If any team in should understand what 1-double-A football is all about..it ought to be Marshall.  The Herd won two national titles at that level.  And back in 1991, they nearly pulled off the first ever 1-AA win over a ranked 1-A opponent when they lost a controversial game to #9 N.C. State 15-14.  Since that time, Appalachian State pulled one of the shockers in college football history by upsetting #5 Michigan at the big house in Ann Arbor .

That’s got to be some of the pre-game banter Mark Snyder has doled out to his team this week as it prepares for New Hampshire .  The Wildcats came into the season in the top 10 in 1-AA and they knocked off Northwestern out of the Big 10 a year ago.   Certainly they’re capable and with the Herd coming off that emotional loss to West Virginia , they can’t afford to let their guard down.

  New Hampshire has the 1-AA player of the year in Quarterback Ricky Santos, and he threw the ball 53 times last week in a loss to James Madison.   Coach Snyder said his team can’t afford to look past anyone because they’re still looking for their first win of the year. 

Questions still abound about the ability of Marshall Quarterback Bernard Morris to go, because of a nagging turf toe injury.  Freshman Brian Anderson will certainly see some time on Saturday.  If Marshall plays with the same passion and intensity they showed Saturday against West Virginia , they should be fine.  If they come out and go through the motions, they may be staring at a second 1-AA upset of a major college program this year.  I’m saying the Herd comes to play Saturday and gets their first win of the 2007 season.

Keith