— By Bill Cornwell
It’s Sun Belt Conference football for the remainder of the 2026 regular season for Marshall.
The Thundering Herd (3-1) open league play on Saturday at defending conference champion James Madison.
The game kicks off at 3:45 p.m. at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia and is being shown nationally on ESPNU.
Both teams won last week, though in far different fashion. Marshall defeated Gardner-Webb, 36-35, on a last-second field goal, while JMU (4-0) defeated Old Dominion, 46-20.
The Dukes’ last Sun Belt loss came back in November of 2024 when Marshall topped JMU in double overtime, 35-33.
The Herd lead the all-time series between the two teams, 4-2, and both programs have won twice since joining the SBC.
Veteran Billy Napier is in his first year as head coach at James Madison after coaching at Florida the previous four seasons. He was also a head coach in the Sun Belte at Louisiana for four seasons.
Here are three things to look for in Saturday’s game.
Moving the rock
Marshall’s offensive effort in the Gardner-Webb win was impressive.
The Herd rolled up 569 yards against the Bulldogs, 413 of it through the air.
The challenge gets much tougher this week and James Madison’s defense is perhaps best described as stingy.
The Dukes are surrendering only 12.3 points and 293 yards on average, including less than 89 on the ground.
It will be up to Herd quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson to make plays to give the Herd any chance of defeating the Dukes.
The Herd must limit mistakes and turnovers, and if Marshall can get continued run game production from the trio of Jo’Shon Barbie, Judah Price and T.J. Lester, some of the pressure could be alleviated from what JMU aspires to do getting after the opposing quarterback. That help is needed considering James Madison’s defense has 13 sacks this season.
Direction of the defense
Will the Marshall defense become a bigger factor?
That’s a question Herd head Coach Tony Gibson hopes to answer in the affirmative.
Marshall’s pass rush improved a bit last week as the team recorded a pair of sacks.
Still, Gardner-Webb rolled up eye-opening numbers of 458 yards of offense and nearly 300 passing yards from ex-Marshall quarterback Cole Pennington. Problems with tackling continue to plague the defense and lead to long gains.
Marshall must also improve defending the run as the Bulldogs averaged nearly 6 yards per carry.
Penalties have been a problem at times. A cleaner game, improved tackling and the ability to make JMU’s job more difficult could spell success for the Herd.
Otherwise, it could be a productive day for the Dukes.
A leg up
If kicking proves particularly important, Marshall could have an edge based on the last two games.
The Herd have a weapon in kicker Jorge Diaz Nicolas, a transfer from Virginia.
Diaz Nicolas was 3-for-3 in Marshall’s win at Missouri State two weeks ago made 3-of-4 tries, including a late game-winner against Gardner-Webb. One of his kicks in last week’s game covered 54 yards, while the game-winner with 3 seconds left was a 32-yard boot.
Diaz Nicolas has proven he doesn’t mind pressure and is one part of what’s been a solid third phase of football for MU.
True freshman punter Cooper Heimbach is averaging nearly 45 yards per punt and freshman kickoff specialist Sam Krebs has recorded 11 touchbacks in the last two games.