— By Bill Cornwell
Marshall and Georgia Southern are battling to keep legitimate hopes alive in the Sun Belt Conference East Division race when they meet Saturday afternoon.
A long rivalry between the two programs resumes at 3:30 p.m. inside Allen E. Paulsen Stadium in Statesboro, Ga., and the matchup can be seen on ESPN+.
The Thundering Herd (5-3, 2-2 SBC) and Eagles (4-4, 3-1) have both won two straight.
Marshall can gain bowl eligibility in the 11th instance of its series with Georgia Southern, which the Herd leads, 6-4.
However, the Eagles spoiled Senior Day in Huntington last season, claiming their first victory in at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, 24-19.
Here are three things to look for in Saturday’s game:
- Snap disparity among quarterbacks
Fans, and more importantly defenses, will need to be alert to see who is behind center for both Marshall and Georgia Southern.
Herd head coach Tony Gibson announced Tuesday that Zion Turner would be the Herd’s starting quarterback for a third straight game based on the offense moving the ball at least relatively consistently.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, the starter before Turner, and running threat Khalil Wilkins, should both see action as a signal-caller as well.
If Turner struggles against a strong Georgia Southern defense, there could be a short leash that leads to one of the aforementioned others taking over.
As for the Eagles, Max Johnson is a somewhat traditional pocket passer with the ability to move around in order to avoid pressure.
When Georgia Southern wants to change the look, Weston Bryant enters and provides more of a natural running threat.
- Contrasting styles
Marshall preferred a ball-control attack last week, rushing for 196 yards in a 36-23 victory at Old Dominion. The Herd attempted 54 runs, and played from in front thanks to TJ Lester’s 49-yard touchdown run in the opening frame.
Lester, Judah Price and Jo’Shon Barbie form a plenty formidable trio that can help alleviate pressure from Marshall’s ever-changing quarterback situation.
The Eagles rely more on their passing game and throw for more than 282 yards on average.
However, Johnson is far more effective when the Eagles can produce a solid rushing attack, something the team struggled with last week despite defeating Appalachian State, 19-3
Screen passes are also generally a fairly important piece of the GS game plan, adding to the importance of Marshall’s discipline and ability to tackle in space.
- A lot on the line
As the calendar flipped to November, the final month of the regular season in college football will shape the direction of how many seasons are viewed in totality.
That includes both the Herd and the Eagles.
As James Madison got back on track Thursday night with a convincing victory at Southern Mississippi, the Dukes made the task tougher of winning the Sun Belt East for both teams, though the Dukes’ win was hardly unexpected.
Still considering, Marshall and Georgia Southern both have lost to JMU, the loser of Saturday’s matchup would almost certainly then need to win out and get an abundance of help for any chance.
There is plenty to play for in this one, including the possibility of the Eagles moving to within one win of being bowl eligible.
The winner of this one rides a three-game win streak, while the loser is likely left wondering what could’ve been.