For Holliday and Co., a step in the right direction
HUNTINGTON - A couple hours after the sun set at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Marshall's players and coaches did their best to make sure it didn't set on the 2011 season.
HUNTINGTON - A couple hours after the sun set at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Marshall's players and coaches did their best to make sure it didn't set on the 2011 season.
A season full of bumps in the road wound up with one last joyride as the Thundering Herd drove off with a 34-27 overtime victory against old nemesis East Carolina.
If the season was going to be considered any kind of success, it all came down to the final game for MU (6-6), which had a Conference USA championship berth, as well as a possible bowl game, on the line.
Even though the C-USA title bid went by the boards when Southern Miss won Saturday to clinch the East Division, the Herd responded to the challenge.
Freshman quarterback Rakeem Cato threw for 341 yards and played an error-free game.
Receiver Aaron Dobson, the former South Charleston flash, came up with what everyone was calling "SportsCenter highlight'' touchdown catches.
Defensive lineman and leader Vinny Curry, hobbling off the field at one point with cramps in his toe, returned to help the Herd make one final defensive stand in OT.
And the post-game scene was positively giddy.
At the final whistle, a few Thundering Herd players climbed the wall to celebrate with fans in the end-zone seats. A couple minutes later, dozens of players ran a victory lap around the stadium, slapping hands with spectators in the first row.
Curry rolled his helmet across the field, as if he was going "bowling.'' Cato donned a Marco the mascot hat, complete with fuzzy hair and horns, and jogged around the madness.
"It's probably the mascot's,'' Cato said. "I just wanted to have some fun. Vinny said I had to dance, so I just did it.''
Dobson contributed heavily to the good feelings with his backhanded 13-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to go along with his 77-yard home run ball for a score on the Herd's first offensive play.
"It's definitely a big win for us,'' Dobson said. "We didn't want the seniors to go out with a loss and not go to a bowl. We played hard.
"We've definitely been through a lot this year - when it comes down to it, a lot of losses. But we wanted to cap this season with a win.''
Close games turned into good games for the Herd this season.
They went 5-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less, including Saturday's win. They also went 5-3 in C-USA, the best record in their seven seasons in the league.
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For Holliday and Co., a step in the right direction
HUNTINGTON - A couple hours after the sun set at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Marshall's players and coaches did their best to make sure it didn't set on the 2011 season.
A season full of bumps in the road wound up with one last joyride as the Thundering Herd drove off with a 34-27 overtime victory against old nemesis East Carolina.
If the season was going to be considered any kind of success, it all came down to the final game for MU (6-6), which had a Conference USA championship berth, as well as a possible bowl game, on the line.
Even though the C-USA title bid went by the boards when Southern Miss won Saturday to clinch the East Division, the Herd responded to the challenge.
Freshman quarterback Rakeem Cato threw for 341 yards and played an error-free game.
Receiver Aaron Dobson, the former South Charleston flash, came up with what everyone was calling "SportsCenter highlight'' touchdown catches.
Defensive lineman and leader Vinny Curry, hobbling off the field at one point with cramps in his toe, returned to help the Herd make one final defensive stand in OT.
And the post-game scene was positively giddy.
At the final whistle, a few Thundering Herd players climbed the wall to celebrate with fans in the end-zone seats. A couple minutes later, dozens of players ran a victory lap around the stadium, slapping hands with spectators in the first row.
Curry rolled his helmet across the field, as if he was going "bowling.'' Cato donned a Marco the mascot hat, complete with fuzzy hair and horns, and jogged around the madness.
"It's probably the mascot's,'' Cato said. "I just wanted to have some fun. Vinny said I had to dance, so I just did it.''
Dobson contributed heavily to the good feelings with his backhanded 13-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to go along with his 77-yard home run ball for a score on the Herd's first offensive play.
"It's definitely a big win for us,'' Dobson said. "We didn't want the seniors to go out with a loss and not go to a bowl. We played hard.
"We've definitely been through a lot this year - when it comes down to it, a lot of losses. But we wanted to cap this season with a win.''
Close games turned into good games for the Herd this season.
They went 5-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less, including Saturday's win. They also went 5-3 in C-USA, the best record in their seven seasons in the league.
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HUNTINGTON - A couple hours after the sun set at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Marshall's players and coaches did their best to make sure it didn't set on the 2011 season.
A season full of bumps in the road wound up with one last joyride as the Thundering Herd drove off with a 34-27 overtime victory against old nemesis East Carolina.
If the season was going to be considered any kind of success, it all came down to the final game for MU (6-6), which had a Conference USA championship berth, as well as a possible bowl game, on the line.
Even though the C-USA title bid went by the boards when Southern Miss won Saturday to clinch the East Division, the Herd responded to the challenge.
Freshman quarterback Rakeem Cato threw for 341 yards and played an error-free game.
Receiver Aaron Dobson, the former South Charleston flash, came up with what everyone was calling "SportsCenter highlight'' touchdown catches.
Defensive lineman and leader Vinny Curry, hobbling off the field at one point with cramps in his toe, returned to help the Herd make one final defensive stand in OT.
And the post-game scene was positively giddy.
At the final whistle, a few Thundering Herd players climbed the wall to celebrate with fans in the end-zone seats. A couple minutes later, dozens of players ran a victory lap around the stadium, slapping hands with spectators in the first row.
Curry rolled his helmet across the field, as if he was going "bowling.'' Cato donned a Marco the mascot hat, complete with fuzzy hair and horns, and jogged around the madness.
"It's probably the mascot's,'' Cato said. "I just wanted to have some fun. Vinny said I had to dance, so I just did it.''
Dobson contributed heavily to the good feelings with his backhanded 13-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to go along with his 77-yard home run ball for a score on the Herd's first offensive play.
"It's definitely a big win for us,'' Dobson said. "We didn't want the seniors to go out with a loss and not go to a bowl. We played hard.
"We've definitely been through a lot this year - when it comes down to it, a lot of losses. But we wanted to cap this season with a win.''
Close games turned into good games for the Herd this season.
They went 5-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less, including Saturday's win. They also went 5-3 in C-USA, the best record in their seven seasons in the league.
"You look at our six wins, and five came like that,'' said coach Doc Holliday. "That's what good teams do - find a way to make plays.
"I'm proud of this team. We knew it was a tough schedule, going on the road seven times. The great thing is we ended up 4-1 at home, and that's huge. The kids know we walk into this stadium, we lock the gates and come out with a win.''
Certainly Marshall had its share of highs this season.
The wins against East Division champ Southern Miss and Big East champ Louisville. The tight victory over Rice (a little tighter than many would have liked). The late comeback to escape with a 'W' at Memphis after being down 22-10 in the fourth quarter.
Of course, the lows were also sprinkled in there, too. Another disappointment against West Virginia. The embarrassment at Ohio. A lambasting from Case Keenum and Houston. Lots of trouble against veteran quarterbacks, spread offenses and hurry-up offenses.
But improvement from last year's 5-7 season can definitely be seen today, especially in light of Saturday's win. That made the Herd 2-1 against the rival trio of Southern Miss, East Carolina and Central Florida.
"In my mind, we're taking a step forward - and that's huge,'' Holliday said. "To beat them tells me we're going in the right direction and we've gotten better as a team.
"I think we've made a lot more progress than what our record shows. I've seen us grow up defensively. I thought we had to tackle well, and we did that [Saturday]. There's no doubt we've made significant progress. Our goal will always be to win the conference championship and even though we didn't do that this year, I feel like we got closer. We won't be satisfied until we do that.''
But in the afterglow on Saturday, there was still plenty to feel good about for the Herd. It sure seems like the season was a success.
"The fans were outstanding,'' said linebacker Tyson Gale. "This is their win. It was awesome out there.
"Going into this year, we wanted to get a bowl spot, absolutely. We did that, not with the record we wanted to have, but we're in there. Now we have 15 extra practices, and that will help the younger guys. That's how you build a program. As a senior, you want to leave the program better than when you came here.''
Cato said it might be a bit early to call the season successful, not when there's still one more game to play.
"Not yet,'' he said. "As soon as the season's out, then we can [say]. Today, we did it all for our seniors and for Doc Holliday and his staff, and to make Herd Nation proud.''
Another of those seniors, Curry, could hardly contain his feelings, however.
"Emotion. It's a great feeling,'' Curry said. "I'm so happy I'm going out on top. I'm so happy I get to go bowling.''
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
For Holliday and Co., a step in the right direction
HUNTINGTON - A couple hours after the sun set at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Marshall's players and coaches did their best to make sure it didn't set on the 2011 season.
A season full of bumps in the road wound up with one last joyride as the Thundering Herd drove off with a 34-27 overtime victory against old nemesis East Carolina.
If the season was going to be considered any kind of success, it all came down to the final game for MU (6-6), which had a Conference USA championship berth, as well as a possible bowl game, on the line.
Even though the C-USA title bid went by the boards when Southern Miss won Saturday to clinch the East Division, the Herd responded to the challenge.
Freshman quarterback Rakeem Cato threw for 341 yards and played an error-free game.
Receiver Aaron Dobson, the former South Charleston flash, came up with what everyone was calling "SportsCenter highlight'' touchdown catches.
Defensive lineman and leader Vinny Curry, hobbling off the field at one point with cramps in his toe, returned to help the Herd make one final defensive stand in OT.
And the post-game scene was positively giddy.
At the final whistle, a few Thundering Herd players climbed the wall to celebrate with fans in the end-zone seats. A couple minutes later, dozens of players ran a victory lap around the stadium, slapping hands with spectators in the first row.
Curry rolled his helmet across the field, as if he was going "bowling.'' Cato donned a Marco the mascot hat, complete with fuzzy hair and horns, and jogged around the madness.
"It's probably the mascot's,'' Cato said. "I just wanted to have some fun. Vinny said I had to dance, so I just did it.''
Dobson contributed heavily to the good feelings with his backhanded 13-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to go along with his 77-yard home run ball for a score on the Herd's first offensive play.
"It's definitely a big win for us,'' Dobson said. "We didn't want the seniors to go out with a loss and not go to a bowl. We played hard.
"We've definitely been through a lot this year - when it comes down to it, a lot of losses. But we wanted to cap this season with a win.''
Close games turned into good games for the Herd this season.
They went 5-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less, including Saturday's win. They also went 5-3 in C-USA, the best record in their seven seasons in the league.
