Hilltoppers close first season of C-USA play at #24 Marshall

I’d like to tell you that I’m excited for what lies ahead today for the Hilltoppers’ football team. I’d like to say an early kick off on the Friday after Thanksgiving is a great way for people who normally don’t get to see the Hilltoppers in action get the opportunity do so, and see the great things they can do on offense. I’d like to say the Tops’ will take their three game win streak into the final game of the year, and squash any conversation about if a 6-6 C-USA team should get a bowl bid.

I’d like to tell you that.

However, I cannot, as the Hilltoppers have made the trek to Huntington, West Virginia as they’ll take on the undefeated, C-USA Eastern Division Champion and 24th ranked (yes, that’s nationally) Marshall Thundering Herd, who are looking to complete their perfect regular season and make a case to play in a “New Year’s Six” bowl game. Which would be awesome.

The Herd are good. Really good. As in they’re Top 10 in rushing yards per game (7th – 288.3), points scored per game (4th – 44.9) and points allowed per game (6th – 16.5) good. They’re lead by one of the conference’s best quarterbacks in Rakeem Cato who has thrown for just under 2900 yards and 28 touchdowns (compared to just eight interceptions), and have a 1000 rusher in their backfield in Devon Johnson, who has over 1570 yards on 184 carries and 16 touchdowns.

The Hilltoppers, as you all know, have a pretty nifty QB/RB combo of their own, with Brandon Doughty having thrown for over 3800 yards himself, adding 36 touchdowns to the mix, and Leon Allen (the C-USA single-game rushing record holder Leon Allen) has given WKU a 1000 yard rusher for yet another year, having racked up 1253 on 26 rushes.

The thing I keep coming back to when thinking about this game is “please do not let this be a repeat of the Louisiana Tech game.” Because, lets face it, that would suck. But it seems like it’s a very similar situation – coming off a home win, going to a team that’s at the top of the division and is very stout defensively. There’s a lot on the line for Marshall today and you know the Hilltoppers would love to spoil the party, so let’s sit back, relax (ha, yeah right) and enjoy the final guaranteed football game WKU will have in 2014.