Marshall had only three wins last football season, but one of them could be the catalyst for a breakthrough year this season.

In a 10-minute interview with co-hosts Carter Blackburn and Trev Alberts of CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV) at the Conference USA Football Media Day on Sunday, Thundering Herd Coach Mark Snyder and two of his players talked about Marshall's 26-7 upset victory over East Carolina on Nov. 10, 2007.

"I think we just stepped in there with the mindset that we had a goal we had to accomplish (and) that, regardless of our record, we still had something to prove," senior safety C.J. Spillman told Blackburn and Alberts during the interview, which was broadcast live on television and the Internet.

The Thundering Herd's home win ultimately cost the Pirates the East Division title. More importantly, it gave Spillman and his teammates some much-needed confidence.

"We get motivation and everything by beating East Carolina and stuff and helping knock them out of the race," junior tight end Cody Slate said.

The victory let Slate and his teammates know they "can compete with the best teams in our side of the division and everything," he said.

Marshall, which is coming off a 3-9 overall record and 3-5 conference mark last year, is hoping for a lasting effect this year.

"Just taking that momentum and rolling and, hopefully, carrying it over into the beginning of the season," Slate said.

The Thundering Herd wants people to know that win wasn't a fluke.

"Like Coach Snyder says, we got a lot of good players," Spillman said. "I think it's just time we go out there and prove and show people what we have."

Slate, Spillman and the other Conference USA Football Media Day player representatives visited St. Jude Children's Research Hospital today before leaving Memphis, Tenn.

Slate, Spillman, sophomore kick returner Darius Marshall and junior defensive end Albert McClellan were named to the league's all-conference preseason team last week.

Slate and Spillman were asked about their new coordinators -- John Shannon on offense and Rick Minter on defense, both of whom joined Snyder's staff in February.

Shannon "brings a lot of experience to the table," Slate said. "He's a blast to play for.

"We have put in a whole new offense, which is very, very fun to play in," he added.

Minter "has brought in a brand new spark that is about to rekindle our defense," Spillman said. "Everybody from a defensive standpoint seems to love what he's doing. I think he's going to be a very good contribution to our team."

McClellan also was a hot topic for Blackburn and Alberts, who asked the Marshall trio about his impending return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

McClellan suffered that season-ending injury last August during preseason practice.

McClellan was the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2006, when he had 77 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 12 games. He ranked sixth in the nation in tackles for loss, seventh in sacks and 10th in forced fumbles that season.

"It's exciting to get him back," Snyder said. "He makes everybody around him better."

"You depend on that impact player to be there and to make the quarterback throw the ball and hurry ... so you can be able to change the game," Spillman added.

The Thundering Herd's quarterback competition to replace three-year starter and 3,000-yard passer Bernard Morris is "still a battle," Snyder said. "We'll kind of get into that as we get into two-a-days."

The candidates are junior Wesley Beardain, sophomore Brian Anderson, junior Jonathan Garner and redshirt freshman Mark Cann, who is the frontrunner.

Anderson appeared in five games last season, completing 12-of-28 passes for 94 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. Beardain played in one game last year, completing 1-of-2 passes for 10 yards with no scores or picks.

Cann sat out 2007 as a redshirt. Garner did the same, but as a transfer from Georgia Tech.

"We're going to ask our quarterback not to get us beat early," Snyder said. "We kind of did that with Bernard in his early days and probably should have taken some things off his shoulders. We feel like we have enough talent around whoever the quarterback is.

"Let's get the football into playmakers' hands, play pitch and catch, make good checks, not turn the football over and let's let this new-found speed we found on defense help us win the game."

--Contact sportswriter Jacob Messer at jacobmes...@dailymail.com or 348-1712.