— By Bill Cornwell
Will an extended break for the Marshall football team be more beneficial or problematic Saturday?
Off a mini-bye and having last played on October 20, the Thundering Herd hope to make it a win streak at 1 p.m. Saturday when they take on Old Dominion at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The Homecoming contest for the Monarchs can be seen on ESPN+.
“We’ve got some momentum going into this one,” second-year Herd head coach Tony Gibson said. “We’ve had a few days extra to prepare. Guys are rested up and ready to make a run into November.”
Marshall (4-3, 1-2 Sun Belt) has defeated ODU (2-6, 1-4) in 11 of 12 previous meetings, including last season’s 48-24 triumph in Huntington.
Here are three things to look for on Saturday:
Quarterback by committee?
Gibson has indicated quarterbacks Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Zion Turner and Khalil Wlkins could all see action against ODU.
Turner started and was effective in the team’s last outing against South Alabama when he completed 21-of-33 passes for 181 yards and rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps most importantly, Turner did not have a turnover.
After he was banged up late in the matchup with the Jaguars, West Virginia transfer Khalil Wilkins took over behind center and his mobility was a big factor in Marshall’s game-winning drive down the stretch. Wilkins rushed eight times for 69 yards, and while he’s attempted only 12 passes this season, the left-hander is a key part of the rushing attack with 32 carries for 235 yards.
Del Rio-Wilson, the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year who started the team’s first six games, was benched after struggling mightily throughout the first half of a loss to Coastal Carolina back on October 10.
It will be intriguing to monitor what direction Gibson and his staff elect to go in, but above all else, taking care of the ball is the top priority for each of the three signal-callers.
Defense must deliver again
After struggling over the first half of the regular season, the Marshall defense has been exceptional the last five quarters.
The Herd have limited explosive plays from the opposition, and after blanking the Chanticleers in the fourth period, Marshall allowed one touchdown and 13 points against a high-powered South Alabama attack.
Sustaining that level of play will be pivotal against ODU, which has featured a trio of starting quarterbacks to this point in Quinn Hence, Ryan Huff and Jaxon Potter, while dealing with significant injuries to wideouts.
Potter was the lone Monarch to throw a pass in last week’s 26-0 loss to Louisiana Tech.
The Monarchs finished with minus-13 rushing yards in their most recent contest and will look for leading rusher Devin Roche to get back on track. Roche was held to 9 yards on eight carries last week, but has a team-high 382 rushing yards, though he’s yet to find the end zone this season.
Henicle is the squad’s leading passer and second-leading rusher and has passed and rushed for four touchdowns apiece, but he’s listed as doubtful for this matchup.
Marshall will try to duplicate the effort that led the way in the most recent win, while ODU’s struggling offense tries to find its footing.
The Monarchs have 35 points across their last four games and have yet to score more than 21 points against a FBS-level opponent this season.
Value the football
It’s an old cliché that the team that wins the turnover battle most often wins the game.
Marshall and Old Dominion have both proven that theory to be correct this season.
Both teams have negative turnover margins — Marshall at -1.14 and ODU at -0.5.
Marshall did not turn it over against South Alabama, while Gibson and the defensive staff have emphasized the need to force more turnovers.
The Herd will need to measure up along the offensive line to limit an ODU pass rush that’s produced 19 sacks, including five from defensive lineman Javen Gibson and four from linebacker Koa Naotala.
The Monarchs will look for their quality pass rush to make a major difference, one that could help the home team create miscues.