NC State football will take the field against the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Carter-Finley Stadium after losing to the Louisville Cardinals last week.
This weekend’s matchup will mark the sixth meeting between these two teams. The Wolfpack currently holds a 5-0 lead in the all-time series with the most recent matchup being a 37-20 victory at Marshall during the 2018 season.
Under the leadership of head coach Charles Huff, the Herd has made waves over the course of the past few seasons with multiple impressive victories. Last season, it took down Notre Dame on the road and defeated Appalachian State in a close game. Marshall finished the 2022 season with a 9-4 record.
So far this season, Huff and the Herd are off to an impressive 4-0 start. With wins against East Carolina and Virginia Tech, Marshall has shown its ability to compete with teams from larger conferences.
So far, the team has improved on the offensive side of the ball, averaging 29.25 points per game compared to 24.46 last season. On the defensive end, the Thundering Herd allows an average of 20.5 points per game, which is slightly more than last season in which it allowed a staggeringly low 16 points per contest.
The Marshall defense should prove to be a formidable opponent for the Pack this weekend. In terms of passing defense, the unit ranks second-best in the country by only allowing 142.8 yards through the air per game. It has benefitted from the presence of defensive back Micah Abraham, who leads the team with two interceptions in 2023, both at East Carolina.
In addition to the Herd’s strong defense, the red-and-white’s offense will be under significant pressure to perform well due to the change at quarterback this week. Head coach Dave Doeren named sophomore quarterback MJ Morris the starter over graduate signal-caller Brennan Armstrong.
Currently, the Wolfpack’s passing game leaves much to be desired. The unit has struggled significantly so far, averaging just 194.2 yards per game. In order to amend this issue, NC State will not only turn to Morris but to the receivers such as freshman Kevin Concepcion and sophomore Terrell Timmons, Jr., who have both shown promise this season.
Meanwhile, NC State will look to attack the Herd’s run defense. The red-and-white’s running game has not been able to find production outside of Armstrong. The Pack will look to capitalize on the abilities of sophomore running back Michael Allen and freshman Kendrick Raphael, who have both shown flashes of talent when it comes to running the ball.
The Marshall defense currently allows 193.8 rushing yards per game. However, the Herd boasts a solid duo of Sam Burton and Owen Porter on the defensive line. On the season, both have recorded at least 3.5 sacks and 15 tackles each. The Pack will also have to control the presence of linebacker Eli Neal, who holds a team-high 27 total tackles and also has 1.5 sacks to his name.
On the other side of the ball, the NC State defense will look to build off of a strong performance last week against Louisville. The unit has done well in terms of forcing interceptions, forcing at least one in each game of the season except one.
The Pack’s defense will be tasked with containing Marshall quarterback Cam Fancher. The freshman has had a solid year for the Herd, totaling 890 passing yards and four touchdown passes along with 162 yards on the ground over four games. Over the course of the season, he has distributed the ball fairly evenly among three different targets.
Finally, the Pack’s run defense has proven to be the strongest link on the team, allowing just 95.6 yards on the ground per game. With the presence of a strong linebacking core and defensive line, NC State has been successful in making the opposing team more one-dimensional.
Last week against Louisville, the red-and-white only allowed 20 yards on the ground. Graduate linebacker Payton Wilson and redshirt sophomore safety Sean Brown will look to replicate their performances from last week in which both tallied more than eight tackles.
After a rather frustrating game last week against Louisville, the Pack will look to flip the script against a dangerous Marshall squad. The addition of Morris under center may help guide the team to a win in its last non-conference game of the season.
Kickoff against the Thundering Herd is slated for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The game will be televised on the CW Network.
