By GRANT TRAYLOR

Associate Athletic Director of Strategic Communications

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football heads to Allen E. Paulson Stadium this weekend for its first Sun Belt Conference road contest as the Thundering Herd takes on Georgia Southern in a key SBC East Division battle of teams looking to stay atop the division standings.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Watch: ESPNU
Listen: Live
Live Stats: StatBroadcast 
Game notes: Marshall | Georgia Southern
Twitter: @HerdFB
Instagram: @Herd_FB

PRE-GAME NOTES

Marshall and Georgia Southern each come into this game at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play, meaning the winner will be one of only two potential teams to be undefeated in the East Division following the game’s completion.

While Marshall will be the road team, the Thundering Herd will wear the home green uniforms again this week as Georgia Southern has been approved for a “White Out”.

Marshall has won each of the previous two matchups in Sun Belt Conference play – a 38-33 win in Huntington last season and a 23-10 win in 2022 at Paulson Stadium.

The matchup between these two teams brings together a pair of teams who have only thrown for one interception through five games this season. Marshall has thrown for 13 TDs and one INT while Ga. Southern has eight TD passes to one INT.

This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Marshall and Georgia Southern at Paulson Stadium, but the Herd’s sixth game there in program history. The team also played there in the 1991 I-AA Championship Game against Youngstown State – a 25-17 loss.

ABOUT MARSHALL

Marshall comes into this week’s game as winners of two straight, including last week’s 52-37 win over App State, who was chosen in the preseason to win the SBC East Division.

Marshall quarterback Braylon Braxton made his first start with the Herd one to remember as he put up 269 total yards and five touchdowns – a performance that earned him SBC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Braxton’s 140 rushing yards were No. 6 all-time for a Marshall quarterback.

The Herd offensive line was a big reason for Marshall’s success, paving the way to a 236-yard rushing day while keeping Braxton from getting sacked. For the season, Marshall’s offensive line has allowed just five sacks while gaining 202.0 yards per game on the ground.

On the defensive side, Marshall linebacker Jaden Yates continued his stellar play with 12 tackles, which gives him the SBC lead at 49.

Defensive end Mike Green has continued to cement himself among the top defensive linemen in FBS. Green currently is third in the nation in sacks (7.0) and sacks per game (1.4) while also being tied for 5^th in tackles for loss per game (1.7).

For a more in-depth look at Marshall football, visit HerdZone.

ABOUT GEORGIA SOUTHERN

Georgia Southern comes into the game after a week off following a 38-21 win over Georgia State on Sept. 28.

The Eagles are the fourth consecutive Marshall opponent who will face the Herd following a week in which they did not play a game.

Georgia Southern’s is led by Clay Helton, who is in his third year with the program after seven seasons at USC. Marshall offensive coordinator Seth Doege was on staff at USC while Helton was there.

The Eagles are led by quarterback JC French, who has thrown for 1,122 yards and seven touchdowns while running back Jalen White has 235 yards and seven TDs on the year. Both White and fellow running back O.J. Arnold went over 100 yards in the win over Georgia State.

Defensively, the Eagles are led by linebacker Marques Watson-Trent, who is right behind Yates atop the SBC lead in tackles.

For more information surrounding the Georgia Southern football program, visit HerdZone.

SERIES HISTORY

Marshall leads the all-time series between the teams by a 6-2 margin. The Herd has won the last six games in the series, including both Sun Belt Conference matchups, after dropping the first two contests in the series, which started in 1989.