By
Kieran Intemann
Marshall football opens its season
Saturday afternoon at Miami (Ohio). Who takes the first snap under center for
the Thundering Herd, however, remains a mystery.
“We’re trying to read everything we
can about their team,” Miami head coach Chuck Martin said. “They obviously lost
their quarterback last year, who went to the draft and was a really nice player
for them.”
A quarterback competition for the starting position
has been in place since the start of fall training camp, but it appears head
coach Doc Holliday has yet to make up his mind.
“It’s going to be a game-day
decision,” Holliday said, when referring to the announcement of his starter.
“Whoever that guy is will be starting (for Marshall) for the first time. The
great thing is, whoever that guy is will be surrounded by people who have
played a lot of football. They’re going to have to step up, and whoever that
guy is, I’m sure, is going to do a tremendous job, but the guys around him have
to do a great job as well.”
Marshall’s first official two-deep depth
chart was released Tuesday. One of two players will get the nod against the
RedHawks: redshirt junior Alex Thomson, a 6-foot-6 graduate transfer from
Wagner College, or redshirt freshman Isaiah Green, a former three-star recruit out
of Georgia who did not see the field in 2017.
“Both of those guys are tremendously
talented, so whoever (offensive coordinator) Tim (Cramsey), myself and the offensive
staff decide to go with, we have great confidence in both of them,” Holliday
said.
“They got a transfer in the
offseason that seemed like he was going to be the guy,” Martin said. “It sounds
like he’s been nicked up a bit during camp, so he hasn’t been there the whole
time. (Marshall) may not even know who they’re starting yet.”
Thomson has experience against Football Bowl
Subdivision (FBS) competition, playing against Boston College, Massachusetts,
Rice and BYU while at Wagner, but he has had multiple injury issues in the past
that have forced him to miss time. The Keyport, New Jersey, native did not see
the field during his freshman campaign at Wagner as he recovered from an injury
suffered during his senior year of high school and played in just two games in
2017 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. Thomson was also rested
in some practice sessions during fall camp to keep his shoulder as healthy as
possible.
Green, on the other hand, has no experience as a
starting quarterback in college football, but he is a dual-threat option
similar to former Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato, who broke many of
Marshall’s quarterback records and left Huntington with a 2014 Conference USA
championship and three bowl wins.
“I know they’ve got a freshman from Georgia who we
recruited and know very well,” Martin said, referring to Green. “He is big,
strong arm, is athletic and has NFL arm strength. He hasn’t played yet, but we
know from high school that he’s a really talented kid.”
The quarterback situation for Miami is opposite the
Herd’s. Redshirt senior Gus Ragland returns for his final campaign after
starting 16 games and playing in 10 others through his first four years.
Ragland threw for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing
touchdown in Miami’s season opening loss to Marshall in 2017. He will be
expected to shoulder a lot for the RedHawks, who are expected to contend in the
Mid-American Conference, in 2018.
“Obviously, Gus (Ragland) is the starter in our mind,
and he’s had a great camp,” Martin said of his senior quarterback.
“For (Miami), they’ve got their quarterback back. Ragland’s
a three-year starter and he’s an excellent player for them,” Holliday said.
“He’s a guy that can beat you with his feet and his arm. You can tell by the
way his team reacts around him that he has great leadership skills and has the
intangibles. He’s the kind of guy that you want at quarterback.”
Marshall’s season opener Saturday at Miami kicks off
from Yager Stadium at 3:30 p.m.
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