Marshall wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick (16) celebrates with teammate Chuck Montgomery (10) following a touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 in Huntington.
Marshall wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick (16) celebrates with teammate Chuck Montgomery (10) following a touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 in Huntington.
Marshall defensive lineman Mike Green, who was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award this week, is the first Thundering Herd defensive player to record double-digit sacks in a single season since Vinny Curry did so in 2011. Curry had 11 in his final season at Marshall before being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Draft. Green has already surpassed that total with three games remaining in the regular season. His 13 sacks are tied for first in FBS.
MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s helmets for the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œ75ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ game have changed a little bit every year, but thereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a special touch this season. The memorial fountain appears on the front bumper and the date of the Southern Airways Flight 932 crash on the back bumper, with a Young Thundering Herd logo on each side of the helmet. Former Marshall assistant coach Red Dawson, whose final year on staff was the first season after the crash, helped design it, a gesture that carries a lot of weight for the players that will wear it Saturday.
MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Payne brothers, running back Ethan and tight end Toby, have continued to be key pieces of the offense for the Thundering Herd in 2024, and were difference-makers last week at Southern Miss. Ethan broke free for a 36-yard touchdown en route to a 104-yard effort in the win, and Toby caught his fourth touchdown of the season on a 18-yard yard pass from Braylon Braxton in the second half.
In place of an injured Rece Verhoff, Herd kicker Nathan Totten made three of five field goals, to go along with four extra points, in a win at Southern Miss. He accounted for 13 points and handled both kickoff and placekicking duties for the first time in his college career, logging six touchbacks on as many kickoffs in Hattiesburg. VerhoffÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s availability for Saturday remains up in the air.
Christian FitzpatrickÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s 69-yard catch on the first play from scrimmage last week was his longest for the Herd, but not the longest of his career. Last year with Michigan State, he caught a 72-yard pass from Noah Kim in the season opener against Central Michigan. Kim is now the backup quarterback at Coastal Carolina.
The Marshall defense is plus-four in the turnover margin this season and have generated at least two takeaways against four opponents this season: Ohio State, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Southern Miss. The Herd forced a season-high four turnovers by the Golden Eagles. It was the first time since the win over the Mountaineers that Marshall finished with more takeaways than turnovers.
Coastal Carolina game notes
The Chanticleers enter SaturdayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s matchup off two extra days of rest after defeating Appalachian State at home on Nov. 7. The win was Coastal CarolinaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s first since firing offensive coordinator Travis Trickett after a loss to Louisiana on Oct. 19.
ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s just CoastalÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s third-ever meeting with the Thundering Herd, against which the Chanticleers are 2-0 since Marshall came into the Sun Belt.
Coastal coach Tim Beck took over as the offensive play-caller two weeks ago, and the Chanticleers have split those two games. Beck admitted that he might have bitten off more than he could chew, despite having a long history as a former offensive coordinator before becoming a head coach, and the offensive play-calling is now more of a group effort involving Beck and CoastalÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s run-game and pass-game coordinators.
With last weekÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s win, the Chanticleers snapped their longest losing streak in five seasons as Coastal ran for 203 yards and four touchdowns, highlighted by Braydon BennettÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s career-high three scores on nine carries for 88 yards. Bennett has 23 career rushing touchdowns and is tied for fifth on the all-time Coastal rushing touchdowns list with former teammate Reese White.
Redshirt sophomore Clev Lubin had a breakout game against Appalachian State with 10 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble in the winning effort, which was enough for him to be named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
A loss would eliminate Coastal Carolina from the race to the top of the Sun Belt East Division after dropping three of its first five league games. Georgia Southern and Marshall remain the front-runners with three games left in the regular season, but James Madison and Old Dominion, who play each other this week, are also in contention. Elsewhere in the Sun Belt, Louisiana can clinch the West Division with a victory Saturday.
The Chanticleers defense has come up big with a plus-seven turnover margin. Coastal has forced and recovered eight fumbles, and returned three of those for touchdowns, and six Chants have an interception. When its defense has finished with multiple takeaways, Coastal is a perfect 4-0 this season.
Luke Creasy is a sports reporter for HD ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥. He can be reached by phone at 304-526-2800.
