— By Bill Cornwell
The start of the Tony Gibson era is here.
A native of Van, Gibson makes his head coaching debut as the leader of Thundering Herd football at 3:30 p.m. Saturday when Marshall faces fifth-ranked Georgia at Sanford Stadium for a contest airing on ESPN.
Marshall and Georgia have played just one other time, when the Bulldogs scored a 13-3 win back in 2004 in Athens.
Marshall will face more than its fair share of headwinds Saturday as the Bulldogs have won 31 straight games at Sanford Stadium, a streak that dates back to 2019.
The coaching contrast is significant. While Gibson is beginning his MU coaching career, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is starting his 10th season at his alma mater. He has a 105-19 record with the Bulldogs and that includes back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.
Here are three things to look for Saturday between the hedges:
- Who plays quarterback?
Gibson made no commitment as to who will start behind center for Marshall throughout this week. Throughout preseason practices, indications were Syracuse transfer Carlos Del Rio-Wilson would be the top quarterback, but Gibson said he’s been equally impressed with Jacksonville State transfer Zion Turner and he’s referred to redshirt freshman JacQai Long from Hurricane as Marshall’s quarterback of the future.
No matter who starts, Marshall will try to use a high-tempo attack to keep Georgia’s talented defense unsettled.
Taking care of the football will also be crucial for the Herd if it hopes to stay within striking distance.
- Disruptive defense
With the continued questions surrounding Marshall’s offense, it might put most of the early pressure in Athens on Marshall’s new-look defense. Marshall is running Gibson’s familiar 3-3-5 defensive package that he featured when serving as defensive coordinator at West Virginia and more recently, North Carolina State.
The scheme is designed to lead to an aggressive style that attacks the offense, force takeaways and contains the run with multiple rushers while relying on the secondary to cover well.
That may be easier said than done with the talent that Georgia features on offense.
Marshall’s defense is basically new when compared to the 2024 squad. While few players return, transfers filling out a number of spots have come from Power 4 Conference programs.
Marshall’s defense should be fast and athletic, but how can it hold up against one of the nation’s premier programs?
- Living Up to expectations
Georgia football fans expect nothing short of greatness and the Bulldogs have hardly disappointed during Smart’s tenure.
The Bulldogs lost to Notre Dame in a national quarterfinal last season, and this year brings a new starting quarterback as Gunner Stockton takes over after extensive action down the stretch last season.
Stockton has loads of talented ball-carriers and pass catchers to help take the pressure off him as well as a strong defense.
Special teams have also been a solid part of the Georgia arsenal each season.
Saturday is the first step to the 10th version of Smart’s team living up to the standard Georgia expectations.