HUNTINGTON — Marshall played its annual football spring game on Saturday and got a resounding win for fans of the color Green — 41-0 over the White team.
Quarterbacks Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Zion Turner and JacQai Long split reps at quarterback for the Thundering Herd. Marshall coach Tony Gibson said that while Del Rio-Wilson has separated himself in recent weeks, competition remains between those three for the starting job.
“I thought Carlos did really good things. He moved the ball on a lot of scoring drives,†Gibson said. “But we still have a lot of work to do. We have a couple more weeks of the semester, so we’re not going to stop now. We’re going to keep pushing forward.â€
The Green team pitched a shutout while the combined defense picked off five passes, recorded plenty of tackles for loss and had multiple stretches with players recording consecutive solo tackles in a single drive.
There are two sides to that coin. One is that the defense looks phenomenal. The other is that there are turnovers and other offensive aspects to improve upon.
“It’s been a long, hard spring,†Gibson said. “So it was good today to see what we could do with coaches off the field. Impressed with some things. We turned the ball over way too much, in my opinion. A couple of tipped throws. Defensively, the Green team did a great job of taking advantage of those.â€
Gibson said that the Green team saw a majority of players that will see major game reps once fall comes.
“The staff and myself wanted to let these guys out and have some success today,†Gibson said. “Start playing and jelling together. There are guys on the White team that will play — no question about it. We needed to put them in situations to see how they would do against the 1s. It’s been good-on-good, so it was good to see that today. Those guys made a couple of plays.â€
As for the offense, Del Rio-Wilson and Turner both showed flashes. Del Rio-Wilson had seven rushes for 21 yards and a touchdown while completing 5 of 7 passes for 113 yards.
“I determined it in my head that I was going to treat this like a real game,†Del Rio-Wilson said. “I came out there with the mentality that the White team was another team, honestly. I wanted to perform and showcase my talent. That’s what I did.â€
Turner had four carries for 51 yards while completing 4 of 5 passes for 73 yards with one interception.
“Carlos has had a really, really good two weeks,†Gibson said. “He’s kind of separated himself, and he’s doing good things. The competition is still open. I’m not naming a starting quarterback right now. Him, Zion and JacQai are all guys that are going to battle.
“We threw some young guys in that got their first reps. It was good to see them in live action. Sometimes, you can’t get a read if you’re not live. I wanted the heat on them.â€
The spring game festivities were split into two halves, one half of football and a second half spent honoring alumni — Ahmad Bradshaw drawing a standing ovation upon his introduction — and allowing fans to take photos and get autographs on the field.
Jalen Slappy had a line for photos and autographs that could’ve spanned the entire field. He enjoyed the vibe and calls the experience one unlike anything he has had at Marshall.
“I’ve never done anything like this, but I like it,†Slappy said. “I love the fan interactions and I love the fans. Everybody knows that at Marshall, the fans are everything. The community comes to the games, they donate. I love it here.â€
Del Rio-Wilson started at quarterback for the Green team and his mobility immediately had an impact with a first down on his first carry. He, Antwan Roberts and Jo’Shon Barbie had multiple moments of explosiveness.
The Green team totaled 180 rushing yards on 30 carries. Roberts is returning this season after a knee injury in 2024.
“He ran the ball hard a couple of times, and it was really good to see him step up and do that,†Gibson said of Roberts. “He wasn’t scared on that knee, so I was really proud of him for that.â€
A throw from Del Rio-Wilson to Toby Payne for a 27-yard first down set up a kick for Rece Verhoff. The Green team led 3-0 with 11:12 left in the first.
The second defensive drive for Green was all Javae Gilmore. He recorded a tackle for a loss of 3 yards to spark a stretch of four straight solo tackles.
He finished the game with four tackles, two for a loss, and a sack.
“Yes sir, I did,†Gilmore said of taking over. “I just went into that mode. You gotta go get it, chase the ball around and build motion on the field, man.â€
Ball back in hand, Roberts exploded for a gain of 24 before Del Rio-Wilson connected on consecutive passes to bring the ball inside the 5-yard line. Roberts did the rest, scoring from the 1 to make it 10-0.
Boogie Trotter began to take over in the next defensive stand with an interception. By the end of the game, he had two tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups. One of his interceptions went for a 48-yard touchdown.
“It was a great day. We’ve been preparing all spring,†Trotter said. “Coach has been giving us the details of every coverage. I caught a pick-six today. Coach has told me all week that they will come to the boundary. When I saw him turn, I went ahead and took off, and next thing you know, I’m in the end zone. Really just preparing. I prepared all week, and it helped me play good today.â€
Turner took reps at quarterback and showed the comfort he has with a Rod Smith-coordinated offense as a transfer from Jacksonville State. He found Tracy Stephens in the red zone before the Herd ran a double-reverse for a Sherone White Jr. touchdown of 15 yards. The Green lead ballooned to 17 after a quarter.
Trotter recorded his two pass breakups and his pick-six in the span of six game minutes in the following drives.
“He made a really good play on the quick game against the RPO,†Gibson said of the interception return. “He made one hell of a play. Obviously, it’s points on the board. Good to see.â€
Turner later added a 28-yard touchdown run after a 4-yard TD from Del Rio-Wilson. Verhoff connected on a 35-yard kick as time expired to close action.
Announced attendance was more than 10,000.
Up next is the spring transfer portal window opening and the potential outcomes of the House v. NCAA settlement. Gibson said his staff will meet with each player individually in the coming days.
