Previewing NC State’s Opponent: Marshall

The Thundering Herd enters today’s contest against the Wolfpack with a 4-0 record. One of those victories was against an ACC opponent in Virginia Tech.

Here’s a look at their schedule thus far:

Here’s a look at Marshall statistically compared to NC State.

The Thundering Herd’s defense has been stingy through 4 games. They rank 4th in the FBS in Opponent Third-Down Percentage (23.7%) and 4th in First Downs defense (allowed 59). Marshall also ranks an insane 2nd in the nation in Passing Efficiency Defense (88.9 rating). What does that mean? If you thought bringing in MJ Morris at Quarterback against Marshall was a warm up game heading into Duke, you were mistaken.

NC State might be a 6.5-point favorite, but Marshall received 3 votes in this weeks Coaches Poll, and the Wolfpack did not receive any.

Marshall might be 4-0, but they were really close to being 3-1 after last week. They defeated Old Dominion 41-35, but they trailed 21-3 at one point. The Thundering Herd went on to score 28 unanswered points to pull off the comeback. For what it’s worth, Marshall had to come from behind to beat Albany in their season opener as well. Albany started off the game with a 10-0 lead, but Marshall ended up coming back, winning 21-17. The first time they took the lead was in the 4th Quarter, with roughly 13 minutes left. Additionally, they were trailing ECU by 3 in the 3rd Quarter, before ultimately winning 31-13. You can look at that a couple of different ways. On one side, you could say they are lucky to have an undefeated record. On the other side, you could point out the fact that they are resilient.

Redshirt Sophomore Cam Fancher is Marshall’s Quarterback. Since taking over the job midway through last season, the Thundering Herd is 10-1 with him behind center. He is coming off of a career day against ODU last weekend, when he had 278 yards passing and 102 yards rushing. Through 4 games, Fancher is completing an impressive 70.4% of his passes. He has thrown 4 touchdowns, but has also thrown 4 interceptions. Fancher’s Passing Efficiency Rating is 134.4.

Junior Running Back Rasheen Ali has been one of the best in the nation through 4 games, averaging 118.75 rushing yards per game. Ali is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and has an insane 9 rushing touchdowns, which is tied for the most in college football.

Redshirt Sophomore Tight End Cade Conley is the leading receiver for Marshall, leading the Thundering Herd in both receptions (18) and yards (167). Redshirt Sophomore Caleb Coombs isn’t far behind with 15 receptions for 138 yards.

Redshirt Junior Defensive End Elijah Alston is the highest graded defensive player on Marshall (89.5). He has 16 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 defensive touchdown, and 2 pass breakups. Their next highest grades player is Redshirt Senior Sam Burton (83.1), who has 4 sacks. In the secondary, watch out for Redshirt Senior Micah Abraham who has 4 pass breakups and 2 interceptions. Abraham has the 4th highest grade on the Thundering Herd’s defense (78.9). The third highest grade goes to Senior Linebacker Eli Neal (82.4), who leads Marshall with 27 tackles. Marshall boasts yet another impressive edge player in Redshirt Senior Owen Porter, who has 7 tackles for loss.