Most of the attention surrounding Thursday night's game between Virginia Tech and Marshall has centered on Thundering Herd quarterback Byron Leftwich.

Hokies quarterback Bryan Randall has been a mere afterthought.

But Randall, who will make his first career start, may turn out to be every bit as important to the game's outcome as Leftwich, the strong-armed Heisman Trophy candidate.

Randall, a sophomore, will open the game in place of the hobbled Grant Noel, whose streak of 14 straight starts will come to an end on Thursday.

Spotlight On Marshall

Is Thursday night's showdown between No. 9 Virginia Tech and No. 17 Marshall the biggest game in the Thundering Herd's history? "I don't necessarily think so," said Marshall coach Bob Pruett. Who's he kidding? A victory would be monumental for a Marshall program that was playing in Division I-AA just seven years ago. The Thundering Herd has done much since stepping up a level to Division I-A, but it hasn't beaten a Top 10 team. Marshall gets its chance on Thursday against the Hokies in Blacksburg. Pruett spent much of a news conference on Monday downplaying the game's significance. "We look at the conference games as bigger games," said Pruett, who is 70-11 in seven seasons. "From the national prominence part of it, it's no bigger than when we played Michigan State or Florida." Only difference is that the Herd lost both of those games. They might beat the Hokies, although it won't be easy. In order to win, the Herd will have to control Virginia Tech's one-two tailback combination of Lee Suggs and Kevin Jones. Stopping the run hasn't been Marshall's forte of late. Last season, the Herd's run defense finished last in the MAC and 106th in Division I-A, allowing 217.8 yards per game. Virginia Tech is coming off a dominating 26-8 victory over defending SEC champion LSU. "They might have the best rushing team in the country," Pruett said. "It's a challenge. They sort of had their way with the SEC champion. That's strong. Hopefully, we can slow them down a little bit." Of course, Marshall has its own weapons, namely quarterback Byron Leftwich. Leftwich could move into the favorite's position for the Heisman Trophy with a strong outing in Thursday's nationally-televised game. Leftwich began the season by throwing for 469 yards and four touchdowns against Applachian State, but there are those that say the 6-foot-6, 240-pound senior fattens his statistics against lower level Division I-A competition. "They said that about Randy Moss and he's the best receiver in the NFL," said Pruett, referring to the former Marshall standout. "I think Byron is the best quarterback in college football right now." Leftwich will have his favorite target, junior receiver Darius Watts, available on Thursday. Watts, the MAC leader in 2001 with 91 receptions for 1,417 yards and 18 touchdowns, missed the opener with a shoulder injury. Even with Watts back, Pruett said the Herd are at a serious talent disadvantage against the Hokies. Of the 110 players on the Marshall roster, Pruett claims only three "were good enough to be offered scholarships by Virginia Tech." "We're just trying to get by Thursday," Pruett said. "We're hoping to compete for the conference championship and go to a bowl. Anything else that happens, happens." -- Jorge Milian

"I'm excited," Randall said. "It's what I've been looking forward to since I came to Tech...I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing."

Randall has replaced Noel in each of the ninth-ranked Hokies' opening two games. His duties have mainly revolved around putting the ball in the hands of tailbacks Lee Suggs and Kevin Jones, while throwing the occasional -- very occasional -- short pass.

In his two appearances, Randall has thrown the ball just 17 times. That's approximately the number of attempts Leftwich slings the ball in one quarter.

But the bottom line, as far as Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer is concerned, is that the 6-feet, 213-pound Randall has been mistake free.

"He's done well," Beamer said. "He's taken care of the football and he's thrown the ball well enough. I think he'll get a little better each and every week in that department. He's athletic. He can make some plays with his feet.

"We've been very pleased with Bryan Randall."

That was especially true during Virginia Tech's impressive 26-8 win over defending SEC champion LSU in Blacksburg on Sept. 1.

Randall entered the game in place of Noel with just over six minutes gone in the first quarter. He played the rest of the way, completing 5-of-9 passes for 47 yards while leading the Hokies on four scoring drives

Modest numbers for sure, except where it mattered most -- in the win column.

"It was kind of a learning experience in the first two games, and I tried to take care of the ball," Randall said. "Anytime you can move the ball, not make turnovers and help your team win, I think you're doing a good job."

Randall was somewhat of an unknown commodity entering the 2002 season. He played in eight games of mop-up duty last year, completing only 12-of-34 passes for 114 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.

Randall figured to be a backup again this season until Noel tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during spring practice. As a fifth-year senior with no eligibility remaining, Noel decided against surgery so that he could play this season.

But, the injury has hampered Noel. He was forced to leave the game against LSU after taking a hit and wasn't able to return. Noel has practiced on a limited basis this week and Beamer said he thinks the senior could play against Marshall if necessary.

It may only be necessary if Randall falters, a possibility neither quarterback nor coach is anticipating.

"I think I've shown I'm pretty comfortable," Randall said. "There's a big difference between me last year and me this year. I think I've shown I can go and move the football team."

Randall has gotten the attention of Marshall coach Bob Pruett.

"They haven't thrown it much because they've run the ball so well," Pruett said. "When you're knocking down everybody, why throw it up in the air? But, I think he's very capable of throwing it. We can't throw everybody up there on the line. We're going to have to respect him."

The game has special meaning for Randall. He spent the first nine years of his life in Charleston, W. Va., not far from Marshall's homebase in Huntington.

But, Beamer doesn't think that fact or the national television cameras will adversely affect Randall's concentration on Thursday.

"Bryan's personality, I haven't seen him excited," Beamer said. "He's always in control of things. That's why he's gone into games and done a pretty good job. He's in control of himself, he's a smart guy and knows what's going on. The more he plays the better he'll get and he's been pretty good in the first two."

Around the Big East

Boston College
Derrick Knight came off the bench to spark an Eagles' comeback win for the second week in a row. After starting tailback Horace Dodd fumbled at the Stanford 4, Knight entered and rushed 21 times for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns in BC's 34-27 victory. Knight's 12-yard touchdown run with 36 seconds was the decisive score. Dodd did not play after his fumble. ... The Eagles got a strong effort from their defense which registered five sacks, forced three turnovers and held Stanford to 80 yards of total offense in the second half. ... Junior fullback J.P. Comella left the game with a cracked rib on his left side. BC coach Tom O'Brien predicted Comella would be "out awhile." ... Quarterback Brian St. Pierre, who threw three interceptions against Stanford, has been picked off four times this season after throwing only 10 interceptions all of last year.

Miami
Wide receiver Andre Johnson had shoulder surgery Monday and will miss Saturday's game at Temple. ... Santonio Thomas, a backup defensive lineman, is out for the year with a torn pectoral muscle. ... Tailback Willis McGahee's 204 rushing yards in the 41-16 victory against Florida was the fourth-highest total in school history. ... Quarterback Ken Dorsey threw three interceptions for the third time in 29 career starts. Dorsey made up for it with four touchdown passes. He's thrown three or more touchdown passes 14 times in his career. ... Kicker Todd Sievers had a big day against the Gators, accounting for 11 points. Included among Sievers' two field goals was a 53-yarder, the second longest in Big East history behind a 54-yarder kicked by Pittsburgh's David Merrick during the 1994 season. Five of Sievers' eight kickoffs were not returned. ... Miami has won 12 straight games away from the Orange Bowl and has the nation's best record on the road since 1983 (79-19).

Pittsburgh
It will take the Panthers some time to forget about the 14-12 loss to visiting Texas A&M. Pittsburgh was penalized twice for illegal shifts after its first touchdown, forcing kicker J.B. Gibboney to attempt the extra point three times. He made the first two, but missed the third. That forced the Panthers to go for a two-point try following their second touchdown. Quarterback Rod Rutherford's pass intended for Larry Fitzgerald missed its target and Pittsburgh lost for the first time in eight games. "It was a tough game to lose," said Pitt coach Walt Harris. ... Fitzgerald finished the game with 10 receptions for 103 yards. ... Rutherford, the target of boos, played well in the second half after struggling early. Rutherford completed 16-of-22 passes for 143 yards in the third and fourth quarters. ... Tailback Raymond Kirkley, who started the opener, did not play against the Aggies.

Rutgers
Another game, another forgettable night for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights followed their season-opening loss to Division I-AA Villanova with a 34-11 rout by I-A doormat Buffalo. The Bulls, which allowed 508 yards and 37 points to Division I-AA Lehigh last week, held Rutgers to 221 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown. "The long and the short of it is that it's on me," said coach Greg Schiano. ... The Scarlet Knights ran 34 times for only 55 yards and committed 12 penalties for 118 yards. ... Senior quarterback Ted Trump made his first career start and it wasn't pretty. Trump, subplanting sophomore Ryan Cubit, completed only 16-of-38 passes for 166 yards and three interceptions. Trump was also sacked three times. ... Tailback Markis Facyson sat out the second half with a sprained ankle after rushing 10 times for 42 yards in the first half.

Syracuse
Quarterback R.J. Anderson struggled for the second straight week in the 30-22 loss to North Carolina. Anderson completed only 4-of-11 passes for 71 yards. Anderson threw his third interception in 25 attempts this season after being picked off only twice all of last season. ... Syracuse is 0-2 for the second straight season. The Orangemen rebounded to win 10 of its last 11 games in 2001. ... Jamel Riddle had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown called back by a penalty for an illegal block. ... Referee Gerry Bram, who had a heart attack during Syracuse's 44-30 win against East Carolina last year, participated in the pregame coin toss.

Temple
Sophomore quarterback Mike McGann threw three interceptions for the second straight week and completed only 13 of 34 passes for 99 yards. ... The Owls were forced to play without receiver Sean Dillard, who was sidelined with a knee injury. ... Defensive lineman Dan Klecko returned after sitting out the opener. ... Temple's history against Miami has been nearly all bad. The Owls haven't beaten the Hurricanes since the first meeting in 1934. Siince the teams joined the Big East, Temple has allowed Miami an average of 44.8 points.

Virginia Tech
The Hokies are 5-2 all-time against Marshall, but the teams haven't played since the 1953 season. ... Va. Tech has won 18 of its last 20 home games. ... Beamer said starting defensive end Jim Davis "will be available" for Thursday's game despite an ankle injury. ... The Hokies have limited opponents to 4-for-27 (14.8 percent) on third-down conversions. ... All-Big East cornerback Ronyell Whitaker will play for the first time this season after serving a two-game suspension.

West Virginia
Tailback Avon Cobourne gained 79 yards on 18 carries, but 39 of those yards came on his final carry with only 1:20 remaining in the 34-17 loss to Wisconsin. ... Sophomore Miquelle Henderson caught five passes for 106 yards. ... The Mountaineers are 10-0-1 all-time against Cincinnati. The Mountaineers are 3-0 in games played at Cincinnati. ... Coach Rich Rodriguez indicated that the punting job is open. Mark Fazzolari, the team's regular punter, will have to fend off kicker Todd James.

Around the MAC
Akron cannot find a ground game. After rushing for only 67 yards in a 57-21 loss to Iowa last week, Akron managed just 82 yards in a 44-14 loss to Maryland on Saturday. ... Quarterback Charlie Frye threw three interceptions against the Terrapins. The sophomore was picked off six times all of last season. ... Ball State opened the season with a 41-6 loss to Missouri in Columbia. "It was a case where we had five turnovers and they didn't have any," said coach Bill Lynch. ... Tailback Marcus Merriweather topped 100 yards for the eighth time in the past 10 games. Merriweather had 115 yards on 26 carries, but lost two fumbles.... Ball State is now 0-26 all-time against teams from BCS conferences. ... The Cardinals play their home opener against instate rival Indiana State on Saturday. "There's so many guys from both teams that played against each other in high school," Lynch said. "There's some bragging rights there. This is a big game for both teams." ... Bowling Green hosts Missouri on Saturday at Doyt Perry Stadium. BGSU defeated the Tigers last year, 20-13, in the season opener at Columbia. "It's going to be electric," said Falcons coach Urban Meyer. "It's going to be one of the biggest games ever in this stadium." ... The Tigers are the first Big 12 team to play at Bowling Green since Iowa State in 1977. ... The Falcons are looking to start 2-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1975 and 1976. ... BGSU has won four straight games, its longest streak since winning nine straight games in 1994. ... Buffalo Freshman Aaron Leeper got his first start in place of the injured Marquis Dwarte and rushed 34 times for 153 yards in a 34-11 upset of Rutgers at Rutgers Stadium. ... The win was Buffalo's first in four games against a Big East foe. "This is a terrific victory for our football program," said Buffalo coach Jim Hofher. ... After struggling in the opener last week against Lehigh, quarterback Randall Secky bounced back to complete 18-of-34 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. ... Central Michigan improved to 2-0 for the first time since 1986 with a 32-20 victory over Mountain West foe Wyoming. Quarterback Derrick Vickers threw for 361 yards and completed a school-record 28 passes while Robbie Mixon added 150 rushing yards on 37 carries. That led an offensive explosion that totaled 529 yards. ... Mike Gruzwalski tied a school record with four field goals. ... Coach Mike DeBord said he hopes to have starting running back Terrence Jackson back for the Boston College game on Sept. 28. Jackson has been sidelined by a knee injury. ... Dating back to last season, Eastern Michigan has allowed 56 points or more in its last three games. That included Saturday's 65-13 loss to Toledo. ... Quarterback Jeff Crooks threw four first-half interceptions. The Eagles committed six turnovers overall and Toledo turned each into a touchdown.. "You can't do that against an average team, but against a great team, it will kill you," said coach Jeff Woodruff. ... Crooks' interceptions cost him the starting job for Saturday's game against Southeast Missouri State. Senior Troy Edwards will open the game. ... Kent State was outmatched by Ohio State, during a 51-17 loss to the Buckeyes. ... Quarterback Joshua Cribbs contributed 254 yards of total offense, but threw a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. Cribbs partially redeemed himself by throwing a pair of touchdown passes. "We came into this game with high hopes," said Cribbs, who last year became the first Division I-A freshman to throw and run for 1,000 yards. (But) we just made too many mistakes." ... Coach Dean Pees said he hopes starting tailback David Alston (ankle) can play for the first time this season on Saturday against Cal-Poly. ... Marshall is 1-1 against Big East teams since the conference was formed in 1991. The Herd lost to West Virginia 42-31 in 1997 and shut out Temple 34-0 in 1999. ... Marshall is 2-5 all-time against Virginia Tech, but the teams haven't played since 1953. ... The Herd is 9-1 in games played following a nine-day layoff during the Bob Pruett era. The only loss was a 20-15 defeat to North Carolina during the 2000 season. Marshall hasn't played since opening the season against Appalachian State on Aug. 31. ... Miami narrowly missed a second straight upset of a BCS-affiliated school by losing to Iowa, 29-24. Miami beat North Carolina last week to open the season. ... Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a huge day, completing 33-of-51 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns. A pair of touchdown throws to Michael Larkin, a second cousin of Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, were negated by penalties. ... Iowa's visit to Yager Stadium was the first by a Big Ten team in Miami's 114-year history. ... Northern Illinois suffered two losses last week. The first was a 37-6 rout at the hands of South Florida. The second was the announcement by coach Joe Novak that tailback Thomas Hammock, a 1,000-yard runner the past two seasons, is undergoing a series of medical tests that caused him to miss the South Florida game. Novak would not disclose the nature of the tests or when Hammock might return, but published reports said a cardiac condition may end his career. Hammock accompanied the team to Florida, but did not dress out. Hammock, a 5-8, 211-pound senior, ran for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Huskies' 42-41season-opening win over Wake Forest. ... NIU avoided being shut out for the first time in 31 games when back-up quarterback Ryan Gilbert threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Sam Hurd on the game's final play. ... Ohio lost its eighth consecutive game, getting blown out by Division I-AA Northeastern, 31-0, at home. Ohio contributed to its own misery by committing four turnovers that led to three Northeastern touchdowns. ... Toledo scored 52 unanswered points against Eastern Michigan to win for the 25th time in its last 28 games. The 65-13 victory marked the most points the Rockets have scored in a MAC game. ... Toledo's 48 first-half points matched a school-record originally set in 1951. ... After two easy home victories to start the season, the Rockets play three of their next five games on the road. First up is a trip to Minnesota on Saturday as well as road encounters against Pittsburgh (Sept. 28) and UCF (Oct. 19). ... Toledo is 4-3 in its last seven games against Big Ten opponents and have won two in a row. ... Starting defensive end Frank Ofili did not play because of an elbow injury. ... The worst news in UCF's 46-13 loss to Arizona State was the bruised ribs suffered by quarterback Ryan Schneider. Schneider was carted off the field after completing only 7-of-24 passes for 150 yards. It was the fewest completions for Schneider since his first career game and his worst completion percentage. ... The Knights have a week off, then play the first conference game in school history against Marshall on Sept. 20. ... Center Mike Mabry was ejected and will not be allowed to play against Marshall. ... Western Michigan coach Gary Darnell continued to rotate his quarterbacks in the 35-12 loss to Michigan. Jon Drach started again and completed 6-of-12 passes for 50 yards and an interception. Chad Munson hit 15-of-25 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, giving him five TD passes for the season. Both of Munson's touchdown passes went to Jermaine Lewis, a converted safety, who finished with seven catches for 61 yards. ... After managing only 73 rushing yards on 30 carries as a team in the opener against Indiana State, running back Philip Reed gained 94 yards on 14 carries against Michigan's stout defense. Reed may have gained 100 yards, but was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter after a jarring hit by Wolverine cornerback Marlin Jackson. Reed said he bruised his ribs and shoulder, but declared himself ready for Saturday's game at Purdue.

Jorge Milian covers college football for the Palm Beach Post.