HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Even with Wisconsin next in line on its football schedule, there is no need to worry about Marshall overlooking Illinois State next week.

New Hampshire took care of that last season, when the Division I-AA Wildcats shocked the Division I-A Thundering Herd with a 48-35 win at Edwards Stadium in Huntington.

The Division I-AA Redbirds are just as capable of pulling off an upset, Thundering Herd Coach Mark Snyder said.

"I don't think we have that problem after what happened last year," Snyder said. "Our kids are pretty focused. They know they're a good I-AA team. Illinois State is solid. We'll have to come to play."

Snyder said Marshall's attention will turn to Illinois State on Thursday. The Thundering Herd began preseason practice on Aug. 5 and will end training camp Friday, a day earlier than expected.

Snyder doesn't want "dead-legged" players come Monday.

"Because of that very reason, I'm doing the rehearsal scrimmage Friday afternoon," he said. "I'm giving them 48 hours off for that very reason - to get their legs back."

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MARSHALL PLAYERS put the pads to each other Tuesday.

"We lived it up today," Snyder said. "We have to have some of those. We'll have two periods, as a matter of fact, Thursday where we'll live it up. That will be our last live contact until Illinois State.

"We stayed away from a lot more of the live stuff (this summer). The kids adjusted pretty good. They're trying to take care of each other."

The hitting provided some entertaining sights and sounds for press box onlookers who have watched the Thundering Herd practice with more caution and restraint this summer in an effort to stay healthy.

"We have stayed relatively healthy, which has been good," Snyder said. "We cut down on a lot of the taking-to-the-ground tackling. A lot more thud (tackling). I thought the kids adjusted to it pretty good, trying to protect each other."

Snyder also has taken another proactive measure by making his players stretch with industrial-sized rubber bands after practice under the guidance of Marshall's strength and conditioning staff. That also is a new approach this year.

"We have had a lot of hamstring problems (in the past)," he said. "It's an epidemic, groins and hamstrings, this time of year. We're trying what we call prehab. We don't call it rehab. We call it prehab. We're trying to forecast any problems we might have and try to nip it in the bud before they happen."

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THE TEAM will go through a special teams rehearsal practice in the second of two sessions at 3 p.m. today.

It is closed to the public, as is Friday's training camp-ending walk-through.

"It's not a scrimmage," Snyder said. "It's a mock game, more or less -- a special teams rehearsal practice."

Whatever he calls it, today's afternoon session should give Snyder and his staff a good look at how true freshman punter Kase Whitehead and junior kicker Craig Ratanamorn -- both first-year players who man pivotal positions -- react in certain situations.

Snyder, however, said the special teams rehearsal is for "everybody," not just Whitehead and Ratanamorn.

"It's going to be a game-like situation," Snyder said. "They're going to have to come off the sideline. We're going to have all kinds of situations for them. Everybody will have to be alert. It's not just Kase and Craig. It's going to be everybody."

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AMONG THOSE who missed practice Tuesday were senior linebacker Maurice Kitchens and senior defensive tackle Ian Hoskins, who don't appear to have serious injuries.

Also sidelined with minor ailments were redshirt freshman cornerback DeQuan Bembry, sophomore cornerback Tyrone Carper, sophomore cornerback Pete Culicerto, sophomore cornerback Stuart Lips and sophomore safety Kevin Perry, all of whom spent much of the afternoon working with the strength and conditioning staff.

Junior cornerback Zearrick Matthews (ankle) and junior wide receiver Chuck Walker (knee) remain on the disabled list, as they will for a few more weeks.

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TICKETS TO tonight's Paint the Capital City Green pep rally will be sold at the door for $35.

The 11th annual Charleston pep rally is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. at Embassy Suites Hotel.

Contact sports writer Jacob Messer at jacobmes...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.