Published: October 01, 2008 11:35 pm         

Marshall pushing for ‘whiteout’ Saturday

Georgia’s “blackout” didn’t work against Alabama. Marshall is hoping for better results with a different color.

Friday night has been designated as a “whiteout,” meaning Thundering Herd fans are encouraged to wear white Marshall gear to Joan C. Edwards Stadium when Big East member Cincinnati visits for an 8 p.m. ESPN game.

The first 7,500 fans through the gate will receive a free white Marshall T-shirt. The first 1,000 students get white rally towels.

Coach Mark Snyder asked fans to be as loud as they could when Memphis’ offense lined up in a game the Herd won 17-16 Sept. 13. He’s asking them to do it again Friday.

“It’s a night game, and when we come out of that tunnel with the smoke going, we would like to see everyone up, making as much noise as they can with their white on,” Snyder said.

Friday’s game will feature two of the top three kick returners in the country.

Cincinnati’s Marshawn “Mardy” Gilyard leads the country, averaging 36.33 yards on nine returns. The Herd’s Darius Marshall is third at 35.44, also on nine returns.

“We’re going to have to play superior special teams,” Snyder said. “We can’t let them get points in the kicking game.”

Gilyard, who had a touchdown return against Oklahoma, also leads Cincinnati (3-1) in receiving yards (435) and touchdowns (five). He is second on the team with 26 receptions.

Last season, Gilyard had 36 catches for 536 yards and three scores, one year after sitting out a season because of academic reasons.

“He has come a long way because he made the decision that he needed to come a long way,” Bearcats coach Brian Kelly said. “We can talk all we want about preparation and things of that nature. I would like to take credit for it, but he deserves all the credit.”

Marshall, meanwhile, had 203 yards on four kick returns last Saturday at West Virginia.

“It (the return game) adds a little explosiveness to the offense,” Snyder said.

Not only will Marshall defensive coordinator Rick Minter be going against the team he used to coach, but he will be looking across the field at his own flesh and blood.

Minter’s son, Jesse Minter, is a defensive graduate assistant at Cincinnati.

Rick Minter was the head coach at UC from 1994-2003. He coached against Marshall in the 2000 Motor City Bowl.