Tag: thundering herd

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Marshall vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

I still think Virginia Tech is a 9-3 / 8-4ish team. In the second half, they looked like that kind of team. The first half was a burn-the-tape kind of half. Everyone was bad. If the Hokies can be ready to play at kickoff, they should be fine. That’s not to say this team doesn’t have issues. All teams do. But this is still a good team that got off to an exceptionally bad start to begin the season.

SP+ Rankings

Virginia Tech

Overall: 51st
Offense: 55th
Defense: 51st
Special Teams: 78th

Marshall

Overall: 81st
Offense: 79th
Defense: 89th
Special Teams: 61st

Marshall has two quarterbacks who can scoot. If Marshall watched any film from last week, expect their running QBs to play. We’re just not exactly sure who since all three of their quarterbacks got snaps against Stony Brook. RB AJ Turner had a huge game against Stony Brook running for 119 yards on 8 carries. They have some good receivers that have transferred in from Power 4 schools. Any of their three QBs should have good targets to throw to in the passing game. Since Marshall is likely to play their running QBs, the Hokies have to do better against the run this week.

Marshall struggled with run defense last season. If you remember, last season Marshall finished ranked 80th in rushing defense but Tech only gave Bhayshul Tuten 8 carries. Even though he was posting 9.8 yards per carry. The best bet this year is for the Hokies to stick to the run game. Last year, they averaged 6.1 yards per carry and still lost. They lost because they gave up on the run game when they shouldn’t have. This year, they need to run the ball and stick to it. This will also open up opportunities downfield in the passing game. Notice I said downfield. Not this dink and dunk behind-the-line of scrimmage stuff. Put the ball in your playmakers’ hands and make Marshall have to make a tackle. That should be enough to win this week.

Sometimes my picks are based on vibes alone. I’ve watched enough Virginia Tech football to know that after a loss like Vandy we either win close or lose. I don’t remember coming back after a loss like that and putting the beatdown on the next opponent. That being said, I do believe this is a different team at home. Tech just plays better within the confines of Lane Stadium. Everybody knows that. And while Marshall is a decent team, they don’t have the horses to come into Lane and pull an upset. It also helps that Tech played a real opponent last week and Marshall played a bad FCS team. But if I could bet on this game, I’d be taking Marshall +20.5 — a nice little note for our out of state readers. We get a win this week but closer than the experts think. In a manner where nobody is satisfied but it’s a win nonetheless.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Marshall 20

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Marshall Q&A with The ThunderCast

You can follow the ThunderCast on Twitter @ThunderCast_Pod. You can also check out their blog and podcast here. The website has information for opposing fans making the trip to Huntington. The podcast is available in all audio formats and every episode is on YouTube in video format.

Tell us about yourself and your podcast. 

The ThunderCast began on April 1st, 2022. KD Hudnall previously ran the Moonshine Throwdown podcast which was about the Marshall and Western Kentucky rivalry. With the move to the Sun Belt Conference and abrupt ending to that rivalry, the podcast was going away. So he and Rus Livingood decided to launch The ThunderCast, focusing solely on Marshall University athletics, and covering all sports at Marshall. Episodes are at least weekly, and are available in video and audio only formats, clocking in around an average one and a half hours per episode. 

Tell us about your team this year. What are your expectations for Marshall this season?

Our expectations are pretty high. We have Marshall around nine wins in the regular season with the goal of a conference championship. The defense should be very tough again this year and the team should do well in the running game with the talented Rasheen Ali back fully healthy.  

What are your thoughts on playing Virginia Tech?

It’s a good regional opponent that makes a lot of sense playing on a regular basis. We would like to see the programs play a few times a decade. This looks like a rebuilding or down year for Virginia Tech with some areas of struggle, so we feel like we won’t be getting them at their best this season. 

How do you view the Virginia Tech program?

Virginia Tech has a great program with lots of success from the early 90s forward. They had a history of great special teams play under Frank Beamer and were a fun team to watch. Being regional, they were a team to root for when not playing the Herd. 

Are you excited to have a Power 5 team like Virginia Tech play in Huntington? 

Both Rus and KD hate the P5/G5 monikers and feel there is too much attempted separation of the conferences. Speaking personally, we are excited to watch our Thundering Herd play anywhere and everywhere, but especially at home. We’re not there to see the opponent.

Do you see Marshall joining a Power 4 (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) conference sometime in the future?

Not anytime soon, and that is totally fine with us. Everyone would welcome the additional revenue and viewership nationally that would coincide with such a move, but it does not seem likely in the near future.  We feel the Sun Belt is a terrific home for us with the regional play and the likeminded universities and fan bases. The Sun Belt truly feels special and like a throwback to when conferences were regional and all sports had easier travel. We could both see the Sun Belt get elevated in prominence as a conference rather than Marshall jumping to the SEC, Big Ten, etc.  

What are your expectations for the Virginia Tech game?

The noon kickoff is a little disappointing as it would have been more ideal to have more time to tailgate and socialize with fans from Virginia Tech. The atmosphere might not be as electric due to the timing versus what it would have been with a 3:30pm kickoff for instance. Still, it should be a fun time with a capacity crowd.  

What’s your prediction for the game?

Marshall controls the running game and limits Tech on the ground in comparison. The Herd pulls away in the second half and wins 28-10.  

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Marshall Preview and Prediction

The Hokies get to play a 12th game! I like how Adam Amin described the Hokies game against UVA as tournament football. Lose and go home. Luckily, the Hokies were able to get past their in-state rivals. They brought an increased intensity and got a couple of fortunate bounces. Commonwealth Cup streak – check. Now the Hokies get the chance to keep another streak alive with a win against Marshall.

Virginia Tech

Overall S&P+ Rank: 81st
Offensive S&P+ Rank: 64th
Defensive S&P+ Rank: 89th
Special Teams S&P+ Rank: 65th

Marshall 

Overall S&P+ Rank: 37th
Offensive S&P+ Rank: 110th
Defensive S&P+ Rank: 7th
Special Teams S&P+ Rank: 90th

This week you’re going to hear that Virginia Tech scheduled a win to become bowl eligible. That could not be further from the truth. Marshall is good! They have 8 wins and by the S&P+ ranking they will be 3rd best team the Hokies have faced this season. I believe the ranking is inflated to some degree by who Marshall has played this year but nonetheless this is a good team.

They remind me of a Frank Beamer coached team – limited offense but a really strong defense. The one good thing about this matchup is the Marshall does not look like the type of team that can exploit the Hokies struggles on defense. They will certainly be able to move the ball but I don’t expect the point explosion that a lot of teams have been able to put on the Hokies in the 2nd half of games. They have a better passing offense than rushing offense but it’s not exactly explosive. Watch out for Marshall’s big wide receiver, Tyre Brady. He has 64 catches and 9 touchdowns this season and has been targeted 126 times this season!

Marshall has an extremely stingy defense. This is a defense that doesn’t give up much on the ground which requires teams to try to beat them through the air. Teams have had some success against Marshall in the passing game. The Hokies offense will need to make some plays against this defense in order to win. This would be a good game to see a lot of misdirection and RPOs to keep Marshall out of sync. They might even throw in a trick play or two. Keep an eye on Safety Malik Gant, he leads the team in tackles and tackles for loss – which you don’t see very often from the safety position.

This game has the makings of a lower scoring affair than the Hokies are used to. Marshall has been very good at winning games where they score less than 30 points. What’s critical in this game is that the Hokies put up points on Marshall’s defense. The Hokies defense should be able to do enough to keep them in the game but the offense has to score against the Marshall defense. A big play on special teams would help too. This looks like a pretty even matchup on paper, but the Hokies should have the motivation edge and will find a way to pull it out in the end.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 28, Marshall 24Â