— By Bill Cornwell
Labeling Marshall at Georgia Southern on Saturday an elimination contest in the Sun Belt Conference East Division race wouldn’t be all the way true at this point, but certainly wouldn’t be far off, particularly as it pertains to the visitors.
The Thundering Herd (5-3, 2-2 SBC) and the Eagles (4-4, 3-1) have hope of qualifying for the Sun Belt Conference title game, thanks in large part to consecutive setbacks from James Madison, which is in action Thursday night at Southern Mississippi.
The 3:30 p.m. matchup between Marshall and Georgia Southern inside Allen E. Paulsen Stadium will create a three-game win streak for one team, while the Herd can also become bowl eligible.
Clay Helton is in his fifth season as Georgia Southern’s head coach and has a 31-29 record in Statesboro.
The Eagles, which are in first place in the Sun Belt East but lost to JMU already, have displayed a much-improved defense this season that’s allowing only 20.5 points per game to rank No. 35 nationally.
Georgia Southern is allowing an average of 313.6 yards — good for a top 30 national mark and some 114 yards fewer than Marshall is surrendering on average.
Helton believes the improved defense can at least partially be attributed to hiring defensive coordinator Mike Mutz from Stephen F. Austin at the end of the 2025 season. Aggressive schemes from Mutz and buy-in from Eagles’ players have created a much stingier unit — one that’s allowed 18 points over the last two games, including three last week in a 16-point victory against Appalachian State.
“Our defensive staff and players have made for a great combination and they’re really playing a high level of football,” Helton said. “The kids have bought into our system and have performed at a high level. We’ve also stayed healthy on that side of the ball.”
The battle in the trenches on Saturday figures to be intriguing as Marshall hopes to emphasize an improved run game that amassed 196 yards in a 36-23 win at Old Dominion last Saturday, as well as 147 in the previous game against South Alabama.
But the Eagles have been tough to run on while holding the opposition to an average of 111.3 yards on the ground.
As for the GS offense, quarterback Max Johnson has been up and down, but is dangerous when he gets into rhythm and can cause problems for opponents with his mobility.
“Their scheme is really good on offense,” Marshall head coach Tony Gibson said. “Max gets the ball out and doesn’t give you a lot of time to pressure. Their screen game and run game are good enough to beat you as well. We’re going to have to do a good job with our front seven in creating some pressure and so some things maybe a little different to throw him off. We need to tackle well in space because they’re going to get the ball out there quickly and a lot of their stuff comes off of the screen game.”
Helton says he’s impressed with the balance of the Marshall offense and the contingent of Herd playmakers despite the unit operating with several different quarterbacks throughout this season.
“The biggest thing for us on Saturday is how we do on third-and-longs and how we do on first and second down to create those third-and-longs,” Helton said. “Marshall is a really good running football team that uses multiple quarterbacks. They’re averaging over 160 yards per game on the ground. Our defense has a challenge against a team that’s really hot right now.”
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Marshall running back Judah Price was named as one of 65 nominees for the 2026 Burlsworth Trophy on Tuesday.
The Burlsworth Trophy recognizes outstanding college football players from across the country who began their careers as walk-ons and have distinguished themselves through performance, determination and perseverance.
“It is great to hear that Judah is a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy,” Gibson said. “Judah represents everything good about college football with an elite love for the game, work ethic and desire to be great. Whether on the field, in the weight room or in the locker room, he’s become a leader for us and he’s a big part of our success.”
A West Virginia transfer who starred at Independence High School, Price leads Marshall in rushing with 319 yards on 56 carries and two touchdowns, and also has 11 catches for 101 yards and a score.
In his first start against Coastal Carolina, Price scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 50-yard run that got the Herd on the board and is the team’s longest run this season.
The performance prompted Gibson to make him a captain for the game against South Alabama, which Price accounted for the winning touchdown in courtesy of a late 4-yard TD run.
Price earned another start against Old Dominion and tallied a team-high 82 yards on 15 carries last weekend.