Doc Holliday-led Marshall is WVU’s first road test of 2010

New Marshall head football coach Doc Holliday doesn't hide his influences.

Holliday, who had been an assistant coach for his entire career at West Virginia, Florida and N.C. State, uses much of what he learned while under former Mountaineer head coach Don Nehlen and current Florida head coach Urban Meyer.

"I spent 20 years with (Nehlen), and to this day, I'm not sure he gets the credit he deserves," Holliday said. "When I was at West Virginia with Don, he taught me great work ethic and how to evaluate players."

Despite being a WVU graduate and a former Mountaineer linebacker from 1976-78, Marshall fans have taken an instant liking to their new head coach, even though he has a slew of ties to the Thundering Herd's fiercest rivals.

"I wasn't surprised, because I'm from 20 minutes down the road," said Holliday, a Hurricane, W.Va., native. "The fans have been great. It's been overwhelming."

Holliday said he didn't think twice when the Marshall position opened up. It was a dream of his to become a head coach.

"There's only 119 head jobs out there," Holliday said. "This is a great one."

Holliday spent the first few months on the job adapting to the roles of a head coach. He isn't recruiting as much. For Holliday, who is widely considered one of the best recruiters in college football, it has been his hardest adjustment.

"I've been on the road for 30-straight years. It's going to be the first month of May that I haven't been out recruiting," Holliday said. "I think I'm going through recruiting withdrawal."

He called his first spring at Marshall productive but said his team has to improve in all areas if it wants to survive an early season stretch that features games at Ohio State, vs. West Virginia, at Bowling Green, vs. Ohio, at Southern Miss., vs. Central Florida and at East Carolina – all bowl teams last year.

"I don't think there's another team in the country that opens up with a schedule like that," Holliday said. "It's going to be a challenge, so we can't let a day go by that we don't get better as a football team, otherwise we don't have a chance."

Marshall has built up the meeting at Joan C. Edwards Stadium against the Mountaineers as the first big showdown in Holliday's head coaching career. The Thundering Herd's football home page is an advertisement selling tickets to the game.

Holliday said he would like to see the rivalry continue, but that it isn't up to him.

"It's a great thing," Holliday said. "We have to keep the money in state by packing those houses and spending money in their restaurants. Plus, we're three hours away. That's why Iowa plays Iowa State every year, Florida plays Florida State every year.

"It's something that should happen. The people in the state deserve it."

Because Holliday coached at West Virginia for the last two seasons, he knows a lot about the program, including how strong WVU could be in 2010.

"They've got the three best players in the Big East Conference," Holliday said. "Noel Devine and Jock Sanders and probably the two best offensive players in the league. Robert Sands will be the most talented defensive player in that league.

"There's no secrets. Everybody knows they have probably the most talent in the Big East."

That will make it tough for the Thundering Herd to upset the Mountaineers.

And Holliday will have to do so without Marshall's leading rusher from 2009, Darius Marshall, the player who carried the Thundering Herd to its first bowl game since 2004.

Marshall might have a new quarterback at the helm, as well. Clemson transfer Willy Korn started classes in Huntington, W.Va., on Monday and will be competing in what Holliday calls "an open battle" with last year's starter Brian Anderson and Florida native A.J. Graham.

"We'll find out in the first two or three weeks of camp who gives us the best chance to win."

Defensively, the Thundering Herd returns seven starters from last year's defense, which ranked second in Conference USA. Leading tackler Mario Harvey returns, as well.