Topic: Gazette: First-year Western Carolina coach facing long odds

[ZackUSAF82]

By Doug Smock

HUNTINGTON - Mark Speir helped coach Appalachian State over Michigan in one of the miracle upsets of college football, but he might have an even more daunting task in front of him.

As a former assistant at Western Carolina in the 1990s and a coach at rival Appalachian for much of the last decade, he understands the degree of difficulty in his first year as WCU's main man. He watched from a not-so-distant vantage point as the Catamounts won 11 games over the last six years.

And he knows what he's getting into as he brings his team to Marshall (0-1) this weekend. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, with the game airing on Fox College Sports Atlantic.

A Clemson alumnus, Speir's first full-time coaching job was at Western under Steve Hodgin from 1991-96. Those were Marshall's final six seasons in Division I-AA and the Southern Conference, where the Herd would face the Catamounts.

Link: http://wvgazette.com/Sports/Marshall/201209050326