Published: September 30, 2008 11:43 pm         

Snyder confident in Cann

Worried about how Mark Cann will perform against Cincinnati?

Don’t be. Mark Snyder isn’t.

“He had a very good practice (Monday),” Marshall’s head coach said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “I stood behind him to see where he was at and I thought he handled it pretty well.”

Snyder is confident his quarterback will be able to bounce back Friday at home against the Bearcats. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. and be televised by ESPN.

Cann’s subpar performance in last Saturday’s 27-3 loss at West Virginia was cause for concern among some Marshall fans. The redshirt freshman from Landrum, S.C., completed 15 of 36 passes for 119 yards and an interception. Several of his throws were badly off target and his decision-making was at times questionable.

He did have what would have been a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lee Smith taken away after a holding penalty. It would have tied the game at 7, pending an extra point, but the Herd later had to settle for a 34-yard field goal from Tyler Warner.

That was partly because of Cann’s struggles.

“I missed a touchdown to Cody (Slate) there, just overthrew him bad,” Cann said. “When you come into West Virginia, a great environment, you can’t leave plays on the field like that.”

It was nothing like the game Cann had the week before, when he went 16-of-25 for 228 yards and two touchdowns in a win at Southern Mississippi. Senior Darius Passmore had nine catches for 139 yards and a TD in that game, but was limited to 39 yards on four receptions against the Mountaineers.

Cann said the opportunities to continue his connection with Passmore were there, but he didn’t take advantage.

“I got a little jumpy back there, I guess you could say. A little bit quick with it,” Cann said. “But you can’t do that. You’ve got to make plays.”

Snyder believes Cann will improve and that Passmore has a chance to display his talents on national television against one of the country’s most respected defenses.

“These guys are being looked at by every NFL scout,” Snyder said. “They are very highly rated.”

— E-mail:

gfauber@register-herald.com