HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Throughout preseason practice, Marshall Coach Mark Snyder often said the biggest surprise in training camp was the much-improved play of the defensive line.

"I think what was a liability for us last year might be a strength for us this year," Snyder said.

That, however, will depend on whether the Thundering Herd can stop the run. Snyder believes his team has the personnel and talent to pressure quarterbacks and, as a result, stop - or at least minimize -- the effects of the pass.

"The question for me right now that I have to get answered just a little bit is can we stop the run?" said Snyder, whose squad allowed opponents to run for 191 yards per game last year to rank seventh out of 12 Conference USA teams and 93rd out of 119 Division I-A teams in rushing defense.

"Now, I know we don't play in a running league, but still that would be my only issue right now. I think we'll get that steadied in the first couple of games (Illinois State at home and Wisconsin on the road)."

Marshall will welcome Illinois State to Edwards Stadium on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (WOWK) in the teams' season opener.

The Redbirds' running game will be a nice test for the Thundering Herd's defense.

Illinois State returns its second-leading rusher from last season and has a pair of Division I-A transfers to booster its backfield this season.

Junior tailback Geno Blow was the Redbirds' leading rusher until he broke his left hand in the ninth game last year. The injury ended his season and a five-game streak in which he rushed for at least 100 yards, including a career-high 167 against Northern Iowa. Blow finished with 776 yards and eight touchdowns on 143 carries.

His backups are seniors Parrish Fisher (Kansas State) and Walter Mendenhall (Illinois), who came to Illinois State from Bowl Championship Series programs.

Illinois State rushed for 199.5 yards per game last year. Also, Blow proved he can produce against Division I-A teams when he gained 116 yards on 21 carries in a 38-17 loss to Missouri last season.

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DON'T BE surprised if Marshall misses a few tackles against Illinois State.

It is one of the side effects of scaling back contact during training camp, which Snyder and his staff did in a mostly successful effort to keep their players healthy.

"Those are some of the things that me and (defensive coordinator Rick Minter) have discussed and have to live with early if we want to get into our first game healthy," Snyder said.

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IT TOOK Marshall 11 games to score a first-quarter touchdown last season.

If offensive coordinator John Shannon has anything to do with it, it won't take 11 minutes this season.

"We want to start fast and finish strong," said Shannon, who came to Marshall from Toledo in February and brought his I-back, no-huddle offense with him. "That's what you have to be able to do."

Opponents outscored the Thundering Herd 88-32 in the first quarter last season, when Marshall failed to score in the opening period in six of its 12 games.

So, how will Shannon make sure first-quarter futility isn't a problem for the Thundering Herd this year? Preparation.

"It's making sure you do a good job game plan-wise to make sure you know what they're going to do," Shannon said. "In any game, that first quarter is always about feeling them out. What are they doing? How are they different? What are we doing? How are we different? And just back and forth."

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HOOF BEATS: Marshall and Illinois State last played in 1984 (a 10-3 Thundering Herd road win). Marshall leads the series 3-1. Snyder's teams, however, are 2-3 against the Redbirds. He coached against Illinois State when he was an assistant at Youngstown State and Minnesota. ... In their preseason poll, Missouri Valley Conference coaches picked Illinois State to finish eighth in the nine-team league. The Redbirds' only preseason all-conference selection was senior free safety Tom Nelson.

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