By GRANT TRAYLOR

 Associate Athletic Director of Strategic Communications

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football hits the road to take on Old Dominion at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at S.B. Ballard Stadium in a game that will be shown on ESPNU.

HOW TO FOLLOW

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

 PRE-GAME NOTES

Marshall comes into the contest in first place in the SBC East Division at 5-1 in league play. The Herd is 7-3 overall on the season.

Marshall defensive end Mike Green and Old Dominion linebacker E.J. Green are brothers who will be competing against each other for the first time. They will have an estimated 100 friends and family members in the stands for Saturday’s contest.

Marshall head coach Charles Huff and Old Dominion head coach Ricky Rahne are longtime friends, having coached together previously at Vanderbilt (2011) and Penn State (2014-17).

Marshall and Old Dominion came into the Sun Belt Conference at the same time, officially joining the league in July 2022 together after being conference rivals in Conference USA previously.

The Thundering Herd has won four straight games entering Saturday’s contest. Marshall completed a 6-0 home record for the 2024 regular season with last week’s win over Coastal Carolina.

The last time the two teams met in Norfolk, there was not a touchdown scored in the game. Marshall got four field goals from Rece Verhoff in a 12-0 win.

ABOUT MARSHALL

Marshall comes into the contest at 7-3 overall and 5-1 in SBC play in the 2024 season. Head coach Charles Huff is in his fourth season leading the Thundering Herd.

Offensively, the Thundering Herd is 20^th in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 200.5 yards per game on the ground.

While the run game has been solid, last week it was quarterback Braylon Braxton who did damage through the air, throwing for 219 yards and three touchdowns to fuel the Herd’s win over Coastal Carolina.

On the defensive side, the Herd is led by defensive end Mike Green, who is one of the nation’s premier defensive players, ranking No. 1 in many statistical categories, including Sacks (15.0), Sack Yardage (126), Tackle For Loss (20.0) and

TFL Yardage. Green is also No. 1 among defensive linemen in FBS in tackles (69).

Marshall linebacker Jaden Yates is No. 1 in the Sun Belt in tackles with 92 tackles on the season while defensive back J.J. Roberts has 75 tackles and leads the SBC in passes defended with 13.

The Herd actually has three of the league’s top seven ranked players in passes defended with Roberts (13, No. 1 in SBC), Jacobie Henderson (11, No. 2 in SBC) and Josh Moten (7, No. 7 in SBC).

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

ABOUT OLD DOMINION
Old Dominion comes into Saturday’s contest at 4-6 overall and 3-3 in the Sun Belt Conference.

The Monarchs are coached by Ricky Rahne, who is in his fifth season with the program.

ODU is led by quarterback Colton Joseph, who has thrown for 1,396 yards and 10 touchdowns with four interceptions while rushing for another 489 yards and nine touchdowns. Joseph’s favorite target is wide receiver Isiah Paige (53 rec., 699 yards, 3 TDs).

Defensively, the Monarchs are led by safety Jahron Manning, who is fifth in the SBC in tackles with 81 on the season. Linebacker Koa Naotala also has 73 tackles on the season.

For more information about Old Dominion, visit HERE.
SERIES HISTORY

Marshall and Old Dominion will be meeting for the 10^th time with all the meetings coming in the last 10 seasons.

The Herd currently holds an 8-1 advantage in the series, which includes a 3-1 record at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk. Marshall won a 41-35 shootout in Huntington last season.