This blog post is rated “O” for “Oysters,” which I hope will be plentiful when I make my return to the Gulf Coast.

0 — Southern Mississippi’s win total this season.

28-9 — The combined record of the Golden Eagles’ first six opponents, including two 5-1 teams (Western Kentucky and Boise State) and one 6-0 team (Louisville). None of USM’s first six foes have a losing record. They might not have a win, but the Eagles haven’t been playing pushovers.

In comparison …

24-16 — The combined record of Marshall’s first six opponents. That includes 7-0 Ohio, 5-1 West Virginia and 6-1 Tulsa, but it also includes 1-6 Western Carolina of the FCS, 2-5 Rice and 3-3 Purdue. The Herd’s two wins came against the Owls and Catamounts, both of which have losing records.

14 — The number of points Marshall allowed on turnovers against Purdue, two pick-six interceptions.

10 — Purdue’s margin of victory over Marshall.

6 — The number of points Tulsa scored on a fumble return for a touchdown (Marshall blocked the PAT and returned it for two points).

7 — Tulsa’s margin of victory over Marshall. (Yeah, taking away that TD still makes it a one-point game, but who’s to say Marshall doesn’t score if it doesn’t fumble on that drive?)

Translation: Anyone who doesn’t think turnovers have been and will be huge are fooling themselves.

40.5 — Marshall’s scoring average this season, 17th best in the FBS.

21.85 — Marshall’s scoring average last season, 99th best in the FBS. Can’t argue the offense hasn’t improved immensely, now can we?

But …

28.62 — Marshall’s average points allowed last season. Not great, but pretty good when you consider …

44.5 — Marshall’s average points allowed this season, dead last in the FBS. And here’s a reason why …

2.2 — The average number of turnovers Marshall forced last season.

0.83 — The average number of turnovers Marshall has forced this season. The saving grace? Southern Miss is even worse at forcing turnovers, only four in six games.

And here’s another pair of numbers the Eagles will reaaaallly hate …

147.28 — Marshall QB Rakeem Cato’s passer rating, tops in C-USA and 32nd in the FBS.

151.16 — The passer rating Southern Miss allows, 113th out of 120 in the FBS. Might have to break #chuckitup out of the mothballs this Saturday.

And finally …

100 — The percentage of certainty I will visit a seafood restaurant this weekend. If you’re traveling to this game and have never been to the Gulf Coast area from the Florida Panhandle west, the dining is fine no matter where you are.

It looks like the Marshall football team is headed West(ern Kentucky) during the 2017 football season. According to a report by the Bowling Green Daily News, WKU and Marshall have signed a home-and-home deal for 2017 and 2018. WKU AD Todd Stewart announced the deal Monday. Marshall AD Mike Hamrick had no comment when contacted earlier Tuesday.

Right now, that looks like a pretty good pair of games for Marshall. The Hilltoppers are 5-1 this year and 2-0 in the Sun Belt. Their only loss is to No. 1 Alabama and they knocked off Kentucky in overtime. They also pummeled Southern Miss, 42-17. WKU finished 7-5 in 2011.

I say “right now” because by 2017, Hilltoppers coach Willie Taggart could be at some school in the Big East or the ACC trying to turn that football program around and WKU could be back to square one.

This adds to a future slate of opponents that includes Virginia Tech in 2013, Louisville in 2014, Purdue in 2015 and Navy in 2021 and 2022.

So what do Herd fans think … other than it might be kinda freaky to see this …

on the other sideline?

The Thundering Herd finally gets a break this season and, frankly, it could use one. Marshall stumbled to the midway point of 2012 with a 2-4 record and players and fans alike feel those numbers should be better. Some points to ponder as Marshall heads into its bye week …

1) The offense’s bye-week project — ball security. Of all the great numbers Marshall’s offense has posted this season, there’s one that should upset its stomach: 12. That’s how many turnovers the Herd has lost in its first six games, six fumbles and six interceptions.

And it’s not just that Marshall is giving the ball back to its opponent. In the last two games, the opponent is taking points along with it. The Herd followed two pick-sixes against Purdue with a fumble returned for a touchdown in the loss to Tulsa. As we’ve already mentioned in this blog, forcing any defense into short-field situations us bad. Doing it to Marshall’s defense is really bad.

2) The defense’s bye-week project — figuring out how to stop the run. If a Conference USA coach told you he was going to almost completely abandon the run in a conference game, you’d schedule him for a CAT scan. Yet that’ s what Tulsa Coach Bill Blankenship did, putting his quarterback on a milk carton for most of the contest.

And it worked.

Tulsa called for a run on three out of every four offensive plays, and the Golden Hurricane gouged Marshall for 250 yards. That’s a pretty startling number, until you realize that’s just the third-highest rushing total the Herd has allowed in its first six games. Rice gained 301 and West Virginia gained 331. I know this is “Conference NBA,” but anyone who doesn’t try to run the ball on Marshall the rest of the season is the one who needs a CAT scan.

3) With all that said, Marshall still has a very good chance at qualifying for a bowl. The combined record of Marshall’s final six opponents is 10-21. Only one of those six teams, UCF has a winning record at 3-2. Three of those six have either 1 or zero wins. Four of those six opponents are 86th or worse in the FBS in scoring defense. If Marshall’s defense is at least adequate in the second half of the season, the Herd should pick up at least the four wins in the last six games it needs to reach the magical six-win plateau necessary for bowl eligibility.

Here is video of Marshall Coach Doc Holliday’s comments following the Thundering Herd’s 45-38 loss to Tulsa on Saturday night.

Everyone here watching today’s Homecoming match-up between Marshall and Tulsa saw quite the reversal of fortunes today in regard to weather. When I left Charleston around noon, it was overcast and drizzly. Right now there’s a slight breeze and blue skies as far as the eye can see.

You think the Herd is happiest to hear the phrase “slight breeze” after the 20-mile-an-hour winds it faced in last season’s game at Tulsa? That surely contributed to Marshall’s lopsided loss in Oklahoma. But it doesn’t look like it’ll be a factor today.

A quick scan of the sideline doesn’t uncover any surprises among those dressed in street clothes today. No one new among the walking wounded.

Folks don’t like talking about “must-win” scenarios, so let’s just say this game will be pivotal for Marshall’s fortunes for the rest of the season. Only UCF should match Tulsa in terms of toughest Conference USA team the Herd should face at the Joan this fall. It’ll probably need this game to stay neck and neck with UCF and East Carolina for the top spot in the division.

If anything happens from now until kickoff, we’ll return to this spot. But if not, Happy Homecoming, y’all.

This blog post is rated “M” for “My car is thanking my it doesn’t drive to West Lafayette this week, because it doesn’t want this blog post rated ‘M’ for ‘Mechanic.’”

The Herd returns to Huntington this week for a pivotal conference game versus Tulsa. And what numeral combinations will have the stat junkies talking this week?

2008 — The last year Marshall started a season 2-0 in the conference. The Herd can do it again if it beats Tulsa this week. Yet it’s not exactly a barometer for success. The Herd won just one Conference USA game after that and finished the season 4-8.

42 — The number of points Tulsa averages this year, tops in C-USA.

41 — The number of points Marshall averages this year, No. 2 in the conference. I said I would tell you to take the over again this year, but …

244.8 — Tulsa’s rushing yards per game, No. 1 in the conference. Now, that could mean the Golden Hurricane has the ability to grind out long drives and milk the clock. And yet …

10 — The number of seconds difference in the two teams’ time of possession. Tulsa averages 28 minutes, 46 seconds a game. Marshall averages 28 minutes, 36 seconds. Tulsa may milk the clock at some points, but it looks like Marshall will get enough at-bats on offense to do what it does best.

0 — The number of teams behind Marshall in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense. The Herd is last, allowing an average of 44.4 points per game.

9 — The number of points the Herd allowed to Purdue in the second half of last Saturday’s 51-41 loss. So the defense has it in it to slow teams down. It just needs to do it all four quarters.

And finally …

0 — The number of hurricanes reported in Tulsa. Here’s the story behind Tulsa’s nickname. I get it. Still doesn’t make sense, though. Yet it’s better than “The Kendallites.”

The Thundering Herd went into Big Ten country and, to be honest, it could have been worse. After that second quarter — all three interceptions with two returned for touchdowns — the wheels could have fallen off the bus, but they didn’t. The Herd just couldn’t get the bus back in top gear by the time the game ended. With that said, here are some things to think about as Marshall prepares for Homecoming and a return to Conference USA play.

1) Rakeem Cato had a quarter last year pretty much like the one he had Saturday, throwing three picks in the first quarter  – and four overall — in a 44-7 loss to Ohio. After that quarter, Cato and Marshall couldn’t recover. Fast forward to the Purdue game, and the Herd nearly erases a four-touchdown deficit in the second half by riding Cato’s arm. You want the No. 1 example of Cato’s growth between last season and this? There it is.

2) Until the defense can put together four full quarters, the offense can’t make a mistake. Coaches want their teams to stay error-free and turnover-free. That’s great. But sometimes it just doesn’t happen. When those mistakes come on offense, the defense needs to bow up. Now there’s nothing it could do with the two pick-sixes, and it did hold Purdue to nine second-half points. But you can’t ignore the 28 points it allowed in the first half. For now, the offense has to remain in the lead for this team.

3) Is it tough for Marshall to see the Herd sitting 120th in scoring defense in the FBS? Sure, but there are plenty of C-USA teams left on the Herd’s schedule suffering the same heartburn. Four of Marshall’s next seven opponents — Southern Miss, Memphis, Houston and UAB — are ranked 100th or worse in scoring defense. So right now, you can’t completely rule out Marshall as a contender in the East Division. That may sound crazy, but Herd fans might get plenty of crazy in Conference USA this season.

Marshall coach Doc Holliday, who looked worse for wear after a third-quarter collision with an official gave him the nasty cut you see on his cheek, discussed the Thundering Herd’s 51-41 loss at Purdue on Saturday. Among the topics was how three second-quarter interceptions change the complexion of the game.

2:45 p.m. update

Not much new, though a couple guys are back in action. Defensive lineman Ra’Shawde Myers didn’t make the Rice trip, but he’s here in uniform today. Also wide receiver Davonte Allen is here as well. He caught two passes against WVU and has been silent since.

Also of note, it’s been said this game was moved to a 3:15 p.m. kick to accommodate television. Perhaps, but sunset in West Lafayette is scheduled for 7:32 p.m. If this game goes a couple of overtimes, they might ask the fans to break out their cellphones for lumination.

Initial post

Or at least that’s what it feels like, as tall as this press box is.

Good thing that Marshall Offensive Coordinator Bill Legg gave us fair warning. Legg spent five seasons at Purdue, including two as the team’s co-offensive coordinator. First, here’s the view …

Today’s field of battle

And here’s what he had to say

“If you’ve never been there, that sucker runs from goal line to goal line and is eight stories tall,” he said. “So we’ll be looking down on the field. It’s a freaking blimp view from up there.”

He wasn’t lying. I feel like I need an oxygen tank up here. It’s a beautiful press box, though I must say the folks who handle the game-day program should keep an editor handy. According to that publication, Marshall’s athletic director is “Mark” Hamrick.

We’re about two hours before kickoff and we’ll be back a little closer to the game’s start with some more notes.

Happy Big Ten invasion, y’all.

This blog post is rated “O” for “On the road again …”

With my Texas brisket mission accomplished, it’s time to head west for Marshall’s game versus Purdue. Before we head toward Indiana, check out these not-so-random groupings of numerals.

305.4 — The average weight of Purdue’s five starting offensive linemen.

262.5 — The average weight of Marshall’s four starting defensive linemen.

That may not help the Thundering Herd when it comes to this …

112 — Marshall’s ranking in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing 243.75 yards per game.

28 — Purdue’s ranking in the FBS in rushing offense, gaining 219 yards per game.

But let me break out these numbers from personal experience …

319 — The average weight of Wisconsin’s five starting offensive linemen in 2008 Champs Sports Bowl.

268.25 — The average weight of Florida State’s four starting defensive linemen in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl.

29 — Florida State’s margin of victory in that Champs Sports Bowl. Sure Wisconsin’s offensive line outweighed FSU’s defensive line by an average of more than 50 pounds. The Badgers still had to catch FSU, and they couldn’t.

65 — The average number of offensive plays Purdue has defended in its first three games of 2012.

92.75 — The average number of offensive plays Marshall has run in 2012. Are the Boilermakers ready for the nearly 30 more plays they’ll probably see from the Herd? For their sake, they’ve done some cardio work before this game.

3 — The number of weeks Marshall has featured the No. 1 passing offense in the FBS. The only week the Herd wasn’t number one was the first week, when it ranked third overall following the WVU game.

And finally …

41 — The number of consecutive hours I stayed awake last weekend. Woke up at 9 a.m. Saturday for the Rice game and my head finally hit the pillow in Charleston at 2 a.m. Monday. I really, reeeeaalllly don’t endorse that. But I should be endorsing DayQuil, I’ll be taking enough of it for the next few days.