Marshall, despite having a wide receiver named Randy Moss, lost to Mississippi in the 1997 game, but beat Louisville in last year's game.
Brigham Young, meanwhile, has become one of the most familiar football programs in the nation under Edwards. During his 28 years, the Cougars have posted a 251-94-3 record that includes the national championship in 1984. The Cougars, unranked in the AP poll but listed as No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll, could have played in the Las Vegas Bowl. But that's being played this Saturday. Since this is exams week at BYU, the timing just wasn't right. So, when the Motor City Bowl folks called, BYU accepted their bid, knowing the dangers. "This was a chance to play in a dome, which we've never done before," Edwards said. "It means we don't have to worry about practice conditions. The other side, of course, is that Marshall is a terrific team." Actually, the Cougars faced the same situation last season when they accepted a berth in the Liberty Bowl. They paid for it, too. Tulane, like Marshall, was undefeated and featured a red-hot quarterback -- Shaun King. Tulane beat BYU 41-27 in that game."I'd probably feel different if I were younger," the 68-year-old Edwards said. "I'm at the point where if we win, it's because of mature leadership. If we lose, the game has passed us by."
Pruett, of course, knows that he is simply "the other coach" in this contest. But he, like Edwards, is secure. Pruett also knows the best way to build Marshall into a well-known program like BYU is to keep winning. "We're trying to get to where BYU is," Pruett said. "They've been to 22 bowl games. He's won 251 games." Pruett's not afraid of a challenge, either. This season, he took the Herd on the road and returned with a win against Clemson. Next season, Marshall will play Michigan State and North Carolina. "We're using this game just to see where we are," Pruett said. Marshall will be wearing the "home" team colors for this game. That should tell him something.
