INSIDE SLANT

Taking over for injured team captain Cody Slate, tight ends Lee Smith and Jamie Hatten will be in the spotlight Saturday as Marshall faces surprising SMU in Huntington.

Smith, a junior, caught six passes for 77 yards and Hatten, a redshirt freshman, had two grabs for 10 yards in last weekend’s loss to Southern Miss. They both will see even more action after Slate, the team’s leading receiver, took a direct hit from a defender’s helmet to his right knee.

Smith said he will do his best to fill the void when the Thundering Herd (5-5, 3-3 C-USA) tries to secure bowl eligibility with a win against Mustangs (6-4, 5-1), who are in first place in the C-USA West after back-to-back 1-11 campaigns.

“I can’t let our offense change because Cody went down,” Smith told the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. “He’s irreplaceable, but I have to do my best to help my team to keep our offense running the same offense and keep [quarterback] Brian [Anderson] in his comfort zone and running the same plays we’ve been running all year so we can be successful.

“Just like I told Jamie after the game, we can’t go away from our two tight-end packages. We have been two tight ends all year and he needs to step up. Everybody from second string to third string, you’re always one play away from playing.”

Backup running backs Terrell Edwards-Maye and Martin Ward could also see more action, depending on how well starter Darius Marshall recovers from an ankle injury suffered against the Golden Eagles.

NOTES, QUOTES

• With two games remaining, Marshall still has the chance to post its first winning season since 2003 and secure conditional bowl eligibility for the first time since 2004.

• Senior Cody Slate is one of eight semifinalists for the 2009 John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate tight end. He has 50 catches for 607 yards and four touchdowns this season and 199 career receptions for 2,619 yards and 23 scores.

• SERIES HISTORY: Series tied 1-1 (last meeting, 2006, 31-21 SMU).

Scouting The Offense:   Marshall ranks 10th in C-USA in total offense (329.5 yards per game) and 10th in scoring (20.7 points per game). They have the fewest touchdown passes (nine) and the fewest first downs (178) in the league through 10 games. Marshall has 15 touchdowns in 33 trips to the red zone.

Scouting The Defense:   They are second in the conference in scoring defense (21.6) and fourth in total defense (379.0). LB Mario Harvey leads the team in tackles (90) and sacks (four) and is one of seven Herd players with at least 5.0 tackles for loss. DE Albert McClellan has three sacks, two forced fumbles and eight quarterback hurries.

Quote To Note:   “The whole team is heartbroken about it. Cody’s a great guy. He’s a team leader. He’s going to work hard and recover from it. We’re calling him Coach Slate in the film room.”—Marshall tight end Jamie Hatten, to the Huntington Herald-Dispatch, on the knee injury suffered by team captain and leading receiver Cody Slate.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: SMU at Marshall, Nov. 21—The Thundering Herd won 16-13 in OT in the first meeting in 2005 and dropped a 31-23 decision in Dallas in 2006. Second-year head coach June Jones’ Mustangs average 27.8 points and 378.3 yards per game and are alone in first place in the C-USA West standings.

Keys To The Game:   Marshall may want to double-team SMU wideout Emmanuel Sanders, who leads all active FBS players with 32 career receiving touchdowns. He has 77 catches for 977 yards and five scores this season, including two last weekend against UTEP. The Herd ranks No. 2 in the league in pass defense (222.7 yards per game).

Players To Watch:  

QB Brian Anderson—The junior has thrown for more than 300 yards three times this season, including two of the last three games. He also has 10 interceptions and is facing an SMU defense that leads C-USA with 16 picks.

CB DeQuan Bembry—The team leader in passes defended (10) will get tested often by the air attack of head coach June Jones and the Mustangs.

K Craig Ratanamorn—He is one of three kickers chosen as this week’s Lou Groza Award Stars of the Week. He is 13-for-13 on field goals and 24-for-24 on PATs this season. No other kicker in the nation with 10 or more field-goal attempts is perfect, and no other kicker is perfect on field goals and extra points.

Roster Report:  

• RB Darius Marshall (left ankle) and TE Cody Slate (right knee) were both on crutches by the end of the game against Southern Miss. Marshall could play Saturday, but the prognosis for Slate was unclear pending the results of an MRI.

• Senior WR Courtney Edmonson, who was injured in the season opener, plans to apply for a medical hardship waiver with the NCAA after the season and will not take part in the Senior Day activities on Saturday.