Topic: H-D: Defensive secondary will be key Saturday

[ZackUSAF82]

By ANTHONY HANSHEW
The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON - Marshall University's football showdown with East Carolina has been broken down to two words -- second level.

In numerous interviews, from Monday through Wednesday and ranging from Huntington to Greenville, N.C., all involved spoke of making plays on the "second level." ECU tailback Chris Johnson almost certainly will find his way past Marshall's front seven on occasion, placing secondary tackling at a premium.

Johnson exploited Memphis' second level over and again last week, racing to 301 rushing yards and 408 overall in a 56-40 victory. The nation's all-purpose yardage leader (216.9 a game) thrives in the open field, making Marshall's defensive challenge clear.

From the front line to the second level, the Thundering Herd simply must be sound in Tackling 101. Marshall (1-8, 1-4 Conference USA) and East Division leader East Carolina (6-4, 5-1) kick off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

"I think they're creating, schematically, ways to get him to the second level and make corners tackle," Thundering Herd coach Mark Snyder said of Johnson. "And that was really the case against Memphis.

Link: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1420955243