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2003 Marshall

8–⁠4 (6–⁠2 Mid-American Conference), coached by Bob Pruett.

Schedule and results

Marshall in 2003, game by game: won vs. Hofstra 45–21; lost at No. 12 Tennessee 24–34; lost vs. Toledo 17–24; won at No. 6 Kansas State 27–20; lost at Troy 24–33; won vs. Kent State 49–33; won at Buffalo 26–16; won at Western Michigan 41–21; won vs. Akron 42–24; lost at No. 23 Miami (OH) 6–45; won at UCF 21–7; won vs. Ohio 28–0+28−39Won 45–21 vs. Hofstra+24HofstraLost 24–34 at No. 12 Tennessee-10No. 12 TennesseeLost 17–24 vs. Toledo-7ToledoWon 27–20 at No. 6 Kansas State+7No. 6 Kansas StateLost 24–33 at Troy-9TroyWon 49–33 vs. Kent State+16Kent StateWon 26–16 at Buffalo+10BuffaloWon 41–21 at Western Michigan+20Western MichiganWon 42–24 vs. Akron+18AkronLost 6–45 at No. 23 Miami (OH)-39No. 23 Miami (OH)Won 21–7 at UCF+14UCFWon 28–0 vs. Ohio+28Ohio
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30vsHofstraW 45–⁠2193%
Sep 6at12TennesseeL 24–⁠3443%
Sep 12vsToledoL 17–⁠2465%
Sep 20at6Kansas StateW 27–⁠2026%
Sep 27atTroyL 24–⁠3362%
Oct 11vsKent StateW 49–⁠3382%
Oct 18atBuffaloW 26–⁠1687%
Oct 25atWestern MichiganW 41–⁠2163%
Nov 1vsAkronW 42–⁠2476%
Nov 12at23Miami (OH)L 6–⁠4535%
Nov 19atUCFW 21–⁠771%
Nov 28vsOhioW 28–⁠088%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Ohio 28–⁠0; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 8th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2003.

Record
8–⁠4
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 3rd in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
350–⁠278
Coach
Bob Pruett
Elo
1612 +6 this season
SP+ rating
5.4 No. 50 of 117; offense No. 60, defense No. 48
SRS
1.1 No. 53 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 99
Offensive coordinators
Mark McHale and Larry Kueck
Defensive coordinator
Bill Wilt

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense-0.2own 28— allowed
Defense0.0own 38— caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2003 class

Geremy Rodamer RB★★★No. 682
Matt Couch ILB★★No. 1050
Ian O’Connor K★★No. 1050
Nate Howard OT★★No. 1050
Brian Shope TE★★No. 1050

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2003 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs22.50.783
Receivers22.00.767
Offensive line52.00.767
Linebackers12.00.767
Defensive backs12.00.767
Athletes and specialists12.00.767
Whole class122.10.769

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2004

The 2004 draft
Rd 2Darius Watts WRDenver Broncos

2003 Mid-American Conference standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Miami (OH)8–⁠013–⁠110
Bowling Green7–⁠111–⁠323
Northern Illinois6–⁠210–⁠2
Marshall6–⁠28–⁠4
Toledo6–⁠28–⁠4
Akron5–⁠37–⁠5
Western Michigan4–⁠45–⁠7
Kent State4–⁠45–⁠7
Ball State3–⁠54–⁠8
Eastern Michigan2–⁠63–⁠9
UCF2–⁠63–⁠9
Central Michigan1–⁠73–⁠9
Ohio1–⁠72–⁠10
Buffalo1–⁠71–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.