Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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September 8, 2010

Holliday pleased with effort

By GARY FAUBER Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BECKLEY — To be certain, Doc Holliday was not happy to start his head coaching career with a 38-point loss, even if it was to the country’s second-ranked team.

And he definitely was irked by the three turnovers that proved costly. He preached throughout the preseason that putting the ball on the ground would not be tolerated. “Unacceptable” was his often-used word of choice.

But there was one thing he found encouraging in the lopsided loss at Ohio State. Yes, his team got pounded, but it was because Ohio State’s players, as a whole, are arguably the most talented Marshall will face all season.

The effort, however, could not be questioned.

“The one thing I try to do when I watch a game (tape) is watch for effort,” Holliday said. “I want to make sure the kids are playing hard, and our kids did. That is the positive I got out of that game.

“I thought we played extremely hard, but we were not smart at times. We have got to clean up some things. They did give great effort and as long as they do that we are going to win some games.”

Again, it was the turnovers that continue to bother Holliday. That’s the No. 1 thing he wants to see cleaned up when the Thundering Herd (0-1) hosts No. 23 West Virginia at 7 p.m. Friday.

Holliday pointed to Marshall’s 24-7 loss in last year’s Friends of Coal Bowl in Morgantown, when he was an assistant at WVU.

“That was a relatively close game and Marshall had five turnovers,” Holliday said. “If Marshall holds on to the ball, they probably win it. That is true in any game that you play. If you don’t turn the ball over you have a chance to win. Now if we do that a year ago … we just have to get that (no turnovers) done on Friday night.”

Other than the effort, Holliday takes no other positive from the Ohio State game. He doesn’t buy into the “good loss” philosophy.

“I have never been one to do that,” he said. “I have never thought that losing a game can help you win the next one. I am one of those guys who thinks losing is bad and that winning helps.

“We opened against a high-caliber Ohio State team and I am not sure we are going to see players that look like that the rest of this year. I sure hope not. That part of it might help you, but I don’t ever think losing helps you any time.

“That being said, I told our team that I was proud of the effort that they gave. ... We just have to play better.”

— E-mail: gfauber@

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