Since Marshall rejoined Mid-American Conference in 1997, the Thundering Herd have won all three MAC titles. Right behind them in the MAC East each year has been Miami.

MIAMI at MARSHALL

• Kickoff: 7:05 p.m. today, Marshall Stadium (40,000), Huntington, W.Va.   • Records: Miami 5-4 (3-1 MAC East); Marshall 5-4 (4-0 MAC East).   • TV: None.   • Radio: WCKY-AM (1360), WMOH-AM (1450), WFMG-FM (101.3).   • Line: Marshall by 51/2.

        Though neither Marshall nor Miami is having a great season this year, today's game (7:05p.m.) at Marshall Stadium in Huntington, W.Va., will go a long way toward deciding the East title.

        Marshall comes in 5-4 overall and 4-0 in the East. Miami is 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the East. A win by Miami today would put the East in a three-way tie (Akron's also 3-1). If that happens and Miami, Marshall and Akron all win next week, Miami wins the East because it holds the tiebreaker.

        Marshall is not the team that went 13-0 last year and 50-4 over the last four years.

        “They're not untouchable,” Miami coach Terry Hoeppner said. “But they're still Marshall, and it's still Huntington.”

        Marshall has won three straight after losing back-to-back, non-division MAC games to Western Michigan (30-10) and Toledo (42-0). The loss to Western broke the Herd's 33-game home winning streak, the longest in the nation. The loss to Toledo was Marshall's worst since 1981.

        Obviously, the talent level has dipped. Chad Pennington, the first quarterback taken in last year's draft, is gone. He and Randy Moss are the big-name Marshall players in the NFL, but the Herd have placed a total of eight players on NFL rosters the last three years.

        The Herd pulled out victories over Akron and Bowling Green the last two weeks with dramatic fourth-quarter drives to take the lead in the MAC East.

        “This is a young football team,” Marshall coach Bob Pruett said. “We start three freshmen and four sophomores, and these comeback wins will add confidence to this team for years to come.”

        Byron Leftwich, Marshall's 6-foot-5, 230-pound sophomore quarterback, reminds Hoeppner of Daunte Culpepper of the Minnesota Vikings.

        “(Leftwich) can really hum it in there,” Hoeppner said. “He doesn't have the touch of Pennington, but he has a great arm.”

        Leftwich has completed 202 of 339 passes (59.6 percent) for 2,11 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has been intercepted nine times.

        The Herd lead the MAC and are 10th in the nation in passing offense. Miami comes into the game confident after coming back to beat Ohio University 27-24 last week.

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