HUNTINGTON - Where Marshall's offense has taken a first-team rep this month, Mark Cann has been behind center.

Through successful plays - a big Darius Marshall run here, a long throw to Darius Passmore there - and failures such as an interception or a "sack" by Albert McClellan, Cann has been the man at quarterback for the Thundering Herd.

But the 6-foot-4, 238-pound redshirt freshman from Landrum, S.C., isn't a stone-cold, 100 percent lock to be the starter when Marshall opens against Illinois State in two weeks. Today promises to be a milestone for Cann, for better or worse, as the Herd hits the field for a public, officiated scrimmage.

That is scheduled to begin at about 10:30 a.m. The team will begin its 15th practice of the month roughly a half-hour earlier.

Herd coach Mark Snyder hasn't said much about the battle to replace Bernard Morris this month, but dropped a hint or two Friday. He isn't quite ready to crown Cann the starter.

"Brian Anderson is doing a good job," Snyder said. "I think Brian's heating up Mark a little bit, from what I've seen of him."

That seems to confirm that Anderson has separated from Jonathan Garner for the No. 2 spot. But how close is Anderson, the sophomore from Louisville, Ky., to making a run for the top spot?

Anderson is the only one of the three top quarterbacks with game experience in a green jersey. But that was a hard lesson, at best - the Herd fell behind New Hampshire 24-0 before Morris and his aching toe were summoned late in the first half.

Cann emerged as the leader in spring drills, and has held that spot since. When given time, he has thrown effectively, both on short and downfield routes.

He just passed his 20th birthday last weekend, but seems to be commanding the respect afforded a three-year starter.

"He's very mature for what he's doing right now," said Matt Altobello, who has run at first-team right guard. "For him to step in and take the starting quarterback spot is unbelievable. He's smart, he knows what he's doing, he knows his reads and he knows what he has to do. He's a good leader for us.

"And Brian Anderson is very talented, as well. All those quarterbacks are very talented, very level-headed."

Cann vs. Anderson won't be the only position battle on display. The offensive line will feature a few, most notably the two tackle positions - Ryan Tillman and Brandon Campbell are dueling on the left side and Daniel Baldridge and C.J. Wood on the right.

Tillman and Wood, the redshirt freshmen, have worked with the first unit much of camp but Campbell and Baldridge are the more experienced players, and have been rotated into some duty with the "ones."

Baldridge thinks he may finally be overcoming his absence from spring drills, forced by shoulder surgery.

"I picked the system up pretty well [but] you can study it all you want, but until you get out there on the field, that's when you really know," Baldridge said. "It's coming, it's coming."

 "It's coming" is a phrase best used to describe the much-upgraded defensive front. Pass-blocking has been a point of emphasis this month, and it has been a struggle for the Herd's offensive line to contain Albert McClellan and a host of aspiring tackles.

HUNTINGTON - Where Marshall's offense has taken a first-team rep this month, Mark Cann has been behind center.

Through successful plays - a big Darius Marshall run here, a long throw to Darius Passmore there - and failures such as an interception or a "sack" by Albert McClellan, Cann has been the man at quarterback for the Thundering Herd.

But the 6-foot-4, 238-pound redshirt freshman from Landrum, S.C., isn't a stone-cold, 100 percent lock to be the starter when Marshall opens against Illinois State in two weeks. Today promises to be a milestone for Cann, for better or worse, as the Herd hits the field for a public, officiated scrimmage.

That is scheduled to begin at about 10:30 a.m. The team will begin its 15th practice of the month roughly a half-hour earlier.

Herd coach Mark Snyder hasn't said much about the battle to replace Bernard Morris this month, but dropped a hint or two Friday. He isn't quite ready to crown Cann the starter.

"Brian Anderson is doing a good job," Snyder said. "I think Brian's heating up Mark a little bit, from what I've seen of him."

That seems to confirm that Anderson has separated from Jonathan Garner for the No. 2 spot. But how close is Anderson, the sophomore from Louisville, Ky., to making a run for the top spot?

Anderson is the only one of the three top quarterbacks with game experience in a green jersey. But that was a hard lesson, at best - the Herd fell behind New Hampshire 24-0 before Morris and his aching toe were summoned late in the first half.

Cann emerged as the leader in spring drills, and has held that spot since. When given time, he has thrown effectively, both on short and downfield routes.

He just passed his 20th birthday last weekend, but seems to be commanding the respect afforded a three-year starter.

"He's very mature for what he's doing right now," said Matt Altobello, who has run at first-team right guard. "For him to step in and take the starting quarterback spot is unbelievable. He's smart, he knows what he's doing, he knows his reads and he knows what he has to do. He's a good leader for us.

"And Brian Anderson is very talented, as well. All those quarterbacks are very talented, very level-headed."

Cann vs. Anderson won't be the only position battle on display. The offensive line will feature a few, most notably the two tackle positions - Ryan Tillman and Brandon Campbell are dueling on the left side and Daniel Baldridge and C.J. Wood on the right.

Tillman and Wood, the redshirt freshmen, have worked with the first unit much of camp but Campbell and Baldridge are the more experienced players, and have been rotated into some duty with the "ones."

Baldridge thinks he may finally be overcoming his absence from spring drills, forced by shoulder surgery.

"I picked the system up pretty well [but] you can study it all you want, but until you get out there on the field, that's when you really know," Baldridge said. "It's coming, it's coming."

 "It's coming" is a phrase best used to describe the much-upgraded defensive front. Pass-blocking has been a point of emphasis this month, and it has been a struggle for the Herd's offensive line to contain Albert McClellan and a host of aspiring tackles.

At some point, Baldridge believes, that will pay off.

"They're helping us tremendously," he said. "We've done pretty decent, but we need to pick it up."

Today's scrimmage won't be one of those knock-down, drag-out-forever affairs. It won't rival the 178-play marathon endured last weekend at Illinois State, and the older players won't be used as extensively. In fact, tackle Ian Hoskins has been ruled out entirely as a precaution - he hasn't missed much work this month.

"We're going to be a little bit vanilla," Snyder said. "We'll play a lot of young guys, and be smart with our older guys."

But there will be blocking and tackling, with all but the red-shirted quarterbacks hitting the ground. And there will be striped-shirt officials ready to call it like a regular game.

That will be a welcome addition today, as far as the coaches are concerned. They want no repeat of last year's false-start-marred opener at Miami.

"That will probably be the biggest lesson - false starts, holding penalties on both sides of the ball. There will be some good learning lessons there," Snyder said. "We see it in practice and we address it every day, but until that yellow flag comes out, it doesn't really sink in."

Briefly

MU's ticket office is also conducting a "Choose a Seat" day, in which fans can pick out a season-ticket location and purchase it on the spot.

One concern in the kicking game is finding another holder to adequately back up Emmanuel Spann. Craig Ratanamorn and Tyler Warner have both kicked a lot better with No. 24 setting the ball.

"Spannie plays wide receiver, so he's prone to injury," Snyder said. "We've got to get somebody ready."

Strength and conditioning coach Mike Cochran serves as the Herd's "get back" coach on game days.

Reach Doug Smock at 348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.