Coach Guy: The Rise of Marshall Football

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Huntington, West Virginia

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Introduction

Hello everyone! I’ve made a page for my dynasty so it can be easier to follow. I would really like it if you guys could give feedback on this dynasty. Let me know how you like it or if I should do something a different way, etc. I’ll be taking over the University of Marshall as myself, Ray Guy (no relation to the former punter).
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Prologue
Marshall is coming off of a 3-9 season in 2016. This storied school in Huntington, West Virginia are going to be National Champions one day. Just wait. I’m going to stick with them for a long time, assuming I don’t get fired. From the tragic plane crash that killed almost the entire football program, to almost going undefeated just a few years ago, I’ll do my best in adding to this University’s history. In this dynasty, I plan on:
- Building them up to a C-USA powerhouse
- Moving them into a Power 5 Conference
- Win the National Championship
- Be the new “Alabama” of college football
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How We Got Here
***Breaking News***
Neil Everett of ESPN
“Marshall Head Coach Doc Holliday, 60 years old, has decided to retire due to personal reasons. He ended his tenure with the Thundering Herd after a 53-37 record over the course of 7 seasons”.

Shortly after his retirement, Marshall decided to offer the newly opened head coaching gig to a young, up and coming offensive coordinator named Ray Guy. He decided to accept their offer of 5yr/$10M. Critics questioned the University’s decision to hire this young coach. Marshall was already heading down a bad path, with different players leaving the program, and finishing the 2016 season with a poor record. Could this move pay off? Or will it be another mistake by this storied University?
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Coach Guy’s Introduction As Marshall’s Head Football Coach

Athletic Director Mike Hamrick

“Hello everyone. Today is a big day for Marshall football, as we announce the hiring of our new head football coach, Ray Guy.''

Coach Guy

“I’m very, very glad to be here. I’ve worked hard the last few seasons as an offensive cordinator, and I’m just happy this University saw that and decided to offer me their head coaching job. I’ll do my best to bring this team to national contention in the future. Thank you. Go Herd!”

Coach Guy will be starting out as a level 15.

Coach Guy’s Career Stats

Spoiler

Age: 29

Prestige: A+

Years Coached: 4

Career Record: 39-15

Record With Marshall: 39-15

Vs Rivals: 1-0

Vs Top 25: 7-5

Bowl: 2-2

Longest Win Streak: 9

Conference Championship Appearances: 2

Conference Championships: 1

National Title Appearances: 0

National Titles: 0

Too 25 Classes: 1

Average Recruiting Class: 54

Coach Of The Year Awards: 0

All-Americans: 15

Heisman Winners: 0

Career (Seasons)

Spoiler

• Previous Offensive Coordinator Jobs:
- Eastern Michigan
- USF
- Colorado
*Signed a 5 year contract*
2017: Head Coach of Marshall (7-6)
2018: Head Coach of Marshall (9-4)
2019: Head Coach of Marshall (11-3)
*Signed a 2 year extension, giving me 4 more years on my contract*
2020: Head Coach of Marshall (12-2)
2021: Head Coach of Marshall (5-0)

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History of The Herd (2017-Beyond)
I will be keeping track of the Key Herd players, coaches, etc., who come through the program over the years. This will add another element to this dynasty.
• Herd Hall of Fame
Players (1)

Spoiler

• WR Willie Johnson (17-20):
A four year starter, Johnson broke multiple records, including Randy Moss’s records for receiving yards in game, season and career. Johnson had 4,679 yds and 50 tds over his 4 year career. Best Marshall WR of all time?

Coaches (0)

Spoiler

None.

• Honorable Mentions
Players (2)

Spoiler

• QB Chase Litton (17-18):
Litton’s last two seasons weren’t as productive as they could’ve been, but he sure helped the Herd head in the right direction.
• LB Juwon Young (17-18):
Former Miami Hurricane who won Best LB in the nation in 2018.

Coaches (1)

Spoiler

• Defensive Coordinator Chuck Heater (13-20):
Coach Heater wasn’t the greatest defensive coordinator ever, but his tenure and consistency are what earned him this honor.

• Big Games (6)

Spoiler

• 2017
• @ 4Oklahoma - Won 16-14
Sooners kicker Austin Siebert missed the game winning field goal as time expired. QB Baker Mayfield was out with an Injury for this game.
Stats:
Litton: 20/26, 143 yds, 2 sacks
Pittman: 82 yds and 1 rushing td
Murray (Oklahoma): 130 yds passing, int, 88 yds rushing, 1 td
•2018
• Vs Boise State in the Hawaii Bowl - Won 36-35
Jr Jackson White led the offense on a game winning drive.
• 2019
• Vs 11Georgia Southern in CUSA Championship Game - Won 36-35
As the underdog, I won my first conference championship at Marshall.
• 2020
• @ 6Baylor - Won 63-49
Won in an incredible shootout.
• Vs 19Georgia Southern (CUSA Championship) - Lost 45-38
• 2021
• @ West Virginia - Won 34-30
Down 30-27, we scored on the last play of the game, giving us the incredible win against our rival.

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Past Champions
• 2017: LSU Tigers
MVP: Sr QB Danny Etling

• 2018: Alabama Crimson Tide
MVP: Sr RB Bo Scarborough

• 2019: Alabama Crimson Tide
MVP: Sr QB Jalen Hurts

• 2020: Houston Cougars
MVP: Sr QB D’Eriq King

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Past Heisman Winners
• 2017: Sr RB Timothy McVey, Air Force
- McVey had 1,911 all purpose yds and 22 tds.

• 2018: Sr RB Myles Gaskin, Washington
- Gaskin had 1,607 all purpose yds and 23 tds.

• 2019: Jr RB Adrian Killins, UCF
- Killins had 2,048 all purpose yds and 25 tds.

• 2020: Sr QB D’Eriq King, Houston
- King had 3,300 yds passing, 900 yds rushing and 51 total tds.

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• 2017, Marshall Thundering Herd •

- Preseason

Conference Alignment

Spoiler

Set to real life (2017)
For this dynasty, I removed Texas State, Arkansas State, Georgia State and New Mexico State and replaced them with Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Charlotte, and Georgia Southern. Some people would’ve removed Idaho or UAB instead, but since Idaho is still in the FBS (pretty sure they’re moving to the FCS soon), and UAB is back in the FBS, I decided to leave them in. Doing this would allow me to set up each conference to exactly how it is here in 2017. The teams, names of divisions, conference championship games, rivalries, etc are all set to real life standard, except for the Sun Belt because they already didn’t have divisions, so they had to be the odd ball in this situation.

Rosters, Coaches, Playbooks, etc.

Spoiler

Credit to the boys here on Operation Sports for the rosters, coaches and playbooks, etc. (Vikes, Boss, etc.)

House Rules, Difficultly, Penalties, etc.

Spoiler

I’ll be using the community heisman sliders by Matt10.
Also, a mix of penalties and auto subs I found here on Operation Sports.

Custom Dynasty Rules (Recruiting, Coaching, etc.)

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*All of these rules are to help make this dynasty more realistic. They may change as I progress over the years*
• Recruiting
- Can only add the amount of players leaving, plus 3 to my board during the preseason. Can’t add any after that. Better not miss out on a player! For example, if I have 15 seniors, I can add 15 players PLUS 3 in case I miss out on any players. Can only receive 15 commitments, however. This keeps me from stacking my team.
- Can only scout AFTER a player commits to my school. NO SCOUTING UNCOMMITED PLAYERS! This allows me to see any gems/busts AFTER they commit. You get what you get.
- No more than 5 visits per season.
- For recruits who are above my prestige number (we’re a 3 star currently), I can only get 2 commitments of a 4 or 5 star player. Otherwise, I must stick with 3 stars and below.
• Redshirting
- Can only redshirt 5 players.
- Can only redshirt freshman.
- JUCO players CANNOT redshirt.
- 4/5 star freshman CANNOT redshirt (as a 4* prestige school or higher).
- 3/4/5 star freshman CANNOT redshirt (as a 3* prestige school or lower).
• Coaching/Schedule
- Must finish 50% of my contract before leaving.
- Only 1 cupcake game per season (or 0) as a 4, 5 or 6 star school.
- Must schedule at least 1 ranked opponent (or more) as a 1, 2 or 3 star school.

• Players Leaving
- I may try and persuade a player leaving for the draft (if he meets the requirements below).
- I CANNOT persuade a player to stay if they are wanting to transfer. Should’ve played him more!
- Realistic Decisions. If a player wants to leave as a junior, and in real life he would have, I must let him go.
- If a junior has a breakout season and in real life may leave for draft but chooses not to in the dynasty, I will likely cut him in the preseason, and say that he “left for the NFL”.

• Other
- Randomly, I’ll create a fake scenario where a player leaves the program, gets dismissed from the program, etc. This will give the dynasty a little more realism.
- I’ll also do the same for suspensions. Example: QB #1 has been suspended for half the season after failing a drug test.

• Transfers
- Players who don’t get much playing time and in real life likely would transfer, I’ll recreate them onto another team, and cut the from my team.

2017 Schedule (7-6)

Spoiler

Week 1: Vs Troy - Lost 28-26
Week 2: Vs Hawaii - Won 31-10
Week 3: @ Colorado - Lost 38-35
Week 4: BYE
Week 5: @ 4Oklahoma - Won 16-14
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: @ Florida Atlantic - Lost 52-17
Week 8: @ Charlotte - Won 38-20
Week 9: Vs Mid Tennessee State - Won 24-10
Week 10: Vs 24So. Mississippi - Lost 31-10
Week 11: @ UAB - Won 38-20
Week 12: Vs Old Dominion - Won 34-31
Week 13: Vs Florida International - Lost 41-38
Week 14: @ 20Western Kentucky - Won 17-10
Week 15: BYE
Conference Championship: N/A
Bowl: New Orleans Bowl Vs App State (7-4) - Lost 42-10

Players Suspended/Leaving Program, etc

Spoiler

• RB Trey Rodriguez has left the program during the middle of the season (injured/lost starting job)

• Season Win Total Goal: 7 Wins

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Week 1: Vs Troy
QB Chase Litton completes comeback victory... Almost.

In my first game as the Herd’s new head coach, and first game using heisman sliders, I was very happy with the way things played out. We coughed up a 20-9 lead to Brandon Silvers and the Trojans in the second half. Down 25-20 with under a minute remaining, Litton led his team down the field and RB Trey Rodriguez managed to get in the end zone for 6! We were unable to convert the 2 pt conversion, and it cost us the game. Somehow, the Trojans went down the field and nailed a 32 yd field goal as time expired, winning the game. I tried to ice them, but to no avail. A very fun game no doubt. Let’s get the dub next time.
• Stats
QB Chase Litton: 22/34, 287 yds, 2 td, 1 int, 5 sacks.
RB Trey Rodriguez: 32 carries for 175 yds, 1 score, 2 lost fumbles.
QB Brandon Silvers (Troy): 29/46, 370 yds, 1 td, 1 int.
Final: 28-26, Troy
Record: 0-1
Next Week: Vs Hawaii
Job Security: 54%. I don’t think I’ve ever had it this low, so it’s important I start winning this week. The AD wants 7 wins this season, but I’m not so positive that’s gonna happen with the schedule I have set up. I need at least 5 wins in order to keep my job (I think).

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Week 2: Vs Hawaii
Guy gets first career win
It was 13-10 us at the half, but we managed to pull away after a pick six and touchdown run by backup RB Keion Davis.
Final: 31-10, Herd
• Stats:
Chase Litton: 15/23, 119 yds, 2 sacks
Keion Davis: 22 carries, 138 yds, 1 td and 1 fumble lost.
Trey Rodriguez: 6 carries for 26 yds, 1 kick return for a touchdown.

• Injury Report: Starting RB Trey Rodriguez went down with a broken arm, and will be out the rest of the season. This is a major blow to our offense, as he was our speedster and our primary return man. Tough luck for the junior.
Record: 1-1
Next Week: @ Colorado

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Updated Depth Chart Following Week 2 Game

Spoiler

QB
Jr Chase Litton
Soph Garet Morrell
RS Fr Jackson White
RB
RS Sr Tony Pittman
RS Jr Keion Davis
RS Jr Anthony Anderson
FB
RS Fr Xavier Gaines
WR
Sr Hyleck Foster
RS Jr Tyre Brady
RS Fr Willie Johnson
Jr Marcel Williams
Jr Nick Mathews
TE
Sr Ryan Yurachek
RS Fr Cody Mitchell
Fr Devin Miller

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Week 3: @ Colorado
Marshall nearly completes upset

Had we played just a little better in the first half, we would’ve won this game. We completely won the second half, and managed to get the ball around field goal range with a few ticks left. With 5 mph of with going towards the goal post, I decided to go for the tie, a 56 yard field goal with a kicker with average leg strength, rather than the Hail Mary. Well, it was just short. So close.
Final: 38-35, Colorado.
• Stats
Litton: 22/35, 349 yds, 3 tds, 1 int, 1 fumble, 1 sack.
RB Tony Pittman: 135 yds, 1 td
Steven Montez: 15/19, 186 yds, 1 td, 1 int, 2 rush td.
Record: 1-2
Next Week: BYE

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Week 5: @ 4Oklahoma
Upset In Norman!

When Oklahoma scheduled Marshall, they were thinking, “oh good, a cupcake game.” Wrong. Marshall came prepared.
Now, the Sooners were without QB Baker Mayfield (Injured his throwing shoulder). Backup QB Kyler Murray played very bad. He threw for just 130 yards, and turned the ball over as well. We took the 16-14 lead late in the 4th, and the Sooners had a shot at a 50 yd field goal for the win, but K Austin Seibert pulled it to the left, giving us the incredible upset victory! This would’ve been a completely different story if Mayfield were playing.
We also had no turnovers for the first time this season.
Final: 16-14, Marshall
• Stats
Litton: 20/26, 143 yds, 2 sacks
Pittman: 82 yds and 1 rushing td
Murray (Oklahoma): 130 yds passing, int, 88 yds rushing, 1 td
Next Week: BYE

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Week 7: @ Florida Atlantic
Marshall’s defense gets exposed by Deandre Johnson and co.

It was 17-17 in the third qtr, and then the Owls offense woke up, and went on to score A LOT of points. Chase Litton had a terrible game, throwing 4 ints. The defense needs work. Bad.
• Stats
Litton: 15/25, 246 yds, 1 td, 4 int
Garet Morrell (our backup QB): 2/8, 24 yds and 1 int
Deandre Johnson: 16/17, 269 yds , 4 td, 1 int, 115 rushing yards
RB Devon Singletary: 109 yds and 1 td
Final: 52-17, FAU
Record: 2-3 (0-1)
Next Week: @ Charlotte

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Week 8: @ Charlotte
The Herd handles Charlotte, 38-20

Having never played Charlotte before in this game, I wasn’t aware they ran the triple option offense. They had me frustrated at first, up 17-7. In the second half however, I figured out how to slow them down, and at the same time, my offense began to click, leading to out 18 pt win against our conference opponent.
Final: 38-20, Herd
Record: 3-3
• Stats
Chase Litton: 11/21, 186 yds, 2 td and 1 int, 1 rushing td
Tony Pittman: 151 yds rushing, 1 td
Keion Davis: 1 rushing td
Next Week: Vs Mid Tennessee State