— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall’s 2025 opener at No. 5 Georgia is sure to bring some national attention.
Kickoff at Sanford Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m., and the game that marks the start of a new era for the Herd will be shown on ESPN.
“I’m glad we start with an easy opponent,” first-year Marshall head coach Tony Gibson joked. “We’re playing a Top 5 team and it’s not going to be easy, but I’m more worried about Marshall right now and how our guys react to the crowd and the athleticism and physicality that Georgia is going to bring. We’re going down there to win a football game, not just collect a check and I want our guys to be at their best.”
Marshall and Georgia have played just once before in 2004 when the Bulldogs defeated the Herd, 13-3, in Athens.
With more than 70 new players on the Marshall roster, Gibson knows it won’t be uncommon for less experienced ones to be overwhelmed by the atmosphere in a 93,000-seat stadium.
However, with great challenge comes great opportunity.
“I think it’s exciting for our kids to go play at a venue like Sanford Stadium,” Gibson said. “A lot of our guys think that they can play at Georgia’s level, but you can’t hide from them now. We’ve had a great fall camp and now it’s time to go play somebody else and see where we’re at.”
Gibson and offensive coordinator Rod Smith have not publicly committed to a starting quarterback, and Syracuse transfer Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Jacksonville State transfer Zion Turner and redshirt freshman Jacqai Long remain in the playing mix.
“I like all three of our guys,” Gibson said. “Carlos has some experience. Zion has started games. Jacqai is the young guy with a big arm. They’re all different in what they do. You may see all three of them on Saturday depending on how the game goes. We’re not going to let one guy sit in there and struggle all day.”
Beginning a head coaching career against a Top 5 team is a stern challenge, but Gibson has appreciation for the high level of talent and experience from Bulldog players.
“They’re solid on both sides of the ball and they don’t give up a lot of big plays,” Gibson said. “We’re going to have to grind this thing out. We have to take our time and take our shots when they become available.”
Marshall is a near 40-point underdog in Saturday’s game and most would expect Georgia to win comfortably.
Facing Georgia will be a good learning experience for the entire Thundering Herd program as well as an eye-opener that should pay dividends into the future.
“It’s going to be different for these guys,” Gibson said. “A lot of them haven’t played in this big of a stadium against this kind of opponent and we have to make sure early on that our emotions don’t play into this thing. We have to stay the same and not get too high or too low.”