FULTON - With nearly half of his inaugural season as Fulton head coach in the books, Trey Barrow has found something positive to take from each of the Hornets' four defeats.
Barrow saw his squad stand up to adversity in the opening loss at Osage, show resolve in the face of a large early deficit against Southern Boone, and make strides in rediscovering its running game in falling to Kirksville.
But what the Hornets gained in last week's 55-6 North Central Missouri Conference loss at Moberly - reassurance on their level of physicality - could be what serves them best in the last half of the season.
"Honestly, I think that the (offensive) line has really stepped up and embraced that we're relying on them," Barrow said. "They are a big, physical line, and they need to go out and attack their block, and get physical with the other line."
That mindset ought to serve Fulton well in its continued quest for that first win of the year and the first of Barrow's head coaching career. The Hornets remain on the road for tonight's conference tilt with the Marshall Owls. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
When sizing up the offensive output last week, the Hornets (0-4, 0-2 NCMC) matched up pretty well with the host Spartans. Fulton outgained Moberly 209-192 in total yards, including a 172-152 edge in rushing yards.
But the Hornets' downfall came as a result of their own unforced errors. All three Fulton turnovers were returned for scores, while a Spartans kick return for a touchdown rounded out a contest in which 28 of their 55 points came without the offense on the field.
One way Fulton has resolved to clean up those miscues is to continue embracing its identity as a run-first offense. Senior running back Taeon Logan has eclipsed 100 yards rushing in three of four games this season, while junior wide receiver Zaylin McNeil has jumped in to help carry some of that load in the backfield. The emergence of this two-headed attack has coincided with that renewed emphasis on physicality by the Hornet offense.The rushing focus has also helped lift a Fulton offense that's had senior wide receiver Garrett Johnson starting under center in each of the last three games. Johnson left the Moberly game with an injury, meaning his availability and the Hornets' quarterback situation - as it has been most of the season - is uncertain heading into tonight's contest.
"Taeon and Zaylin have embraced their roles where predominantly we're a running team now," Barrow said. "We've gotten a lot better at passing, but still, the strength of our team now is probably our line and our running backs."
In Marshall (1-3, 0-1), Fulton faces an opponent that hopefully allows it to continue exploiting that strength up front. How? By utilizing some good old-fashioned ball control, a concept that all starts with how the Hornets choose to defend the Owls' pass-reliant offense.
Sophomore quarterback Ben Haug leads a Marshall offense that primarily shows a spread formation with an empty backfield. Haug had completed 56 percent of his passes (48-of-86) for 753 yards and eight touchdowns to four interceptions in three games this season.
Senior wide receiver Jaylen Varner leads the Owls with 19 catches for 306 yards (16.1 average) and two scores. Junior wide receiver Jace Lance is second with 13 receptions for 283 yards (21.8 average) and a team-high four touchdowns.
Marshall has less than 100 total yards rushing as a team on the season. All signs point to Fulton having to learn from its pass defense breakdowns against Kirksville in order to slow down the Owls' aerial assault. Chief among those fixes will be formation recognition and assignment discipline.
"Every now and then, Marshall has a guy lined up almost as a tight end off the ball or wing, but he's also another slot receiver," Barrow said. "They like to go quads a lot, they like to go empty a lot, so, basically, it's every formation of spreads that you can imagine, and we're going to have to rep everything this week."
If the Hornets can curtail the Owls' passing attack, they'll be in a good position to control the clock and leverage that rediscovered nastiness up front. Opponents average nearly 33 points per game against Marshall, meaning Fulton can just lean on the Owls' defensive line - primarily a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme depending on the situation - and potentially play its best defense by keeping Marshall's offense on the sidelines.
All of this can stem from a renewed dedication to physicality. Hopefully, it's an emphasis that sparks a second-half resurgence for the Hornets.
"I think that we did some pretty good things during the game (last week)," Barrow said. "We had some monumental mistakes that it seemed like each one made cost us a touchdown. We've just got to work on finishing our drives, finishing everything that we do, and eliminating those mistakes."
Related Media: Fulton Hornets Football Podcast [Marshall preview, Sept. 21, 2018]