Marshall’s Mike Green (from left), TyQaze Leggs and JJ Roberts run back to the sideline after a senior day ceremony before the Thundering Herd met Louisiana-Monroe in a Sun Belt Conference football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.
Marshall’s A.J. Turner (5) runs the ball during a Sun Belt Conference football game against Georgia State on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.
Marshall’s Mike Green (from left), TyQaze Leggs and JJ Roberts run back to the sideline after a senior day ceremony before the Thundering Herd met Louisiana-Monroe in a Sun Belt Conference football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.
Marshall’s A.J. Turner (5) runs the ball during a Sun Belt Conference football game against Georgia State on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.
HUNTINGTON — There is no doubt that this week means more to the Marshall University football team, fan base and community than most, as the Thundering Herd welcomes Coastal Carolina for the annual “75†memorial game, a tag placed on the home game nearest to the anniversary of the plane crash on Nov. 14, 1970.
It’s the only time this season that Marshall will wear its black uniforms, including a helmet designed in part by former assistant coach Red Dawson. But it’s far from the first or the last time that the Herd will play with the 75 on its mind.
“We play every day for the 75. This game that’s coming up is just a remembrance for them,†Herd defensive lineman Mike Green said. “We kind of just have that mentality throughout the whole year. We’re playing for these 75 guys and girls for sure.â€
Marshall senior running back Ethan Payne said there’s a special feeling when taking the field on this week every year, though.
“People told me that [it would feel different] when I was a freshman, and I kind of looked at them like it probably wouldn’t, but it really did,†Payne said. “You feel like something’s with you when you run out the tunnel.â€
It’s an important game for Marshall, which enters the final three games of the season with conference championship aspirations. The Herd likely needs to win out in order for that to happen, and it faces a team this week that it hasn’t yet defeated in two meetings since joining the Sun Belt Conference.
“Two years in a row losing to them, I mean, you kind of got an edge to you, I’d say,†Marshall’s Logan Osburn said. “But you can’t be out of control with it, obviously. This week is gonna be critical.â€
The Chanticleers enter the weekend 5-4 with a 2-3 record in SBC play, fresh off a win over Appalachian State. Coastal’s offense is led by quarterback Ethan Vasko, who has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions this year, but also provides a running threat, with 337 yards and four scores to his credit.
The Chanticleers’ offense has undergone recent changes but is still just as dynamic, with coach Tim Beck serving as the primary play-caller after the dismissal of Travis Trickett as offensive coordinator three weeks ago.
“I think they’ve done a really good job, especially the last couple of weeks, as they’ve been through a transition, which I think has helped them,†Marshall coach Charles Huff said. “Typically the teams you play Week 10, 11 and 12, you’ve got 10 games that you can go back to and say, ‘Hey, this is what they do.’ This is like playing Game 3 for us.â€
The Herd has one of the top defenses in the league and held Southern Miss to just three points last week. Beck said Marshall’s pressure starts up front, but added that the Herd has playmakers at all three levels of the defense.
“Green is arguably the best player in the conference right now, the way he’s playing,†Beck said of the Herd’s pass rusher, who leads the league with 13 sacks. “They’re very well-coached. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. Obviously we’re going there for the ‘75’ game, and it’s going to be a big crowd again. We’ve got to lock arms and go to battle.â€
Marshall generated a season-high four takeaways in last week’s win over the Golden Eagles, which linebacker Landyn Watson said has been a point of emphasis by defensive coordinator Jason Semore over the past two games since the bye week.
“He definitely touched on our defense being a lot more productive in the turnover margin, giving our offense more opportunities to get the ball,†Watson said. “I feel like our offense is one of the best in the country, so our defense being able to get them more opportunities to go score and go put more points on the board is definitely something we’ve emphasized.â€
It’s the final home game of the regular season for the Herd, which has a chance to go unbeaten on its home turf for the first time since 2015. Marshall has lost only once at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in the past two seasons.
The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Luke Creasy is a sports reporter for HD Media. He can be reached by phone at 304-526-2800.