By GRANT TRAYLOR

Marshall Athletics

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football makes the short trip to Columbus, Ohio on Saturday to face No. 3 Ohio State in a Noon contest from Ohio Stadium that will be nationally-televised by FOX. The B1G Noon Kickoff Show will also be broadcast live from Ohio Stadium on Saturday.

 HOW TO FOLLOW

Watch: FOX
Listen: Live
Live Stats: StatBroadcast 
Twitter: @HerdFB
Instagram: @Herd_FB

 PRE-GAME NOTES
When Marshall faces No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday, it will mark the first time that Marshall has faced a top-10 opponent since hosting No. 3 Louisville in the 2016 season.

 Even though there is only 140 miles separating the teams, this will only be the third all-time meeting between the programs. Ohio State has been ranked in the top-10 in each of the previous two meetings and emerged victorious in both.

 The game will serve as a Homecoming of sorts for two Marshall projected starters: offensive lineman Jalen Slappy and linebacker Jaden Yates – both of whom are from Columbus.

 Both teams are coming off an early-season bye week with Ohio State at 2-0 after out-scoring opponents 108-6 and Marshall at 1-1 after falling at Virginia Tech, 31-14.

 In its history, Marshall has only played in front of 100,000+ fans on four occasions – two of which were their previous trips to Ohio Stadium in 2004 and 2010.

 ABOUT MARSHALL

 Marshall comes into the game at 1-1 under fourth-year head coach Charles Huff after earning a 45-3 win over Stony Brook in the season-opener before falling 31-14 at Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium.

 Offensively for the Herd, running back A.J. Turner has gone over 100 yards in each game while wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick has provided plenty of highlights and a touchdown in each contest as well.

 Defensively, Marshall is led by defensive end Mike Green, who causes havoc in the backfield and leads the Herd with 3.5 sacks in two games. Linebackers Jaden Yates – a Columbus native – and Landyn Watson lead the team with 20 tackles each.

 For a more in-depth look at Marshall football, visit The HerdZone.
 ABOUT OHIO STATE
 Ohio State comes into the contest at 2-0 overall with a pair of lopsided wins over Akron and Western Michigan.

 The Buckeyes are coached by Ryan Day, who is in his sixth year with the program and owns a 58-8 overall record at Ohio State.

 Ohio State features one of the country’s most lethal offenses with quarterback Will Howard leading the way and wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith provided a strong target base for Howard. The rushing attack is led by the 1-2 punch of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who have 50 career starts between them.

 Defensively, Ohio State features cornerback Denzel Burke and defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau.

 The Buckeyes feature the nation’s No. 1 defense, allowing just 138 yards per game. The offense is No. 8 nationally at 543.5 yards per game.

SERIES HISTORY 

 This will be the third meeting between Marshall and Ohio State with the Buckeyes winning both previous contests – a 24-21 win on a last-second field goal in 2004 and a 45-7 victory in the 2010 meeting.