After a much-needed bye week, our Bearcats visit the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday at 5 p.m. if you cannot make the short road trip down to Huntington, West Virginia, you can watch it on Facebook Live. Saturday will be partly cloudy with a high of 90 with a low of 65 degrees.
Marshall hosts 8,700 undergrad students. Joan C. Edwards Stadium, named after a donor who contributed over $60 million to the school, holds 38,227 fans. The Thundering Herd have a 140-25 alltime record at home, making for the highest home winning percentage of any FBS team at its current home venue (84.8%).
The two schools have played 13 times with UC leading the series 8-4-1. Marshall came out with the win most recently in 2017 during Coach Luke’s first year.
On the injury front, Coach Fickell is hoping running back Gerrid Doaks will be ready to go from a leg injury. The Bearcats have had two weeks to grow, following the win over local rival Miami (OH). Every day serves for valuable growth with the young offensive line. Marshall will present a great opportunity for a sound road opponent before opening up AAC play against UCF at next Friday night.
Marshall head coach Doc Holliday is entering his 10th year, coming off a 9-4 2018 campaign. The team is 2-1 with a win over a competitive Ohio team and a 14-7 loss to Boise State. The Herd are led by sophomore dual threat QB Isaiah Green. The offensive line returns with a lot of experience, and Marshall returns their top two running backs, Brenden Knox and Tyler King. However, there are questions at the wide out position.
On the defensive side, the Herd have a strong secondary, but are led by a new defensive coordinator. They also lose most of their front seven, creating issues stopping the run. Marshall also has an average kicking game and special teams.
Look for Mike Warren to get loose in this game. I expect Desmond Ridder to have a pedestrian game against the tout Herd secondary. But the key is for him to avoid big negative plays. The Truck will wear down the Marshall line over the course of four quarters to control the game. Bearcats should win, 28 to 17 before preparation for a huge matchup against UCF commences.
By Andy Smith
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