Marshall University Thundering Herd 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Media Guide The Marshall University Thundering Herd vs. The Ohio University Bobcats Saturday, December 26, 2009 - Ford Field (65,000) - Detriot, Michigan TV: ESPN with Pam Ward (pxp) and Ray Bentley (analyst) Media Relations Contact Information Marshall University (6-6, 4-4 C-USA) Marshall SID: Randy Burnside Location ___________________________________________Huntington, W.Va. Work: 304-696-4660 Founded __________________________________ 1837 (as Marshall Academy) Cell: 304-208-0498 Enrollment __________________________________________________ 13,814 Nickname __________________________________________ Thundering Herd E-mail: [email protected] Website: HerdZone.com Colors _____________________________________ Green (PMS 357) and White Stadium ______________________________________Joan C. Edwards Stadium Ohio SID: Jason Corriher Capacity ____________________________________________________ 38,019 Work: 740-593-1298 Year Opened _______________________ 1991 (as Marshall University Stadium) Cell: 740-331-1497 Surface ________________________________FieldTurf (installed August 2006) E-mail: [email protected] Conference ______________________________ Conference USA (East Division) President _________________________Dr. Stephen J. Kopp (Notre Dame, 1973) LCPB Director of Media Relations: Tim Moore Director of Athletics ________________________Mike Hamrick (Marshall, 1980) Interim Head Coach ___________________ Rick Minter (Henderson State, 1977) Work: 313-262-2667 Record at Marshall __________________________ * First as interim head coach Cell: 216-392-2723 Career Record ____________________________53-63-1 (Cincinnati, 1994-2003) Email: [email protected] Marshall’s 2008 Record ____________________________________________4-8 2008 C-USA Record/Finish _______________________________ 3-5 (t-4th, East) Bowl Week Practice Schedule Off ense ____________________________________________________Multiple Defense ________________________________________________________ 4-3 Wednesday, Dec. 23: Marshall practices at 1:10 p.m. at Ford Field. Starters Returning/Lost __________________________________________16/6 Coach Minter and Players will be made avialable to the media for 15 Letterwinners Returning __________________________________________ 46 minutes at the beginning of practice. Ohio University (9-4, 7-1 MAC) Thursday, Dec. 24: Marshall practices at 9 a.m. at Ford Field. Coach Minter and Players will be made avialable to the media for 15 minutes Location _______________________________________________Athens, Ohio at the beginning of practice. Founded _____________________________________________________ 1804 Enrollment __________________________________________________ 28,751 Friday, Dec. 25: Marshall practices at 10:15 a.m. at Ford Field. Coach Nickname __________________________________________________ Bobcats Minter and Players will be made avialable to the media for 15 minutes Colors _______________________________________ Hunter Green and White at the beginning of practice. Stadium ______________________________________________ Peden Stadium Capacity ____________________________________________________ 24,000 Saturday, Dec. 26: The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl kicks off at 1 p.m. Surface ___________________________________________________ Field Turf Coach Minter and selected players will be made available for the post- Conference ______________________Mid-American Conference (East Division) game press conference. President ____________________________ Dr. Roderick J. McDavis (Ohio, 1970) Director of Athletics ___________________________ Jim Schaus (Purdue, 1983) Head Coach ______________________________ Frank Solich (Nebraska, 1966) CollegePressBox.Com Record at Ohio _____________________________________ 32-30 (5th season) Career Record _________________________________________________ 90-48 Collegepressbox.com is the offi cial media website for Conference USA 2008 Record ____________________________________________________ 4-8 2008 MAC/Finish ________________________________________________ 3-5 football. Access and download weekly game notes, quotes, statistics, Off ense ____________________________________________________Multiple media guides and more for the conference and each of its 12 member Defense ________________________________________________________ 4-3 schools throughout the season. Login information will be distributed Starters Returning/Lost __________________________________________14/8 to accredited media or you can apply for a password by sending an Letterwinners Returning __________________________________________ 53 e-mail to [email protected]. ConferenceUSA.com 2009 Marshall Football Schedule Date Opponent (TV) Time/Result Weekly conference statistics and an interactive online conference Sept. 5 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W, 31-28 media guide are available at www.ConferenceUSA.com. Sept. 12 at Virginia Tech (ESPN360.com) L, 52-10 Sept. 19 BOWLING GREEN (WSAZ) W, 17-10 Sept. 26 at Memphis (CSS) W, 27-16 Oct. 3 EAST CAROLINA (CBS C) L, 21-17 Oct. 10 at Tulane (CSS) W, 31-10 Oct. 17 at West Virginia (ESPN Regional) L, 24-7 Oct. 24 UAB (CSS) W, 27-7 Nov. 1 at UCF (ESPN) L, 21-20 Nov. 14 SOUTHERN MISS L, 27-20 Nov. 21 SMU W, 34-31 Nov. 28 at UTEP (WSAZ) L, 52-21 Dec. 26 vs. Ohio (ESPN) Little Caesars Pizza Bowl 1 p.m. Bold - Indicates a C-USA game Marshall Football 2009 Bowl Notes STATISTICALLY SPEAKING Marshall and Ohio: Marshall and Ohio will renew a rivalry that dates 2009 Team Statistical Comparison back to 1905 in the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. The two schools Marshall ...............................................................................................Ohio are located only 82 miles from each other and have played 52 times 355.2 YPG ....................................Total Off ense ...................................................324.5 (the most games Marshall has played against any opponentl) with 138.8 YPG .................................Rushing Off ense ................................................119.7 the Bobcats owning a 29-17-6 record in the series. Marshall spent 216.5 YPG ..................................Passing Off ense .................................................204.8 two stints in the Mid-American Conference, fi rst from 1953-1969 and 21.8 PPG ....................................Scoring Off ense................................................... 25.4 then again from 1997-2004. During those periods, the two schools 229 ...............................................First Downs For ....................................................209 met regularly. When the series was renewed in 1997 (that season 73/175 ......................................Third Down Conv. ............................................59/179 21 (13/8) ...............................Turnovers (INT/Fum) ..................................22 (12/10) Marshall moved up to Division I-A status after playing I-AA football as 392.5 YPG ....................................Total Defense ...................................................354.2 a member of the Southern Conference from 1976-1996), a traveling 145.1 YPG .................................Rushing Defense................................................150.9 trophy was soon introduced and the game became known as “The 247.4 YPG .................................Passing Defense ................................................203.2 Battle for the Bell.” The “bell” is a river boat bell that represents the Ohio 24.9 PPG ................................... Scoring Defense ..................................................21.3 River which serves as the boundry between West Virginia and Ohio. 16 (8/8) .................................TOs Forced (INT/Fum) .................................36 (20/16) Marshall dominated the series upon its return to the MAC, winning -5 .................................................Turnover Margin ...................................................+14 seven of the last eight meetings in the series including the last four. 32:03 ................................... Avg Time of Possession .........................................29:20 88-823 .........................................Penalties-Yards ..............................................83-718 Marshall left the Mid-American Conference and joined Conference USA in 2005 and the two schools have not met since. A Head Start: The Thundering Herd and the Bobcats were scheduled to renew their rivalry beginning next year when the fi rst of a six Marshall vs. Ohio All-Time Year-by-Year games series between the two schools is set to begin with a game in Year .... Date . Result .. Score ......................... Site 1905 .... 11/11 .......Won ........ 6-5 .................Huntington Huntington on Sept. 25. The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl invitation has 1908 ...... 10/3 ........Lost ......0-59 ..................Athens, OH given the two an early start on writing the next chapter in the history 1911 .... 10/21 ..........Tie ........ 5-5 .......................... Athens of the series. 1915 .... 11/20 ........Lost ......7-21 .................Huntington 1920 .... 10/16 ........Lost ......0-55 .......................... Athens Marshall Returns to the Post Season: The Thundering Herd is 1933 .... 11/11 ..........Tie ........ 0-0 .................Huntington 1934 .... 10/27 ........Lost ........ 0-8 .......................... Athens making its fi rst bowl appearance since the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl. 1935 .... 10/19 ........Lost