— By Bill Cornwell
Marshall has dropped consecutive games to North Carolina State, Georgia State and James Madison.
The Herd (4-3, 1-2 hopes to avoid a fourth straight setback at 6 p.m. Saturday when it plays at Coastal Carolina in a Sun Belt Conference contest.
Ending the streak won’t be easy as the Chanticleers have gained recent momentum with consecutive road wins over Appalachian State (27-24) and Arkansas State (27-17). Coastal is now 4-3, 2-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Saturday’s game at Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C., will be shown nationally on NFL Network.
Marshall played in Brooks Stadium last December in the Myrtle Beach Bowl and defeated Connecticut, 28-14.
The teams have one previous meeting. Last year in Huntington, Coastal Carolina knocked off Marshall, 24-13.
Here are three things to look for in this week’s game not far from Myrtle Beach:
Availability of stars on offense
The availability of a key player on each team could go a long way toward determining the outcome.
Marshall preseason all-conference running back Rasheen Ali didn’t play last week against James Madison due to ankle and back injuries suffered in the Herd’s loss at Georgia State.
Coastal Carolina senior quarterback Grayson McCall left last week’s win over Arkansas State after he took a hard hit to the head on a slide.
McCall is said to be doubtful to play, while there has been no word from Marshall on Ali’s status.
The Chanticleers’ offense runs through the arm, legs and wisdom of McCall, a redshirt senior who is a three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year.
Despite last week’s loss, Marshall got a solid showing from tailback Ethan Payne, who had a combined 91 yards in runs and receptions against James Madison.
The Herd’s third tailback, Maurice Jones, needs playing time to develop.
If McCall can’t play, Coastal Carolina’s offense will be led by redshirt senior Jarrett Guest, who has played in three games and thrown for 128 yards and a touchdown. He’s also rushed score.
Brotherly love
Saturday’s game will be a battle of Trickett brothers as Marshall offensive coordinator Clint Trickett matches wits with first-year Coastal Carolina offensive coordinator Travis Trickett.
The two are sons of former West Virginia and Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett, who is now an assistant to former WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez at Jacksonville State.
Both Trickett brothers hope to find ways to best utilize the talent on their rosters.
If McCall plays, Travis Trickett will have lots to work as the quarterback is a master of the run-pass options and has the touch and ability to force the ball downfield, especially to talented wide receiver Sam Pinckney, who has 565 yards and four touchdown receptions this season.
Clint Trickett hopes to have a healthy Cam Fancher at quarterback for Marshall after Fancher battled leg injuries while continuing to play in the second half of last week’s JMU loss.
A healthy Fancher is pivotal as he is a dual threat and relies on his mobility.
Marshall’s receivers must also respond against the Chanticleers, as the Herd look for wideouts Caleb Coombs, Jayden Harrison, DeMarcus Harris and Darryle Simmons as well as tight end Cade Conley to elevate their play.
Third down defense
Marshall’s defense has had many uneven performances.
There are playmakers on the unit in end Owen Porter, linebacker Eli Neal and cornerback Micah Abraham. There are also question marks as the Herd has had trouble defending mobile quarterbacks in the run-pass option game.
It’s been a time of growth for the unit and first-year defensive coordinator Jason Semore. One area that has been a success for the Marshall defense has been the ability to prevent third down conversions as the Herd leads the Sun Belt Conference in that category. Marshall is ninth nationally in third down stops.
Pressuring quarterbacks is a key reason for the success as the Herd is also tops in the Sun Belt in sacks with 3.14 per game.
Getting off the field will be a big challenge as Coastal Carolina leads the Sun Belt in time of possession at better than 32 minutes per game.
Both defenses have also proven they can add scoring punch. Coastal has three defensive touchdowns and Marshall has two to go along with a safety in last Thursday’s loss to the Dukes.