— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Tony Gibson is adhering to an old adage — if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
Specifically, as it pertains to the Thundering Herd quarterback situation, Gibson announced Tuesday that senior Zion Turner will start at quarterback for a third consecutive game come 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Georgia Southern after helping guide Marshall to consecutive wins over South Alabama and Old Dominion.
“He’s earned it,” Gibson said. “He’s playing well and he moves the offense.”
Gibson noted there was a possibility for situational usage of both Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Khalil Wilkins at quarterback as well.
Marshall (5-3, 2-2) hopes to maintain momentum against the Eagles (4-4, 3-1) when the two meet inside Allen E. Paulsen Stadium in a game that can can be seen on ESPN+.
“Right now, we’re riding a bit of a momentum wave and we have to carry that into Statesboro on Saturday,” Gibson said.
With a win, Gibson’s team becomes bowl eligible.
Regardless of who’s at quarterback, Marshall hopes to continue running the ball effectively. The Herd piled up 196 yards on the ground against the Monarchs, with Judah Price and TJ Lester combining for 158 yards. Lester scored twice in the first half, including a touchdown run of 49 yards.
“I think we’re starting to get better up front and I thought we did a good job with some of our run schemes,” Gibson said. “We probably gave up a few too many pressures on our quarterbacks, but overall, I feel like our guys are getting better every week.”
One concern for the Marshall offense is reducing penalties and other miscues that have been too prevalent. Against ODU, Marshall committed 11 penalties, including 10 on offense. The Herd was guilty of four false starts and two holds.
“We can’t afford to shoot ourselves in the foot,” Gibson said. “We had a second-and-goal at the 2-yard-line, and a false start backs us up 5 yards. We put ourselves in bad situations when that happens.”
Clay Helton is in his fifth season as Georgia Southern’s head coach and has a 31-29 record in Statesboro.
Like Marshall, Georgia Southern is riding high off recent results, having won at ODU and against Appalachian State in its two most recent contests, including last Saturday’s 19-3 triumph over the Mountaineers.
The Herd and Eagles have met 10 previous times and Marshall has a 6-4 series lead. Last season, Georgia Southern spoiled Senior Day for the Herd, 24-19 with that marked the Eagles’ first win at Edwards Stadium.
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Marshall redshirt freshman kicker Jorge Diaz Nicolas was named to the Lou Groza Award’s ‘Stars of the Week’ list on Tuesday.
Diaz Nicolas became the first player in Marshall history with five field goals in a game when he went a perfect 5-for-5 in a 36-23 win over Old Dominion. The five field goals break the school single-game record of four, which was set seven times previously.
Diaz Nicolas was one of only three players selected to the ‘Stars of the Week’ list for the Lou Groza Award, which is college football’s top kicking award by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
“We’re extremely happy that Jorge was recognized as one of the Lou Groza ‘Stars of the Week’ and proud of his performance,” Gibson said. “Breaking a school record is significant and hitting five field goals in a game, that’s really rare. Jorge has put in a lot of work and it’s good to see him rewarded for his work. He played a big part in us finishing the road win.”
Diaz Nicolas connected on field goals of 35, 34, 30, 30 and 24 yards against ODU.