The Associated Press

When Buffalo coach Craig Cirbus studies Marshall’s game film, he sees its speed, agility and athleticism.

Friday, September 29, 2000

When Buffalo coach Craig Cirbus studies Marshall’s game film, he sees its speed, agility and athleticism.

Although he’s scared about what his team faces Saturday night, Cirbus knows by observing the Thundering Herd he will find clues to help him build his program.

”I point to Marshall all the time because on the exact same year both of our programs went to nothing – ours by choice and Marshall’s by an act of God,” Cirbus said. ”From that time on, both universities set out to put both those football programs back intact. What Marshall has done the last 30 years is amazing.”

Cirbus is referring to 1970, when Buffalo ended its football program because of financial problems and Marshall suffered one of college athletics’ greatest tragedies.

On Nov. 14, 1970, following a 17-14 loss at East Carolina, the Herd boarded a Southern Airlines jet for home in Huntington, W.Va. The plane crashed into a hillside below the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board, including 37 players and five coaches.

Since then, Marshall has built its team up, first into a Division I-AA power and now into the best team in the Mid-American Conference.

Marshall endured losing seasons from 1971-83, but hasn’t been below .500 since. The Herd reached the I-AA title game in 1987, 1991-93, and 1995-96, winning in ’92, and ’96.

The Herd also have won the MAC title each year since joining the league in 1997. Last season, they beat Brigham Young 21-3 in the Motor City Bowl and finished 13-0, No. 10 in the final AP poll.

Buffalo, meanwhile, resumed football in 1977, but hasn’t had a winning season since 1986. Last week, the Bulls beat Bowling Green 20-17 for their first win since beating I-AA Canisius in 1998.

It also marked Buffalo’s first win against an I-A opponent since a 16-0 victory over Holy Cross in 1970. The Bulls returned to I-A last season and went 0-11, 0-8 in the MAC.

”Hopefully we can look at what Marshall has done and try to put some of those things in place for us,” Cirbus said. ”They’ve done a tremendous job. We know it can be done.

”We keep asking the team to hang in there and believe that the effort will pay off. And Saturday night it did.”

A win by the Bulls at Marshall would make them 2-0 in the league and keep them in first place in the MAC East, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Herd. It also would mark Marshall’s first three-game losing streak since 1990.

The Herd are 1-2, following back-to-back losses to Michigan State and North Carolina.

”Certainly our season starts Saturday. That’s what gets you to the conference championship and that’s what gets you to bowl games,” said Marshall coach Bob Pruett. ”It doesn’t take ‘Kojak’ to figure that one out.”

Marshall faces a tough road if it wants to win its fourth straight MAC title. Akron, Miami University and Ohio figure to make things tough on the Herd in the East, and they also have to play West Division stalwarts Western Michigan and Toledo.

”The conference is going to be very, very tough, especially on the eastern side. And we have to play the toughest two teams on the other side,” Pruett said. ”We don’t have anything easy but we certainly don’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have to just crank it up and go.”

Cirbus expects Marshall to be on top again when the season ends. He said a 34-24 loss to then No. 24-Michigan State and a 20-15 setback to North Carolina prove the Herd haven’t lost anything from years past.

”Those two games, wow,” Cirbus said. ”Those are big league football games played by big league teams where the score could have gone in either direction right to the end. Marshall knows how to win.”

One day, Cirbus hopes the same can be said of Buffalo.

Elsewhere in the MAC Saturday, Bowling Green is at Kent State, Central Michigan travels to Toledo, Akron plays host to Miami, Northern Illinois goes to Ball State, and Ohio is at Western Michigan. Eastern Michigan plays host to Central Florida in a non-conference game.