— By Bill Cornwell
Can Marshall put an end to a lengthy road losing streak?
The Herd brings an eight-game road skid dating back to early in the 2023 season into Saturday’s 3 p.m. matchup at Southern Mississipi.
Marshall’s last road win was on September 9, 2023, at East Carolina.
Against the struggling Golden Eagles (1-7, 0-4), the Herd (5-3, 3-1) hopes to stay in the thick of the race for a Sun Belt Conference East Division title.
The matchup at M.M. Roberts Stadium airs on ESPN+.
The teams are meeting for a 15th time, with Southern Miss leading the series, 8-6. The Golden Eagles have won the last three meetings after Marshall had won the five previous contests
Here are three things to watch for the game:
Running back by committee?
Marshall’s offense got a scare in last week’s 28-23 win over ULM with a second-half injury to the Herd’s top running back, A.J. Turner. Turner came off the field sporting a noticeable limp in the 3rd quarter and didn’t return to the game. He’s expected to play this week against the Golden Eagles. Turner managed 49 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Warhawks, but his injury also helped Marshall show it has solid depth in the running back room.
Jordan Houston and Ethan Payne picked up the offensive slack in Turner’s absence, combining for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Much like Turner, Houston again showed an ability to boost drives with long runs, this time a 45-yard scamper at the start of the fourth quarter that set up a 33-yard touchdown pass from Braylon Braxton to Christian Fitzpatrick.
Don’t be surprised if Marshall head coach Charles Huff and offensive coordinator Seth Doege find ways to get all three backs into the game in key situations.
Spirited effort from Golden Eagles?
This is a question more poised toward Southern Miss. It has been a miserable year for the Golden Eagles with a single win after two-plus months of football. The frustrations in Hattiesburg led to the dismissal of head coach Will Hall in his fourth season last month.
Hall’s top assistant, Reed Stringer, is serving as interim head coach for the rest of the season and remains hopeful his team will be ready to challenge Marshall on Saturday.
Southern Miss had last week off, and while Stringer lost his game as interim coach two weeks ago at James Madison, the Golden Eagles aren’t minus talent, especially on defense.
The primary focus of the Golden Eagles needs to be squarely on the Herd to give themselves a chance at pulling off the upset.
Finish strong and don’t forget
In Marshall’s last road game October 12 at Georgia Southern, the Mountaineers squandered a 20-point fourth-quarter lead and fell short, 24-23. It appeared that the Herd would cruise to victory as the task was simply to limit mistakes and finish out the game.
Instead, disaster struck for the Herd with three turnovers, crippling penalties and defensive errors that helped allow Georgia Southern rally.
A mantra for Marshall this week, clearly enunciated by Huff, is that good teams find ways to finish and prevail, particularly away from home.
Huff hopes the lessons learned from the team’s most recent road outing will help drive his team to concentrate and execute.
Bowl eligibility is on the line on Saturday for the Herd, along with a chance to stay alive in the Sun Belt Conference East Division race. No more incentive is needed.