Topic: H-D: Herd counting on the corners to come up big

[ZackUSAF82]

By Anthony Hanshew
The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- Like-minded football coaches Mark Snyder and Steve Dunlap appreciate the responsibility and pressure cornerbacks face each day.

Whether at practice or on game days, corners never are far from the microscope. Both Snyder, Marshall University's third-year head coach, and Dunlap, the Thundering Herd defensive coordinator, favor blitz-heavy schemes, adding to the importance of sound one-on-one coverage.

Zearrick Matthews, J.J. Johnson, Ashton Hall and others are tested each day by an upgraded group of Thundering Herd receivers. Preseason camp is proving a challenging stretch, while receivers such as Darius Passmore, Emmanuel Spann, Courtney Edmonson and Tavaris Thompson produce repeated big plays.

In order for Snyder and Dunlap to call a game to their liking, trust must be established with the cover corners. Through nearly two weeks of practice, Snyder said it's too early to call.

"I'm unsure right now," Snyder said. "I don't know where we're at. We have a lot of work to do.

"But we have a lot of guys who have played. They just have to continue to get better."

Link: http://www.heralddispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070815/SPORTS0301/708150362/1002/SPORTS

[catfanatic1979]

I think it is clear that finding a top corner is high on our list for recruiting. We are pretty much set at QB for 2008.

[marshallsoccer]

I think we'll see our corners seem improved this year, I think Dunlap's scheme will be much better than Collins' last season.

[Garbanjo]

I think we'll see our corners seem improved this year, I think Dunlap's scheme will be much better than Collins' last season.

It certainly couldn't be any worse. Watching our D last year was torture.......

[Photo by]

It certainly couldn't be any worse. Watching our D last year was torture.......

I think you will see a tenacious hard-hitting defense that is well grounded in fundamentals. They will be aggressive and they won't give up. They will adjust well at halftime and during the game.

I don't expect to see any really tricky "brilliant" schemes though. Although I do expect the D to be prepared and not just play the base against everyone.

I also expect them to get burned some because the depth of talent isn't there yet.

[Garbanjo]

I think you will see a tenacious hard-hitting defense that is well grounded in fundamentals. They will be aggressive and they won't give up. They will adjust well at halftime and during the game.

I don't expect to see any really tricky "brilliant" schemes though. Although I do expect the D to be prepared and not just play the base against everyone.

I also expect them to get burned some because the depth of talent isn't there yet.

Steve Dunlap is a great coach, and I expect to see significant improvement over last year's D. Will we be great on D? Unlikely, for the reasons you stated Photo.

Hopefully we can hang onto Dunlap for a few years so he can really get it going here for us on D.

[MarshallMatrix]

Our defense, especially the secondary looked confused and unsure of their assignments. Good coaching can correct that.