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Show COUGAR SPORTS BY DREW PACKHAM Pruett takes to the When No. 25 Pontiac Silverdome turf Dec. 27 BYU against Marshall University, many fans may be wondering who exactly is the "Thundering Herd." Well, it may just be one of the secrets. Sure, country's best-keMarshall may be 12-- 0 and ranked 11th nationally, but how good is this team? If you ask Marshall head coach Bob Pruett, you may be surprised by pt football programs. ranks to Since jumping from the Metro Atlantic Conference in 1997, Marshall has won the conference championship three seasons in a row. Before joining the MAC, the Herd national championship won the in 1996 behind the high flying antics now-Minneso- Vikings wide receiver ta Randy Moss. So what makes Marshall such a dominating team? First of all, it's well coached. The Thundering Herd is 48-- 4 under Pruett over the last four years, including two Motor City Bowls and the three league titles. Pruett won the MAC Coach of the Year award for the second straight season after leading Marshall to its highest national ranking in school history. Rumors recently began placing Texas as the first quarterback to be selected in the 2001 NFL draft. Pennington's 1 71 .4 quarterback rating ranks third in the nation and his 325.33 yards of offense per game ranks fifth nationall- Houston as University's new coach. Pruett graciously turned down the offer in order to stay with the program he's brought to the national spotlight. For Pruett the decision was an easy one. "It's home," Pruett said. Second, Marshall has one of the nation's top quarterbacks. Jt Ki J 1L,A Ti Tr V ill his answer. "We're just a small, former school who's playing against the big boys," Pruett said. "We just hope to compete. It's definitely a huge challenge for us." Pruett may downplay his team's accomplishments, but one thing is for sure - the Herd has definitely been thunderous on its way to becoming one of the nation's most consistent in j 4 y- What the scouts like most about Pennington, however, is his knowledge of the game. Pennington, a first Senior i TTTTBTF - hi A r 'h, .'V Awwti m K. 1 4 J-- & ' K iHjj ? I ... 't v v W' ' 3Ai " (V Marshall's Chad Pennington will be challenged by BYU defense Chad Pennington is the man behind the Herd's potent offense, which ranks seventh in the nation in total offense with 465 yards per game. Pennington placed fifth in the Heisman Trophy standings and put up Heisman-lik- e numbers. He threw for 3,799 yards and 37 touchdowns to lead the Thundering Herd offense. Pruett said Pennington was the key to the Herd's attack. "He's an amazing player," Pruett said. "He'll be the player with the most impact in next year's draft, that's for sure." Several publications are already projecting the Knoxville, Tenn., native team GTE Academic was the recipient of the Anson Mount Award given to the top football-playin- g student-athlet- e in the country. Pennington's numbers are similar to Cougar quarterback Kevin Feterik, who threw for 3,553 yards and 25 touchdowns. Pennington and Feterik are ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, in total offense. Like BYU's receiving duo of Ben and Horton Hooks, Margin Pennington has several receiving options. The Herd's top two receivers both pro prospects are Nate Poole and James Williams. The six- - Poole may present problems for the Cougars because of his size. He leads Marshall with 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns while Williams has gone for 880 yards and 13 TDs. Both are in their senior seasons, meaning leadership and knowledge of Pennington's passing style. To balance the Marshall passing attack is senior Doug Chapman, who leads the Herd with 685 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. Pruett said that despite the two teams' powerful passing attacks, the game will be decided on the ground. "I think whichever team stops the run will win the game," he said. Third, Marshall has a tough defense. With BYU freshman phenom Luke Staley questionable with a hurt knee, Marshall's already stingy defense may become a brick wall for the Cougar offense. The Herd is ranked seventh in the nation in total defense, allowing just 293 yards per game, which includes just 100 yards a game on the ground. Besides the strong run defense, Marshall boasts the nation's top defensive backt'ield, which tallied an NCAA-hig- h 24 interfoot-three-in- ch ceptions. That combination of efficient offense and tight defense could cause problems for BYU, but Pruett hopes his team will be ready for the Cougars, who average 30 points per game. "They've got all that age and experience," Pruett said. "I don't know that we can shut them down, but hopefully we can try to contain them. They're a team who's won a national championship. We just hope to prove ourselves well-coache- well-respect- d, against a ed well-coache- d, well-respect- ed team. It's going to be a great ballgame, that's for sure." IS BYU ATTENTION COUGAR SPORTS SUBSCRIBERS Our newest advantage: & 57-dl- Giy GFwnseSS jwSBeafele rawS For imformation on travel needs, plus earn prize points on trips, cruises, & airline ticket purchases. THREE EASY STEPS: 1) Preston Travel 2) Your Community C.L.U.B. Card number 3) Book the following prices: For ALL your Mexican Riviera, March 26th - 7 day cruise C.L.U.B. cardholder price $799person C.L.U.B. cardholder price $274person Port & Taxes $129.75person 1st & 3rd & 2nd Inside Cabin 4th Inside Cabin additional cruises to: The Mexican Baja Pacific Northwest Alaska 2 Please call or Preston Travel 224-258- m UJ GROUP ESTON TRAVEL Transfers $28person, Air $150person 3 |