After going 7-6 in 2009 and capping off the season with a big win over Ohio 21-17 in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, the Marshall Thundering Herd will look to maintain its momentum as they head into a new season. They will be led by one of the college footballs top-recruiting specialists, head coach John “Doc” Holliday. The 52-year-old Holiday will bring with him a plethora of experience having served stints with SEC Giants Florida, N.C. State and West Virginia. He will begin his time at Marshall sorting through the 14 returning starters and an 83-player roster, a daunting task for even the most experienced coaches.

Here’s a look at the 2010 Thundering Herd to help make your College Football wagers winners. For a detailed look at the 2010 Conference USA Football Predictions check this out.

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Offense:

The Herd’s offense will be under the direction of new offensive coordinators Bill Legg and Tony Peterson and will be centered around the return of seven returning starters, including quarterback Brian Anderson. The 6′-3″ senior started all 13 contests leading the team to his first bowl win in his first full season, throwing for 2,646 yards and 14 touchdowns along the way. Anderson pretty much has a lock on the number one spot this season, but will have to remain sharp, as redshirt freshman A.J. Graham stands ready in the wings.

Returning starters junior Terrell Edwards and sophomore Andre Booker will be called upon to fill the whole in the Marshall backfield left by NFL bound Darius Marshall, who lead the team last year in rushing. Edwards, whose best performance came in a win over SMU last season, rushed for 217 yards and three touchdowns including 113 yards and a touchdown in that single win. Booker also emerged as a threat last season but saw limited action, rushing for just 73 yards on 15 attempts in seven games.

If all else fails the Herd can turn to sophomore Martin Ward who came on strong in the last two games of the season and finished with 393 total yards and three touchdowns on just 82 carries, including 136 yards in a game against Southern Methodist on Nov. 21. He rushed 75 yards and two touchdowns in the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, enough to be named the games MVP.

Defense:

First-team All C-USA selection linebacker Mario Harvey will be one of seven defensive starters that begin with a trio of hog mollies on the front line. Battling it out in the trenches will be junior tackles Delvin Johnson, and Brandon Bullock, along with defensive end Johnny Jones. They are an impressive group with intimidating size standing 6-4 and 320 pounds on average.

Another returning starter junior DB DeQuan Bembry, who had 53 tackles and three picks, will lead an experienced secondary that includes junior CB Ahmed Shakoor, who led the team with 11 swatted passes, and T.J. Drakeford, who will look for more playing time after appearing in just five games in 2009 due to ongoing injuries.

Rounding out the sixth and seventh returning starters will be junior safety Omar Brown, and senior DB Kevin Perry. Brown, who stepped up after senior John Saunders succumbed to a season-ending injury, finished third on the team with 73 tackles, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups in four games. Perry on the other hand saw action in all 13 games as a reserve behind now departed senior Ashton Hall, dragging down one interception against Tulane on Oct 10.

2010 Outlook and Prediction: Third in Conference USA East Division . It shouldn’t be too hard to better last year’s results as the team returns more than 40 seniors and is strong defensively up front, which should keep the Herd in every game. They have experience and depth at both quarterback and the running back positions, but could struggle with an inexperienced offensive line that has been hit hard with injuries. However, they should end up 5-3 in conference play, behind a new coaching staff that has brought with it the spread attack that is widespread throughout the potent SEC.

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