— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The days of Marshall’s 2022 regular season are winding down and coach Charles Huff is reminding his players to make the most of the closing stretch.
The Herd hopes to heed Huff’s words on Saturday as Marshall plays its final regular season road game at Georgia Southern. The affair at Allen Paulson Stadium kicks off at 6 p.m. and will be shown by ESPN+.
“I’ve been telling the players that it’s time to invest in what’s important,” Huff said. “Maximize the days and do everything you can to have a good end to the season.”
Marshall (6-4, 3-3) is on a roll with a pair of solid wins over its last two outings — a 12-0 shutout at Old Dominion, followed by last week’s 28-21 home win over Appalachian State.
Georgia Southern (5-5, 2-4) played on Thursday last week and lost at Louisiana, 36-17. The Eagles are on a two-game losing skid.
Former Southern California head coach Clay Helton is in his first season coaching the Eagles. He compiled a 46-24 at USC.
Helton has transformed the Georgia Southern offense since his arrival in Statesboro, taking an attack that traditionally relied on the triple option into a spread offense that has emphasized the passing game. Eagles’ quarterback Kyle Vantrease has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 10 games so far this season.
Huff says Marshall’s nationally-ranked defense will get a big test on Saturday against the fifth best passing offense in the nation at 334 yards per game. The Eagles are also 17th nationally in total offense.
“They spread you out and force you to play in space,” Huff said. “It’s tough to tackle in space. Their pass game is really efficient.”
The Eagles attack won’t find it easy this week as Marshall’s defenders continue to stifle opponents, ranking No. 8 nationally in scoring defense, No. 9 in total defense, No. 3 in rush defense and No. 29 in pass defense.
“They really play to their defense,” Helton said. “Their young quarterback [Cam Fancher] does what they want him to do and they love to play low-scoring defensive games.”
Marshall has a 4-2 series lead in six previous meetings with Georgia Southern.
The last meeting took place in 1996 in Statesboro, Georgia, when Marshall came away with a 29-13 win on the way to a 15-0 record and second Division I-AA national title.