HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Call them Abbreviations-R-Us, or maybe Initials Incorporated.

They are C.J. Spillman, T.J. Drakeford and D.J. Wingate, three of the four projected starters in Marshall's secondary.

They plan to make a name for themselves and their team this season.

"Our goal is to be first in the conference in pass defense," said Drakeford, whose initials stand for his first name, Tijah, which people mispronounced during his youth (it has a long I sound in the first syllable and a long A sound in the second syllable). "Actually, we want to have the top pass defense in the nation."

That would require quite a turnaround.

The Thundering Herd ranked sixth out of 12 Conference USA teams and 100th out of 119 NCAA Division I-A teams in pass defense last season, allowing 259.8 yards per game. Marshall also ranked 10th in the league and 110th in the nation in pass efficiency defense, compiling a 147.2 rating.

Opponents completed 253-of-396 passes (63.9 percent) for 3,118 yards with 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions last year.

Spillman thinks Wingate and Drakeford can increase the interception total by themselves this year.

"Their strengths are their speed and their knack for the ball," said Spillman, whose initials stand for Claude Jr. "That's something that they have a real niche for.

"They feel comfortable and they go and get the ball as opposed to sitting back and just letting it be thrown. They're going to attack the ball."

Not all of the blame for last season's poor pass defense falls on the cornerbacks and safeties. The defensive line didn't do the secondary any favors last year, producing only 13 sacks (12th in the league and 112th in the nation).

"The best pass defense in America is pass rush," said Marshall Coach Mark Snyder, whose team will open the season against Illinois State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (WOWK) at Edwards Stadium.

The Thundering Herd expects to pressure quarterbacks much more this season, thanks to the return of junior Albert McClellan; the development of juniors James Burkes and John Jacobs as well as sophomores Michael Janac and Johnny Jones; and the arrival of sophomores Brandon Bullock, Vinny Curry and Delvin Johnson.

"That defensive line is going to help us out more than you could imagine," said Wingate, whose initials stand for Darryl Jr. "I'm very confident those guys on the front line are going to put a lot of pressure on a lot of teams."

The fact remains that Marshall must contend with the pass-happy offenses in Conference USA, where all but three of its teams threw for more than 200 yards per game last season.

"Corner is a very, very valuable position on your team because you have to match up with all of the wideouts across the conference," defensive coordinator Rick Minter said.

The Thundering Herd lost more than three seasons' worth of experience in its secondary last month when junior Zearrick Matthews was injured and senior J.J. Johnson was dismissed. Matthews has 17 career starts; Johnson had 25.

"When we got back for camp, I would have never expected something like this to happen," said Wingate, a sophomore who played in seven games and started three as a true freshman last year. "But we're excited to get out there. We're going to have to play sooner or later. It's time to step up."

Redshirt freshman DeQuan Bembry, Drakeford and Wingate aren't worried about their inexperience. Neither is Minter.

"Those three kids," he said, "can all play."

And all are extremely confident, which is why they believe they can shut down the league's most prolific wide receivers, guys like Duke Calhoun of Memphis, Jamar Bryant of East Carolina, Jarett Dillard of Rice and Brennan Marion of Tulsa.

"It's going to be a challenge for us," Wingate said, "but we're up for that challenge."

It also helps that they can lean on Spillman, a senior who is a third-year starter at free safety.

"He's back there making the right reads and the right calls," Wingate said. "All we have to do is play. It really does help. It really takes a lot of pressure off us young guys."

Spillman led the team in tackles with 131 last season. He also leads the secondary by example, one his younger teammates want to emulate.

"I look up to C.J. a lot," said Drakeford, a redshirt freshman who came to Marshall from prep powerhouse Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C. "I watch everything he does and I go about things in practice and meetings just like he does -- watch film like this, practice like that, play like this."

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