hall and Aaron Johnson at strong safety.
So Burns began the season listed third at strong-side linebacker. But you knew that was a misnomer - after Marshall's first two games against pound-it-out offenses, the spread-out passing attacks of Conference USA loomed.
"We were so deep at safety, and he's such a big body, fast guy that likes to hit and is a pretty decent blitzer," said Herd coach Mark Snyder. "We felt like, in this type of league, he might be that guy to help Ashton in the nickel role. Bubble screen teams, and people getting the ball on the edge, that's where Brandon comes in - gives you some athletic ability to still play the pass, but you're stout, a little more strong against the run."
And Hall was sitting out his second game in a row. So Burns had to function at times as the fifth defensive back, or as a linebacker. Or both, depending on the situation.
When Snyder brought up those bubble screens and plays on the perimeter, it wasn't a minor point. Last year at Memphis, the Tigers decimated the Herd on plays where one receiver took a quick pass to the outside and another blocked nearby. Those plays were good for an automatic 7-9 yards.
Not this time. Burns foiled a few of those routes, holding them to 2-4 yards on several occasions - a huge difference. You limit that play and stop the run, and Arkelon Hall has to chuck lower-percentage passes downfield.
If Burns didn't get a game ball, he should.
"He had a huge role tonight, and he actually got tired," Snyder said. "First time I've seen Brandon get tired; we wore him out this week."
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Yes, Marshall's pass defense yielded 368 yards, 364 to Hall. There were nine receptions of 15 or more yards, and that "Hail Mary" throw by Will Hudgens on the game's final play was a little too close for comfort. And yes, Maurice Hall dropped a 56-yard touchdown bomb after beating C.J. Spillman. And yes, the Herd was blanked on interceptions.
Still, this was one of Marshall's best pass defense outings in the Snyder era. Really, it was.
Consider this: Hall's NCAA passer rating was an ordinary 114.85, as he needed 51 passes to rack up all that yardage. After hitting his first eight passes, Hall was 20-of-43 the rest of the way, with a near-average rating of 101.
The Herd was beaten badly on a few "jump balls" to Carlos Singleton and the other tall Tigers, but that was a given. Otherwise, the Herd challenged passes well at times, breaking 12 of them up.
HUNTINGTON - 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.
He started Saturday in the Thundering Herd's 17-16 victory over Memphis, making nine tackles and breaking up a pass. The latter was a biggie, on a fourth-and-6 near midfield with the clock ticking inside the 3-minute mark.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound product of Columbiana, Ala., was considered a three-star catch for the Herd out of Pearl River (Miss.) Community College. But he didn't come to Marshall until summer, so he was behind in picking up new coordinator Rick Minter's scheme and fighting Ashton Hall and Aaron Johnson at strong safety.
So Burns began the season listed third at strong-side linebacker. But you knew that was a misnomer - after Marshall's first two games against pound-it-out offenses, the spread-out passing attacks of Conference USA loomed.
"We were so deep at safety, and he's such a big body, fast guy that likes to hit and is a pretty decent blitzer," said Herd coach Mark Snyder. "We felt like, in this type of league, he might be that guy to help Ashton in the nickel role. Bubble screen teams, and people getting the ball on the edge, that's where Brandon comes in - gives you some athletic ability to still play the pass, but you're stout, a little more strong against the run."
And Hall was sitting out his second game in a row. So Burns had to function at times as the fifth defensive back, or as a linebacker. Or both, depending on the situation.
When Snyder brought up those bubble screens and plays on the perimeter, it wasn't a minor point. Last year at Memphis, the Tigers decimated the Herd on plays where one receiver took a quick pass to the outside and another blocked nearby. Those plays were good for an automatic 7-9 yards.
Not this time. Burns foiled a few of those routes, holding them to 2-4 yards on several occasions - a huge difference. You limit that play and stop the run, and Arkelon Hall has to chuck lower-percentage passes downfield.
If Burns didn't get a game ball, he should.
"He had a huge role tonight, and he actually got tired," Snyder said. "First time I've seen Brandon get tired; we wore him out this week."
nn
Yes, Marshall's pass defense yielded 368 yards, 364 to Hall. There were nine receptions of 15 or more yards, and that "Hail Mary" throw by Will Hudgens on the game's final play was a little too close for comfort. And yes, Maurice Hall dropped a 56-yard touchdown bomb after beating C.J. Spillman. And yes, the Herd was blanked on interceptions.
Still, this was one of Marshall's best pass defense outings in the Snyder era. Really, it was.
Consider this: Hall's NCAA passer rating was an ordinary 114.85, as he needed 51 passes to rack up all that yardage. After hitting his first eight passes, Hall was 20-of-43 the rest of the way, with a near-average rating of 101.
The Herd was beaten badly on a few "jump balls" to Carlos Singleton and the other tall Tigers, but that was a given. Otherwise, the Herd challenged passes well at times, breaking 12 of them up.
Half of those came from the cornerback duo of T.J. Drakeford and DeQuan Bembry, both redshirt freshmen. With Zearrick Matthews probably still several weeks from returning, these two guys made a statement, which Snyder noticed.
"They both have very good leaping ability, and they have very good hands, and they're both very, very competitive," the coach said. "I thought they rose to the challenge tonight. I mean, a few of those balls that got behind them, was on the safeties."
nn
On the other side, Herd quarterback Mark Cann will have to pick up the pace. I know he is a redshirt freshman and has played all of three college games, but he must work on his throwing consistency.
He received a break when an interception was negated by an ill-advised pass interference penalty on a second defender. A few other passes could have been legally shot out of the sky if thrown during West Virginia's duck season. Listen real closely, and you could have heard the quacking.
"He started throwing the ball, started distributing his weight a little bit better [in the second half], like we're used to seeing him throw," Snyder said. "He threw a lot of flutterballs out there in the first half. And [Darius Passmore] is behind those guys."
The flip side to Cann's day: He was much, much better on third down. He threw on 13 such plays, completing eight for 101 yards. Counting an 8-yard keeper, he converted seven third downs.
nn
And finally, we have a George Darlington sighting - way out on the left coast.
Darlington, the Charleston native who spent three decades on the Nebraska coaching staff, is toiling as defensive coordinator at the University of San Diego.
Now 69, Darlington was brought to Marshall by coach Bob Pruett and served as recruiting coordinator and a position coach in the secondary. Since parting ways with new coach Snyder, he has worked at Louisiana Tech and Southeast Missouri State.
USD qualifies as a pretty cool gig. The Toreros play in the Pioneer Football League, an eclectic mix of schools that includes Butler, Dayton, Davidson, Morehead State, Campbell, Marist and Valparaiso. They play in the lower tier of Division I, but do not award athletic scholarships. You could call it a glorified Division III.
"If I didn't love it, I'd get out," he told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "But it's still fun. The kids here remind me of the walk-ons we had at Nebraska. They love to play. And that makes it fun for me to coach."
Reach Doug Smock at 348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.
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