Topic: Doug Smock: Marshall defensive line is vastly improved

[biggreenarms]

The Herd has yielded 214 rushing yards in three conference games — total, not average. There have been no 100-yard rushers in the full seven games, and no team has hit 150, not even North Carolina State.

Last week, the Herd yielded a season-low 53 against Middle Tennessee, 1.7 yards per carry. Six sacks for 44 yards helped drag that figure down, and that put the front four in an even more dominant light.

I mean, MTSU will be fortunate to finish 5-7, but the way the Herd front dominated was something to behold. The sacks came without much blitzing and the stats showed it — of the six sacks, 5.5 went to linemen. That was a sharp contrast to the Charlotte and Old Dominion games, in which six of eight sacks went to linebackers and safeties.

That’s the most impressive performance I’ve seen out of a Herd front four in many games, dating back to the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl or earlier. The energy from those linemen seems to be pumping up everybody else.

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/sports/marshall_university/doug-smock-marshall-defensive-line-is-vastly-improved/article_594c5cd1-d75d-5e66-ade0-4759c1597477.html