Oct. 27, 2009
By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com
Rice head coach David Bailiff wondered as the game drew to a close. There would be time to figure out how his Owls would try and get their first win another day. Bailiff was trying to understand how UCF lost two conference games. He watched, what he and others in the league believe is Conference USA's best defense smother his offense and saw plenty of offensive playmakers in black and gold. But UCF does not get to replay those earlier losses at Southern Miss and East Carolina.
Instead, the Knights get a chance to knock off one of the teams that sits in front of them in the eastern division of the league. But this game has a little more at stake.
There is history between UCF and Marshall. It dates back to UCF's arrival to the MAC. Marshall was the top dog in the league and UCF was supposed to be a new rival. But the Herd won the first three matchups and Marshall fans laughed at this team who thought they would knock the Herd from their position.
But then the tide turned. As both school moved to C-USA, UCF has ripped off four-straight victories over Marshall, including the last two by a combined score of 77-27. UCF has been to two conference championship games and claimed a title. Marshall is seeking its first winning season since 2003.
Both teams have no other opponent on their schedule that they have played in as many consecutive years. And now the Herd come to Orlando with confidence.
Marshall is 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the league. Head coach Mark Snyder and his players have taken the "one-game-at-a-time" approach, but for the first time since joining the league, the Herd are talking conference championship.
So that brings us to Sunday night's game. A victory over winless Rice is not something to stand on a mountain and scream about, but UCF believes it still is in the conference race. And while the Knights do not control their destiny, they do control the ability to record wins and see what happens at the end of season.
Sunday delivers a great matchup of one of the nation's top running backs in the Herd's Darius Marshall against one of the country's best run defenses in UCF. A defense that others in C-USA are seeing is tough to get points on.
Marshall knows what's at stake. A win and the Herd are true contenders in the east. A UCF win and Marshall is dealt a fifth-straight loss to one of its rivals and UCF begins to build some mojo in the league.
You would prefer to control your own destiny, but if you cannot, it's nice to become the team no one wants to play. A nationally televised audience awaits and UCF can begin to put some heat on those in front of them in the league. There is swagger out there for the taking. Which team gets it?
Marc Daniels' From the Pressbox runs several times per month on UCFAthletics.com. Listen to Marc during UCF football, men's basketball and baseball radio broadcasts on the UCF-ISP Sports Network. Each weekday, Marc hosts "The Beat of Sports" on ESPN 1080 in Orlando from 9-11 a.m.