HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- No one is more excited about Marshall's upcoming football game against Wisconsin than Emmanuel Spann.
Spann originally accepted a scholarship offer from Wisconsin in December 2003 but eventually signed a national letter of intent with Marshall in February 2004.
"It's something I'm looking forward to," said Spann, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound, fifth-year senior wide receiver who came to Marshall after an accolade-filled prep career at Westlake High School in Atlanta.
Barry Alvarez was the Badgers' head coach when Spann committed to Wisconsin.
"He brought me in for a recruiting visit," Spann said. "I loved it, but I didn't feel like it was for me. Then, I came up here to Marshall and I completely loved it and I felt like it was for me. I got my opportunity (to play) as a freshman and I have been here ever since."
The Badgers and Thundering Herd have been headed in different directions since he chose Huntington over Madison. Wisconsin is 40-11 in that Spann-less span. Marshall, on the other hand, is 18-29.
"Those guys have been doing well without me," he said with a laugh. "It's something I try not to think about, but it's a game that has been circled on my calendar for a long time."
Any regrets Spann might have concerning his college choice would be erased with a win Saturday, when No. 13 Wisconsin (1-0) will welcome Marshall (1-0) into 80,321-seat Camp Randall Stadium.
The Badgers are 5-0 against Conference USA members. The Thundering Herd is 0-2 against Big Ten Conference schools.
The Big Ten Network, which is available to DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers, will televise the non-conference opponents' first meeting.
Kickoff is set for noon EDT.
If Spann plays like he did Saturday in Marshall's 35-10 season-opening win over Division I-AA Illinois State, the Thundering Herd just might upset the heavily favored Badgers (211/2 points).
All of the special teams units shined against the Redbirds, but Spann might have been the biggest and brightest star. He averaged 17 yards on four returns.
"It's definitely important," Spann said of his special teams role. "The shorter the field, the wider the playbook is. It's something that's a momentum changer, and that's something I pride myself on.
"That's something we talk about with Coach (Mark) Snyder -- being a momentum changer, being able to change field position for us and give our offense a short field to work with. That's what I try to do each Saturday that I go out there."
Consider his contributions:
His first punt return covered 26 yards and gave Marshall the ball at Illinois State's 31-yard line in the first quarter. Senior tailback Chubb Small scored on a 16-yard touchdown run three plays later.His second punt return covered 24 yards and gave the Thundering Herd the ball at the Redbirds' 39 in the third quarter. Redshirt freshman quarterback Mark Cann threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Darius Passmore four plays later.His third punt return covered 18 yards and, thanks to an additional 10 yards for a late hit penalty, gave Marshall the ball at Illinois State's 10 again in the third quarter. Sophomore tailback Darius Marshall scored on the next play.The Redbirds committed a 15-yard kick catching interference penalty on his fourth and final return, lest he do any more damage.
Special teams is a phase of the game that often is overlooked, but "if you can block a kick or have a long return to the positive side of the field, it shows that we need every person on the team," said Spann, who has 90 catches for 1,058 yards and five touchdowns, 57 kick returns for 1,089 yards and 42 punt returns for 495 yards in his college career.
"On special teams, we're using offensive guys and defensive guys," he added. "It's that middle aspect of the game that brings us together. The offense is going to score touchdowns. The defense is going to create turnovers and three-and-outs. But special teams has to be able to contribute something. We go to meetings and watch the other teams' weaknesses on special teams and try to take advantage of them on Saturdays."
Contact sports writer Jacob Messer at jacobmes...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- No one is more excited about Marshall's upcoming football game against Wisconsin than Emmanuel Spann.
Spann originally accepted a scholarship offer from Wisconsin in December 2003 but eventually signed a national letter of intent with Marshall in February 2004.
"It's something I'm looking forward to," said Spann, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound, fifth-year senior wide receiver who came to Marshall after an accolade-filled prep career at Westlake High School in Atlanta.
Barry Alvarez was the Badgers' head coach when Spann committed to Wisconsin.
"He brought me in for a recruiting visit," Spann said. "I loved it, but I didn't feel like it was for me. Then, I came up here to Marshall and I completely loved it and I felt like it was for me. I got my opportunity (to play) as a freshman and I have been here ever since."
The Badgers and Thundering Herd have been headed in different directions since he chose Huntington over Madison. Wisconsin is 40-11 in that Spann-less span. Marshall, on the other hand, is 18-29.
"Those guys have been doing well without me," he said with a laugh. "It's something I try not to think about, but it's a game that has been circled on my calendar for a long time."
Any regrets Spann might have concerning his college choice would be erased with a win Saturday, when No. 13 Wisconsin (1-0) will welcome Marshall (1-0) into 80,321-seat Camp Randall Stadium.
The Badgers are 5-0 against Conference USA members. The Thundering Herd is 0-2 against Big Ten Conference schools.
The Big Ten Network, which is available to DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers, will televise the non-conference opponents' first meeting.
Kickoff is set for noon EDT.
If Spann plays like he did Saturday in Marshall's 35-10 season-opening win over Division I-AA Illinois State, the Thundering Herd just might upset the heavily favored Badgers (211/2 points).
All of the special teams units shined against the Redbirds, but Spann might have been the biggest and brightest star. He averaged 17 yards on four returns.
"It's definitely important," Spann said of his special teams role. "The shorter the field, the wider the playbook is. It's something that's a momentum changer, and that's something I pride myself on.
"That's something we talk about with Coach (Mark) Snyder -- being a momentum changer, being able to change field position for us and give our offense a short field to work with. That's what I try to do each Saturday that I go out there."
Consider his contributions:
His first punt return covered 26 yards and gave Marshall the ball at Illinois State's 31-yard line in the first quarter. Senior tailback Chubb Small scored on a 16-yard touchdown run three plays later.His second punt return covered 24 yards and gave the Thundering Herd the ball at the Redbirds' 39 in the third quarter. Redshirt freshman quarterback Mark Cann threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Darius Passmore four plays later.His third punt return covered 18 yards and, thanks to an additional 10 yards for a late hit penalty, gave Marshall the ball at Illinois State's 10 again in the third quarter. Sophomore tailback Darius Marshall scored on the next play.The Redbirds committed a 15-yard kick catching interference penalty on his fourth and final return, lest he do any more damage.Special teams is a phase of the game that often is overlooked, but "if you can block a kick or have a long return to the positive side of the field, it shows that we need every person on the team," said Spann, who has 90 catches for 1,058 yards and five touchdowns, 57 kick returns for 1,089 yards and 42 punt returns for 495 yards in his college career.
"On special teams, we're using offensive guys and defensive guys," he added. "It's that middle aspect of the game that brings us together. The offense is going to score touchdowns. The defense is going to create turnovers and three-and-outs. But special teams has to be able to contribute something. We go to meetings and watch the other teams' weaknesses on special teams and try to take advantage of them on Saturdays."
Contact sports writer Jacob Messer at jacobmes...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.
