Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch

As spring practices go, Marshall's recently concluded football drills were more uneventful than most.

With two notable exceptions.

Senior nose tackle Malik Thompson and senior running back Anthony Anderson did indeed have eventful spring practices.

Very eventful, in fact.

Thompson, for example, filled in at first-team nose tackle for Ryan Bee, who was sitting out after surgery, and was outstanding. So outstanding, in fact, Thompson is likely to remain at nose tackle, allowing Bee to move back to the three-technique defensive tackle spot he was supposed to occupy in the first place.

That helps create some much-needed depth at the defensive tackle positions.

"The guy definitely picked up where he left off during last season," said defensive tackles coach J.C. Price. "We kind of stunted his development a little bit. We had some injuries in our offensive line and we moved him over there. Then, we got decimated one year and lost all those tackles and he took one for the team and came back to defense.

"But by the middle of last season he really started coming on. He was playing his best ball in November and December. He had a hell of a bowl game. People don't realize how much he played in that bowl game and how much Ryan Bee did not play."

Then, the challenge in spring drills was for the 6-foot-6, 288-pound Thompson to pick up where he left off.

"Not only did he do that in spring practice," said Price, "he took another step. To me, he's a good player."

Particularly since Thompson is a senior.

"The most rewarding thing for a coach is when you see a senior playing his best ball," remarked Price. "And this guy is going to have one hell of a great senior year and leave here with great memories."

Meanwhile, the 6-2, 231-pound Anderson was performing like the guy everybody read about when he first arrived at MU two seasons ago.

"Right, right, right," said running backs coach Pepe Pearson. "He looks like that bigger back. He has great feet for a big guy. He has really good ball skills. He can block. He has all the tools you want in a running back and this spring he was able to show us the total package."

Which explains why Anderson is now a part of the Herd's offensive package.

"We have found a couple of different roles for him and he has embraced it all," said Pearson. "He looked great and did everything I asked, and the offensive coordinator really likes him, coach (Tim) Cramsey. So, we just wanted him to come out and see what he could do and show him that he's going to be an integral part of our offense."

Why, Anderson even was catching passes downfield.

"He has natural ball skills," said Pearson. "When we went to go get him from Iowa Western (Community College), that was one of the things I really liked about him. That's why I wanted to get him here. We're happy that he's gotten a chance to get past some injuries. And he has worked extremely hard in our weight program, and it's paying off."

It certainly did.

It allowed Anderson to reinvent himself to the point that he'll be a big part of what MU does on offense in 2018.

See how eventful Thompson and Anderson were?

Not bad for an otherwise not so eventful spring.