Saturday, the App State Mountaineers will travel to Huntington, West Virginia to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd.
The Mountaineers did not play last weekend after the Liberty game was canceled due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
The Mountaineers come into this game with a 2-2 overall record, having lost to South Alabama two weeks ago 48-14. After the loss to the Jaguars, head coach Shawn Clark was critical of himself, and the team as a whole.
“That’s not App State football, that falls directly on the head football coach, and the assistant coaches, but I know what our teams are made of and I know we will correct it and move on,” Clark said.
App State’s secondary has been a point of contention in the last few weeks. The Mountaineers defense has allowed more than 450 yards in half of their games this season, and have allowed more than 14 points in the first quarter three times this year. The Mountaineers rank second to last in the Sun Belt Conference in yards allowed per game, and last in points allowed per game.
On top of the defensive woes the Mountaineers’ offense has turned the ball over eight times in four games.
Marshall comes into this matchup with a 2-2 record, and off a win against Western Michigan. The Thundering Herd are led by quarterback Stone Earle. The transfer from North Texas has thrown for 537 passing yards and 7 touchdowns in four games. Running back A.J. Turner leads their rushing efforts averaging 12.6 yards a carry.
On the defensive side of the ball for Marshall, they are led by defensive lineman Mike Green. Green leads the team with 4.5 sacks, and has 27 total tackles on the season. Marshall’s defense ranks No. 4 in the Sun Belt in points allowed per game, and No. 6 in yards allowed per game.
More likely than not, the Mountaineers’ defense will struggle to keep up with Marshall’s run game, as they gave up 320 rushing yards against South Alabama. In a similar vein, the offense also could struggle, as Marshall has only allowed 175.8 passing yards a game this season, ranking second out of Sun Belt schools.
The game will kick off at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia at 3:30 p.m on Saturday, and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
