Here's how topsy-turvy Conference USA's East Division is — Marshall can win the division, or it can wind up missing the postseason.
Marshall (5-6, 4-3) will play host to East Carolina (5-6, 4-3) at 3:30 today (CBSSN Ch. 537), and bowl eligibility is on the line for both teams.
A Marshall win, coupled with a Southern Mississippi loss to Memphis, would send the Thundering Herd to the C-USA championship game Dec. 3.
Getting motivated for ECU "is easier for us because we have a lot to play for," coach Doc Holliday of Marshall said. "We get the chance to get the most wins (5) for Marshall in Conference USA play, chance to go to a bowl game, and finish towards the top in a variety of things. Our kids know that and are ready."
The Pirates can't win the division because they lost to Southern Miss earlier this month, so what drives them is the chance for a bowl berth for the sixth straight year. They haven't finished the regular season with a losing record since Skip Holtz's first year in 2005.
"It's right there. There's no hiding it," coach Ruffin McNeill of East Carolina said. "We have to win the game to become bowl eligible. We're looking forward to the challenge."
East Carolina has dominated the series, winning nine of 12 meetings, plus three straight and five of six since Marshall joined Conference USA in 2005. The Pirates snapped a two-game losing streak with a dramatic 38-31 victory against Central Florida, and are averaging 286 yards passing to offset one of the league's worst rushing attacks.
The ECU defense, however, has made significant strides. One of the nation's worst last season, it now ranks fourth in the league, with its new 3-4 alignment giving up an average of 370 yards — nearly 100 yards less a game than last season.
"That was a maligned group a year ago. I'd never been around a group that had been through as much as those coaches and players," McNeill said. "They've done a good job of staying the course and believing in each other, which is key. We are being patient and understand it takes personnel. You have to coach them up, but we have to have guys who can make plays, which takes time. We have to get guys in here, and we are."
ECU will try to keep a handle on a Marshall offense that has sputtered, averaging 20 points and 325 yards. Freshman Rakeem Cato is back at quarterback after A.J. Graham made four midseason starts.
"Against Memphis, I thought (Cato) looked like a freshman, and that comes from a short week," Holliday said. "When you're the starter, you usually get about 80 percent of the repetitions during practice, and with the short week, he got about one day of practice.
"With the full week plus Sunday, he should be able to do a better job."
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