— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Two teams that have faced one another often in the past will do battle again Saturday when Marshall takes on East Carolina at 4 p.m. inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
The battle of old Conference USA rivals can be seen on ESPNU.
Both teams opened last Saturday. Marshall claimed a come-from-behind 21-17 win over Albany, while ECU lost at second-ranked Michigan, 30-3.
Marshall and ECU have met 16 previous times, with the Pirates winning 11. The teams most recent matchup came in 2021 when the Pirates rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit for a 42-38 win in Huntington.
The two programs also share a history centered around the November 14, 1970 Marshall football plane crash when 75 Marshall football players, coaches, administrators and fans were killed while a plane bringing the group back from a 17-14 loss at ECU crashed just short of the runway at Huntington’s Tri-State Airport. A memorial at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium memorializes the 1970 Marshall football team.
Here are three things to look for in Saturday’s game:
On the road again
Saturday marks East Carolina’s home opener for 2023 and the Pirates faithful will no doubt be ready to roar.
The atmosphere will be loud at Dowdy-Ficklen, but that is something that hasn’t much bothered the Thundering Herd under head coach Charles Huff. It was only a year ago that Marshall pulled one of the biggest upsets in program history at Notre Dame and the team’s late-season success last year included road wins at James Madison, Old Dominion and Georgia Southern.
Marshall quarterback Cam Fancher will be tested to run the Herd attack amidst the raucous ECU fanbase. The Herd’s offensive success likely starts with the ability to establish running back Rasheen Ali, which would then make Fancher’s job easier.
Attack the Pirate ship
Marshall’s defense has an opportunity to make a statement when the veteran unit faces inexperienced quarterbacks Mason Garcia and Alex Flinn.
Garcia is viewed as more of a passer, while Flinn can is a dual-threat. The pair combined for only 132 yards on 29 passing attempts in last week’s loss at Michigan, albeit against one college football’s most feared defenses.
The pair’s development is key for the Pirates’ hopes this fall as they try to replace one of the best quarterbacks in ECU history in Houston Ahlers. Inexperience could fall right into the hands of a Marshall defense that closed strong against the Great Danes. After allowing 14 third-quarter points, Marshall limited Albany to 49 yards on 18 fourth quarter plays. The Great Danes failed to convert all four third down attempts in the final frame. A late sack from senior Owen Porter ended any chance for Albany.
How the Pirates handle the heat they’ll face from the Herd will determine if they can move the ball better and find the end zone time for the first time this season.
Emotional affair
The plane crash links Marshall and ECU forever. When ECU plays in Huntington, members of the 1970 Pirates usually attend the game and visit the Marshall Crash Memorial in Huntington’s Spring Hill Cemetery. There is a memorial to the 1970 Marshall team outside of the entrance to the visitor’s locker room at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Red Dawson, an assistant coach on the 1970 Marshall staff, will be introduced at halftime of Saturday’s game.
The emotion is a concern for both coaches, and especially Huff, who says that the game’s significance has already been covered and the focus should be on what’s happening on the field.
Marshall has an advantage in experience at several key positions and Huff hopes his group has a business-like approach in Greenville that leads to a 2-0 record.
Notes
Last week’s win over Albany was the 600th in Marshall program history against collegiate opposition. This is MU’s 117th year of football, but the program dates back to 1895 when many games were played against semi-pro, YMCA or high school teams. Those non-collegiate games are not counted in Marshall’s all-time results. Marshall’s record against college teams is 600-539-35 … While Marshall plays at East Carolina, Joan C. Edwards Stadium won’t be empty. A Huntington-area high school football showdown takes place there Saturday between Cabell Midland and southern Ohio power Ironton … Marshall is off next week and returns to action September 23 when the Herd hosts Virginia Tech before an expected sellout crowd at Edwards Stadium.