By GRANT TRAYLOR

Marshall Athletics

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – On Sept. 23, Marshall Athletics will host an action-packed day of football and futbol that will bring lots of national attention to Huntington.

On Monday, ESPN and the Sun Belt Conference announced that Marshall Football’s Sept. 23 matchup with Virginia Tech at Joan C. Edwards Stadium will be a Noon kickoff in a nationally-televised broadcast that will be seen on ESPN2.

That announcement was made as part of the 12-day window agreement between the SBC and ESPN.

In a subsequent announcement, Marshall Men’s Soccer has now solidified its start time for its Sept. 23 matchup with UCF as a 7:15 p.m. start at Hoops Family Field. Currently, both teams are in the Top-10 in the United Soccer Coaches Association rankings.

“It’s always an awesome opportunity to showcase Marshall University on national television via ESPN’s family of networks to almost 90 million homes,” Marshall Director of Athletics Christian Spears said.

“I love how much this community cares about our athletic programs and that is reflected with our football game being picked up by ESPN2. Let’s show the rest of the country an unbelievable gameday environment with knowledgeable, proud and respectful fans.”

Marshall’s contest against ACC foe Virginia Tech brings a Power Five conference opponent to Joan C. Edwards Stadium for the first time since the 2018 season.

The highly-anticipated battle against the Hokies is already sold out and the theme for the game is “We Are … Striping The Joan” with sections of Joan C. Edwards Stadium being allocated as Green and White. Inspirational talent Marlana VanHoose will also be singing the National Anthem to start the contest.

Fans still looking to get tickets to the Marshall-Virginia Tech football game can do so through SeatGeek.

“We need to embrace our brand recognition and honor the Noon time slot,” Spears said.

“Yes, the game is sold out, but let’s prioritize being there at kickoff and then honoring the ‘Stripe The Joan’ initiative while showcasing how special and welcoming that Thundering Herd fans are and showing the nation how connected the City of Huntington is to Marshall University and vice versa.”

Later that evening, the scene shifts to Hoops Family Field for a key Sun Belt Conference matchup as Marshall and UCF meet in a battle of current undefeated teams.

Marshall is ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches Association rankings and off to its best start in program history at 5-0-0. The Thundering Herd has outscored opponents, 17-2, in its first five games.

UCF has moved up to No. 6 in the USCA rankings and is currently off to a 4-0-1 start heading into its first SBC contest against West Virginia on Friday.

Fans looking for tickets of the Marshall-UCF Men’s Soccer matchup can do so by calling 1-800-THE-HERD.