 "Photo: Sholten Singer")
Cody Slate has played a lot of roles throughout his Marshall career. He’s been used as a tight end, a slot receiver, even a special teams ranger.
But now, with his senior day looming, he’ll be used simply as a coach.
Thundering Herd head coach Mark Snyder announced Tuesday that Slate will miss the remainder of the season due to an ACL tear in his right knee. He suffered the injury in the first quarter of Marshall’s 27-20 loss to Southern Miss last Saturday.
“He is such a great kid and a great leader,” Snyder said. “He told his mom yesterday, ‘I am the captain of this team. I am sticking around this team until the end’
“His fortitude has been unbelievable. I bet you will see him out there coaching his teammates.”
If Slate’s coaching reflects his playing, then reserve tight ends Lee Smith and Jamie Hatten seem to be in good shape. No. 85 leaves Marshall as the school’s all-time leader in catches (199), receiving yards (2,619) and touchdowns (23) among tight ends.
A rare combination of size (6-foot-4, 229 pounds) and speed (runs a 4.5 40-yard-dash), Slate has arguably been the most talented Herd player in Snyder’s tenure. He’s earned All-Conference USA honors in each of his three seasons and, in all likelihood, will make that a four-for-four feat when awards are announced at the end of this season.
Monday, the Chipley, Fla., native was named a John Mackey Award semifinalist. He leads the team with 50 receptions for 607 yards and four touchdowns.
“In my opinion, Cody Slate is the best receiving tight end in the country,” Smith said after Saturday’s game. “He’s irreplaceable as a player and as a person. His leadership on and off the field, his ability to make plays in clutch situations is irreplaceable.
“I’m just going to do my best trying to step up, try to help my team get through these last two games.”
Smith won’t “wow” fans with Slate-like breakaway speed or ankle-breaking cuts in the open field. Rather, he’ll use his burly 6-6, 267-pound frame to run through opponents with brute strength and bruise his way upfield.
Normally utilized for his superior blocking, Smith moved form the “U” tight end slot to the “X” position immediately following Slate’s injury and put on a six-catch, 77-yard performance against the Golden Eagles.
“The main thing I have to do is make sure we can stay with our offense,” Smith said. “It’s been pretty successful all year. We can’t let our offense change because Cody went down.
“I have to do my best to help my team, allowing us to stay in our same offense. I have to keep (Herd quarterback) Brian (Anderson) in his temperate zone. (We have to) keep running the same plays we’ve been running all year so we can continue to be successful and win these last two games.”
These last two contests have a lot riding on them. Saturday, Marshall (5-5, 3-3 C-USA) will get opportunity No. 3 to become bowl eligible when it takes on C-USA West Division leading SMU at 4:30 p.m. at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. If not successful, the Herd will have to conquer UTEP the following week in El Paso, Texas, a city where only one Herd athletic program (volleyball) has won since it joined C-USA in 2005.
And now those tasks must be accomplished without Slate — on the field.
“(Slate) is very important to bringing these guys along,” Snyder said of Smith and Hatten. “Lee Smith has been waiting his turn though ... A few times, when Cody was out at practice, we would put a young guy in named (freshman) Billy Mitchell at Cody’s spot, and Lee would look at me and say ‘Don’t think about it.’”
Smith, a junior, has made 13 catches for 161 yards this season. Hatten, a freshman, has caught two balls for 10 yards.
MARSHALL STILL UNCERTAIN: As for the Herd’s other hampered superstar, junior running back Darius Marshall did not practice Tuesday and his status for Saturday is still uncertain.
Marshall injured his ankle in the third quarter of the Herd’s tilt with Southern Miss and finished the contest on crutches.
“We will treat him (Tuesday) and see how he is (Wednesday),” Snyder said.
Marshall is second in C-USA in rushing with 1,054 yards.
Andrew Ramspacher can be contacted at ramspacher@marshall.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!