— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Although Marshall no longer controls its destiny in Conference USA’s East Division race, the Thundering Herd has plenty to play for at noon Saturday against Florida International.
MU’s season-long goal of playing in the C-USA title game next week can only be accomplished with a win over FIU on Senior Day in Huntington, and a Southern Miss win at Florida Atlantic later in the day.
The Herd and Panthers’ matchup at Joan C. Edwards Stadium is being televised by CBS Sports Network.
Marshall leads the all-time series 5-2, including a 28-25 win last year in Miami.
The teams are coming into the final week of the regular season heading in differing directions.
Marshall (7-4, 5-2) suffered a 24-13 loss at Charlotte last week, while the Panthers (6-5, 3-4) were picking up possibly the biggest win in program history, a 30-24 win over Miami at Marlins Park. The win allowed the Panthers to be bowl eligible for a third straight season.
Here are some things to look for in Saturday’s contest.
1 — Can the ‘D’ slow Morgan?
FIU’s offense is ably directed by senior transfer quarterback James Morgan, who started his career at Bowling Green.
Morgan has thrown 38 touchdown passes in less than two full seasons at FIU and he’s only four scoring tosses away from tying the program’s all-time mark.
He also has the maturity to make sound calls at the line of scrimmage, often switching to running plays and utilizing talented backs Anthony Jones and Napoleon Maxwell. Morgan also has good chemistry with a veteran wide receiver corps.
Marshall’s defense must put pressure on Morgan, much as it did last year in a road win. The combination of coverage and pressure forced Morgan into uncharacteristic mistakes, including a pick-six by linebacker Omari Cobb.
2 — Move on after last week’s disappointment
Marshall’s overall performance in last week’s 24-13 road loss at Charlotte was one of its worst showings this season.
The offense failed to score a touchdown and the defense eventually had no answers for 49ers’ sophomore quarterback Chris Reynolds, senior running back Benny LeMay and receiver Victor Tucker.
The Herd must turn the page and start fresh if it hopes to take care of its half of the equation that could get Marshall into next week’s Conference USA title game.
Quarterback Isaiah Green will need to play better and need better protection from his loine. Sophomore back Brenden Knox must play his usual steady game.
The big offensive question for Marshall will be with the receiving corps, which was too quiet in the Charlotte contest with several drops and an inability to get free.
If the receivers can improve their performance, Marshall could have a strong offensive day.
3 — Control emotions with seniors being honored
This is the final regularly-scheduled home game for 17 Marshall football seniors, a class which is finishing a third straight winning season and will soon head to a third consecutive bowl game.
This class features several big-time performers who will be missed in Huntington — Cobb and fellow linebacker Tyler Brown, defensive linemen Channing Hames and Marquis Couch, defensive backs Chris Jackson and Kereon Merrell, center Levi Brown, kicker Justin Rohrwasser and tight end Armani Levias.
The seniors have shown leadership this season as Marshall recovered from a 2-3 start to win five straight games and compete for a C-USA divisional title. Their veteran leadership will again be tested on Saturday as the Herd hope to slow the Panthers after their landmark win a week ago.
Notes
Marshall’s first meeting with FIU came in the 2011 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida, a 20-10 Marshall win. FIU was a member of the Sun Belt Conference at that time … FIU set a new home attendance record of 27,339 in last week’s win over the Hurricanes. The game was played at the home of the Miami Marlins baseball team rather than the Panthers’ usual home, Riccardo Silva Stadium, which only seats a little over 20,000 … Marshall has multiple Conference USA statistical leaders going into the final regular-season game. Knox leads the league in rushing with 1,138 yards, while Rohrwasser is tops in field goal percentage and Tavante Beckett leads in tackles with 106 … Cobb has been selected to participate in the Hula Bowl All-Star Game after the season in Honolulu, Hawaii.