COLD MILK?
A temperature check on the backfields of Marshall, Texas A&M and Mizzou.
(Harper) Did you get my email?
I did. The subject line did rather amuse me amongst the deluge.
- Andrew Buchan, Industry (2020)
Marshall Thundering Herd
Head coach Charles Huff made it through the coaching carousel this offseason despite some whispers that he might be on the hot seat at Marshall. That’s welcome news, because we’ve come to expect his RB1s to be quite productive, and replacing him would risk losing that pattern of production that we could rely on in College Fantasy Football (CFF). That’s not to say that it’s a given that every year Huff’s RB1 will be a valuable asset to hold, but it is a good place to start for where we want to look.
Former RB1 Rasheen Ali is headed off to the NFL, and he’s taking his 240 total touches, 1348 yards and 16 TDs (21.2 PPG) with him. That’s quite a production vacancy. Now the question on our minds is: who’s up next?
First, I should mention that the offseason was not a completely uneventful one for the Thundering Herd. They replaced OC Clint Trickett with Seth Doege, formerly the TEs coach at Purdue in 2023.
Before that, Doege was an analyst on the Ole Miss team that handed Quinshon Judkins 274 carries in 2022, and the TEs coach at USC in 2021. So, we don’t have much to go off of here with Doege, but that’s okay, because the main man here is still the star of the show.
Coach Huff recruited and developed Sa’Quon Barkley at Penn State. He was also the RBs coach at Bama when Najee Harris finished 2020 as the CFF RB1 on the year. And of course, he’s had three straight 200+ carry/1000+ yard runners since he’s been at Marshall (Ali in 2021, Khalan Laborn in 2022, Ali in 2023).
Here’s a recap on Huff’s background from an article I did on Ali last summer:
Prior to Marshall, Huff spent time as the associate head coach and RBs coach at Alabama (2019-2020). During that time, Najee Harris carried the rock 209 and 251 times; adding in receptions, Harris finished 2019 with 236 total touches, and 2020 with 294. He went over 1200 yards rushing in each season, and scored a total of 20 (2019) and 30 TDs (2020).
Huff also spent time at another SEC West program in Mississippi State during the 2018 season. The Bulldogs had a run-first QB at the helm that season, who rushed 221 times for 1121 yards. The RB1 behind him—Kylin Hill, rushed 117 times for 734 yards and 4 TDs and added 22 receptions for 176 yards and another 4 scores.
As if the list of names at RB under his tutelage wasn’t staggering enough, Huff had Saquon Barkley during his time at Penn State (2014-2017). Barkley rushed 217 times for 1271 yards and 18 TDs in 2017. He also added 54(!) catches for 632(!!) yards and 3 more scores. Oh, and Barkley also threw a TD pass. In 2016, Barkley rushed 272 times for 1496 yards and 18 TDs, and caught 28 passes for 402 yards and 4 TDs. The season prior, Barkley went over 1000 yards on 182 carries as a freshman. Huff’s first season with the Lions was a split backfield (RB1 rushed 147 times, RB2 125; neither went over 1000 yards).
However, I did come across this disturbing article from February 9th of this year.
The article mostly delves into the WR, OL and QB rooms, but if spreading the load is, indeed, a goal for 2024, that’s worrisome for a program that has had back-to-back-to-back 200+ carry RBs. Even more worrisome is the supposed shift in offensive identity currently being undergone within the program.
Head coach Charles Huff was quoted saying this about the new offence: