— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A visit to Huntington from Virginia Tech and road trips to North Carolina State and East Carolina highlight the non-conference portion of Marshall’s 2023 football schedule, which was released in full Friday by the Sun Belt Conference for all of its members.
“We are excited as we prepare for the opportunity to play all of our opponents this upcoming season and we are going to need everyone on this journey with us,” Marshall head coach Charles Huff said. “This is the toughest schedule Marshall has had in a long time, so Herd Nation, we are going to need you. Everyone is going to have to do their part in order for us to achieve our goals.”
Marshall opens the 2023 season September 2 at home against FCS opponent Albany. The Herd was originally scheduled to play Central Connecticut in the opener, but that game was bought out by Central Connecticut, which replaced the Marshall with one at Kent State.
Half of the Herd’s home portion of the schedule will be played in September, highlighted by a September 23 visit from the Hokies.
The next week, Marshall hosts Old Dominion in the Herd’s Sun Belt opener. Marshall’s lone road game in the opening month comes in Week 2 at East Carolina on September 9. The Herd’s only bye week of the season follows.
Marshall will spend a lot of time on the road in October with games at North Carolina State, Georgia State and Coastal Carolina. The Herd’s lone October home game is against James Madison on Thursday, October 19, a game likely to be placed televised nationally.
The November schedule is balanced with two home games and two road contests. The road games are at Appalachian State and South Alabama, while Georgia Southern and Arkansas State visit Joan C. Edwards Stadium that month.
The Georgia Southern game set for November 11 will be the contest where 75 victims of the 1970 Marshall Football plane crash will be remembered.
“How we manage this schedule will greatly impact the outcome of all of our games,” Huff said. “Between myself and our administration, we have to look at the best road map for this schedule in order to see the level of success that we expect.”
Marshall Athletic Director Christian Spears is urging Herd fans to be involved with their team both at home and on the road.
“We are excited to host six home games, including a storied Power Five opponent at Joan C. Edwards Stadium,” Spears said. “We are absolutely going to need every single Marshall fan to find their way to the Joan.
“One of the biggest factors in that championship equation is our tremendous fanbase. We need our fans there to make that happen.”
Marshall is coming off a 9-4 season in which the Thundering Herd won five games to end the 2022 campaign, including a victory in the Myrtle Beach Bowl over Connecticut.
Huff’s team opens spring practice March 27 and will wrap up spring drills with a Green-White scrimmage on April 22 at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
MARSHALL 2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
9/2 — Albany
9/9 — at East Carolina
9/23 — Virginia Tech
9/30 — Old Dominion*
10/7 — at NC State
10/14 — at Georgia State*
10/19 — James Madison*
10/28 — at Coastal Carolina*
11/4 — at App State*
11/11 — Georgia Southern*
11/18 — at South Alabama*
11/25 — Arkansas State*
*denotes Sun Belt Conference game