HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Fresh off a successful first season in Sun Belt Conference play, Marshall’s football program is ready for its next challenge within the league.

 On Friday, Marshall’s 2023 challenge came to light as the football schedule was released by the Sun Belt Conference.

 “We are excited as we prepare for the opportunity to play all of our opponents this upcoming season and we are going to need everyone on this journey with us,” Marshall head coach Charles Huff said. “This is the toughest schedule Marshall has had in a long time, so Herd Nation, we are going to need you. Everyone is going to have to do their part in order for us to achieve our goals.”

 Three home dates in September give Marshall fans a great opportunity to support the team in the warm air of Huntington while helping the team to start strong as summer gives way to fall.

 The highlight of those three September home games is a highly-anticipated battle against ACC foe Virginia Tech at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. It will mark the first time since 2018 that an ACC opponent has visited Huntington.

 “We are excited to host six home games, including a storied Power Five opponent at Joan C. Edwards Stadium,” Marshall Director of Athletics Christian Spears said. “We are absolutely going to need every single Marshall fan to find their way to the Joan.”

 Other September home games include the season-opener against Albany on Sept. 2 and the Sun Belt opener against Old Dominion on Sept. 30.

 Marshall gets a prime-time ESPN home game in October when James Madison visits Joan C. Edwards Stadium on October 19, giving the Herd a Thursday night game with a national audience on the ESPN family of networks.

 “Our goal is a championship and this has to be a collective team effort,” Spears said. “One of the biggest factors in that championship equation is our tremendous fanbase. We need our fans there to make that happen.”

 The November slate sees two of the final three games take place in Huntington as well, giving Marshall some home momentum in the push for a Sun Belt Conference championship.

 The first of those games will be Marshall’s annual ‘75’ game, which will see Georgia Southern come to Huntington on Nov. 11.

 The Herd’s final game of the regular season will be a Senior Day matchup with West Division foe Arkansas State.

 Marshall’s road schedule is also one that will provide some excitement while also featuring some regional destinations for fans to cheer on the Herd.

 The Carolinas will see plenty of Marshall fans throughout the year with four of the team’s six road trips taking them there – three in North Carolina and one in South Carolina.

 Those trips are highlighted by non-conference trips to historic rival East Carolina (Sept. 9) and ACC foe N.C. State (Oct. 7), as well as key SBC East Division trips to Coastal Carolina (Oct. 28) and App State (Nov. 4) – the latter of which caps a stretch in which Marshall plays on the road in four of five weeks.

 “Clearly, we still need to earn our way in the Sun Belt and this schedule allows us to do that,” Spears said. “It is challenging, but that genuinely inspires us.”

 Huff said Marshall’s planning and load management with players on and off the field will be a crucial component of success in 2023.

 “How we manage this schedule will greatly impact the outcome of all of our games,” Huff said. “Between myself and our administration, we have to look at the best road map for this schedule in order to see the level of success that we expect.”

 Times and television considerations for early 2023 contests and midweek games will be released later this spring. The majority of the Sun Belt Conference action will fall into 12-day windows for television purposes.

 Marshall is coming off a 9-4 season in which the Thundering Herd won five games to end the 2022 campaign, which places them in the top-10 in FBS in current winning streaks.

 Football season ticket renewals will be live on March 1. If you are looking for season tickets, but did not have them in 2022, CLICK HERE to place your deposit for first pick of open inventory.

 2023 Marshall Football Schedule

 Sept. 2         Albany

Sept. 9         at East Carolina

Sept. 23       Virginia Tech

Sept. 30       Old Dominion

Oct. 7           at N.C. State

Oct. 14         at Georgia State

Oct. 19         James Madison

Oct. 28         at Coastal Carolina

Nov. 4          at Appalachian State

Nov. 11        Georgia Southern

Nov. 18        at South Alabama

Nov. 25        Arkansas State