— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Two squads in search of Sun Belt Conference success clash on the gridiron Saturday in Huntington when Marshall (3-2, 0-1) and Coastal Carolina (1-4, 0-1) meet at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Kickoff is 7 p.m., and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
This will be the fith all-time meeting in a series the Chanticleers lead, 3-1.
First-year Coastal Carolina head coach Ryan Beard is familiar with the Herd as he helped guide Missouri State to a 21-20 win last year in Huntington in Tony Gibson’s first home game as Marshall’s head coach.
Marshall lost last week at James Madison by a 45-17 score, while the Chanticleers lost at home to Georgia Southern, 31-24.
Here are three things to look for Saturday:
Cut back on critical mistakes
Both the Herd and Chanticleers have not put together consistently clean efforts this season.
Marshall has battled all season with allowing chunk plays. Penalties at inopportune times have also plagued the Herd, including one that took away a touchdown last week.
Coastal’s problems have involved both turnovers and penalties. The Chanticleers fumbled away two possessions last week near the goal line. Coastal averages nine penalties per game and has six lost fumbles.
The team that does a better job of cleaning things up should come away with the win.
Keep using Khalil
Marshall offensive coordinator Rod Smith showed last week a growing commitment to utilizing the team’s de facto Swiss Army Knife in former West Virginia quarterback Khalil Wilkins.
Wilkins was involved as both a ball-carrier and pass-catcher and accumulated 99 yards of offense in the loss to JMU.
Wilkins helps keep opposing defenses honest through his elusiveness and threat as a passer and figures to give Coastal’s defensive staff plenty to think about.
Defend home turf
With two consecutive home games, Marshall has a chance to grow midseason momentum.
The Herd are 2-0 at home this season, though both wins against Middle Tennessee State and Gardner-Webb were close calls.
A win against the Chanticleers would allow for a feel-good locker room before the team’s next game on Tuesday, October 20 against South Alabama, and Marshall’s schedule is more manageable as the year progresses.
But until the team displays more consistency and improvement in areas it’s sought to for several weeks, what that means is anybody’s guess.