Source: Marshall football likely to face UConn in St. Petersburg Bowl

Marshall University Football 2015 Intro Video

When bowl pairings become set in stone today, Marshall will play in the St. Petersburg Bowl, as widely expected.

But the Thundering Herd will not face a team from the upper tier of the American Athletic Conference, as widely projected. The opposition likely will come from that leagues gooey middle.

Marshall, meet the Connecticut Huskies.

Several sources and reports have the Thundering Herd (9-3) revisiting Tropicana Field to take on the 6-6 Huskies. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. on Dec. 26.

An MU source responded, Have not been officially told that. Conference USA and several other leagues were to announce their teams bowl pairings this afternoon.

But bowl news about the AAC schools has been leaking out for several days, well before Houston (12-1) won the league title Saturday and became a shoo-in for the Group of 5s access bowl spot.

Several other teams with better overall records than UConn are going elsewhere. South Florida (8-4) is heading to the Miami Beach Bowl to take on C-USA champion Western Kentucky. Navy (9-2) accepted a bid to the Military Bowl earlier in the week, and Cincinnati (7-5) is going to the Hawaii Bowl. The Bearcats tied the Huskies for third place in the AAC East at 4-4.

Memphis (9-3) appears headed to the Birmingham Bowl to play Auburn, which is just 6-6. Temple (10-3) may be playing in the Boca Raton Bowl against Mid-American Conference runner-up Toledo.

So that sends UConn to Tropicana Field, where the Herd defeated Florida International 20-10 in the 2011 bowl game. On first reaction, some Herd fans are unsatisfied both with the opponent and with the game being the morning after Christmas. The 2011 St. Pete game was played on Dec. 20.

But the Huskies have had their highlights, most notably being the only team to beat Houston. At East Hartford, UConn held the then-13th-ranked Cougars to 318 total yards and Noel Thomas caught two touchdown passes. One was a 45-yarder on a trick play that put the Huskies up 20-10 in the fourth quarter.

Coached by second-year coach Bob Diaco, UConn will play in its first bowl since losing the 2011 Fiesta Bowl (2010 season) to Oklahoma 48-20. The Huskies captured the Big Easts place in the Bowl Championship Series, but went 15-33 in their next four seasons.

The Huskies, who transitioned to Division I-A/FBS in 2000, have been in five bowl games, and are 3-2.

Source: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/sports/20151205/source-marshall-football-likely-to-face-uconn-in-st-petersburg-bowl

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Travel deals to bowl games open for WVU, Marshall football fans

Marshall University Football 2015 Intro Video
By Elaina Sauber, City of Charleston Reporter

As the Mountaineers and Thundering Herd gear up for their respective upcoming bowl games, ticket sales and travel packages have opened up to fans.

On Jan. 2, West Virginia University will take on Arizona State University in the 2016 Motel 6 Cactus Bowl, at Chase Field in Phoenix. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, which means a 10:15 p.m. kickoff for viewers in West Virginia.

The WVU Alumni Association and Mountaineer Athletic Club are offering a travel package for fans. It includes a three-night stay at Hyatt Regency Hotel, which is within walking distance of Chase Field; a WVU Welcome Reception and access to the Official WVU Pre-Game Party, according to PrimeSport, the official fan travel provider for the WVU Alumni Association. Prices start at $515 for a group of four to a room, and up to $875 for a single guest.

Airfare is not included in the travel package, said Kevin Berry, WVU Alumni Association associate director.

Fans are coming from all over the place, he said, such as Pittsburgh, Charleston and Washington, D.C. We decided with this, to focus on taking care of fans needs when they arrive in the Phoenix area.

Plane tickets from Yeager Airport in Charleston to Phoenix start at about $500.

Berry added that the alumni association is also planning additional fan-related activities during the stay, which runs from Dec. 31 to Jan. 3. Those will be outlined in an upcoming release, he said.

National Travel in Charleston is offering individualized travel deals for those who want to attend the game but have more flexibility in their travel options, representative Molly Murphy said.

Marshall Universitys football team will travel later this month to Florida for the St. Petersburg Bowl. The Thundering Herd will take on the University of Connecticut at 11 a.m. Dec. 26 at St. Petersburgs Tropicana Field.

Marshall Athletics is partnering with Anthony Travel to help fans book flights to St. Petersburg. Depending on the departure and return dates, tickets start as low as $280 for a round-trip flight from Charleston to Tampa, Florida.

Fans can make reservations at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, where the football team is also staying, for $219 per night. Visit anthonytravel.com/marshall-bowl for more information on reservations, and herdzone.com to purchase tickets to the game.

National Travel also is working with nearby hotels to offer lower rates for Herd fans, as well as Allegiant Airlines, a low-cost carrier, for cheap, direct flights out of Huntington.

Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.

Source: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20151207/GZ01/151209598

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Marshall football notebook: UConn"s Cummings has history with Herd

2014 Ultimate Marshall Thundering Herd Football Highlights

CLEARWATER, Fla. Mike Cummings has gotten back in the trenches with Marshall this week, as his Connecticut offensive line figures out how to block the Thundering Herds cat-quick defense.

Cummings serves as offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator. He coordinated the offense in 2014, before 31-year coaching veteran Frank Verducci was brought on to run the unit.

Cummings was hired at Marshall by coach Bob Pruett, who abruptly resigned shortly thereafter. Mark Snyder retained Cummings, who worked as an offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, throughout his 2005-09 tenure.

Diaco and Cummings were on the same Eastern Michigan staff in 2000-01, and Cummings ran the Central Michigan offense for four seasons before heading to UConn.

Hes a valuable staff member, Verducci said. Great communicator, great motivator, the Xs and Os speak for themselves.

Saturdays St. Petersburg Bowl will be Cummings fourth bowl game, including MUs 2009 appearance in Detroit.

Big man in booth

Anthony Becht wasnt hard to miss at Marshalls practice Wednesday at Clearwater. Hes still roughly 6-foot-6, but the former West Virginia great tight end appears lighter than his NFL-listed 270 pounds.

Becht is the color analyst on ESPNs broadcast Saturday, working with play-by-play man Tom Hart. Tiffany Greene will patrol the sidelines.

Not surprisingly, Becht renewed acquaintances with Herd coach Doc Holliday. Of course, Holliday was at WVU during Bechts time in Morgantown.

He came in there came in about a 200-pound tight end, believe it or not, or a wide receiver, Holliday recalled. He grew into being a tight end, and what a great career he had.z

Some inside knowledge

Athletic directors are paid to know about coaches, so Herd tight end Ryan Yurachek knew one brain to pick about Diaco father Hunter Yurachek, athletic director of UConn league rival Houston.

Hunter painfully knows of Diacos work, as the Huskies handed the Cougars their only loss this season.

Its funny. Hes not the greatest guy as far as football knowledge, in the world, Hunter Yurachek said of his dad. He started talking on the phone after we learned we were playing [UConn], and he doesnt know what hes talking about. Actually, after watching some film, some of what he was talking about is true.

If youre wondering, Ryan has a seat in the Peach Bowl to watch the Cougars play Florida State.

Home advantage, Huskies

During its extended stay in Pinellas County, UConn is enjoying finer practice digs at Calvary Christian High School. Marshall will have the second of its two practices today at Clearwater Central Catholic, about five miles to the south.

Calvarys nice stadium has a respectable weight room adjacent to its stadium, and the Huskies are using it. After their practice Wednesday, most players made a beeline to the room.

Marshall, which has the shorter stay of five days, is not lifting this week.

From a strength and conditioning piece, we try to keep the in-season development going, Diaco said. We dont believe in just a maintenance. We try to get stronger, faster and always get better there.

And if we can eat right and sleep and then keep that up, you like to think that down the stretch, into November and December, youll have a chance to be more physical in a game.

By at least one account, the Huskies have drawn the better team hotel in the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Hotel and Golf Club. MU is about nine blocks away at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront.

MU stayed at the Vinoy in 2011, and one of the two current players who made that trip remember it fondly. One of Marshalls first functions Tuesday was held there.

Just when we went to the [Vinoy] last time, I said, Yeah, this is the nice hotel, D.J. Hunter said. I wish we were in this hotel, still.

Coming attractions

As the teams wrap up their pre-bowl workouts today, they will enjoy their last big fun event of the week this afternoon, the Beach Bash in Madeira Beach. The travel parties went to Busch Gardens on Wednesday.

Both squads have a walk-through practice Friday at Tropicana Field, site of Saturdays 11 a.m. game.

Source: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/sports/20151223/marshall-football-notebook-uconns-cummings-has-history-with-herd

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