Week 7 Preview: Marshall
After beating in-state rival, Georgia State, in Week 5, the Eagles of Georgia Southern got a much needed Bye Week. On October 12, Marshall comes to Statesboro, Georgia for a nationally televised prime time showdown. Georgia Southern fans are encouraged to wear white as part of a “White Out” which will see the Eagles wear white in the friendly confines of Paulson Stadium.
Marshall is coming into this game with a 3-2 overall record and 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play after beating Appalachian State last weekend.
Marshall Head Coach Charles Huff made the decision to start Tulsa transfer Braylon Braxton at quarterback despite QB Stone Earle being healthy and it paid off as the Thundering Herd scored 52 points. Braxton finished the game 8/14 for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns and 15 carries for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns. The offense is dynamic with him playing, so the Eagles defense will undoubtedly have its hands full trying to slow him down.
On the ground, the Thundering Herd like to use sophomore RB A.J. Turner who has 443 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 42 carries through five games. The receiver group has two standouts: WR Christian Fitzpatrick and WR Elijah Metcalf. Fitzpatrick has 15 catches for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns and Metcalf has 20 catches for 194 yards and 3 touchdowns. With Braxton leading the offense, the Eagles defense should expect a heavy dose of the ground game, but on play action passes and rollouts, both of these guys are capable of making big plays and burning the secondary. Getting pressure on the quarterback while maintaining contain is going to be crucial to get the Georgia Southern defense off the field in this game.
Defensively, sophomore LB Jaden Yates leads the way with 48 tackles through five games. DB J.J. Roberts, LB Landyn Watson, and DL Mike Green all have over 30 tackles as well. By far, the most dangerous player on the defense for Marshall is RS sophomore DE/EDGE, Mike Green, who has 7 sacks through 5 games this season. The offensive coaching staff for Georgia Southern will be forced to plan around him, so expect a lot of short passes and running backs staying in pass protection to help slow down Green. As a unit, Marshall gives up 191 rushing yards, 199 passing yards, and 28 points per game. The defense has forced 5 turnovers through five games: 4 interceptions and 1 recovered fumble. Both defenses in this matchup have struggled this season, so this game could be a shootout.
In the Special Teams phase of the game, Marshall K Rece Verhoff is just 4-7 on field goal attempts with a long of 45 yards. He splits kickoff duties with K Nathan Totten and two have combined for 22 touchbacks on 29 attempts. Just like the Eagles, Marshall recruited their punter from Australia. P Alec Clark has 23 punts with an average of 40.96 yards, 3 touchbacks, and 6 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. In the punt return game, Marshall uses WR Elijah Metcalf most often as he has 10 returns with a 9.2 yard average. The coverage team will need to maintain lane discipline to prevent Metcalf from making plays. RB Jordan Houston has been returning kicks most often the last two games and he is more than capable of breaking a long one on any given kick. Expect Eagles K Gavin Stewart to try to boot most kickoffs out of the end zone to keep the ball out of the Thundering Herd’s dynamic playmakers.
This game has the potential to be extremely high scoring. Neither defense is great and both offense’s are capable of running up the score any given weekend. It is going to be crucial to protect the ball because any extra possessions will come back to bite.
Eagles Win If:
1) They win the turnover battle
Whichever team gets the most possessions will likely win this game, so it is crucial for Georgia Southern not to give Marshall extra possessions
2) The game atmosphere does not distract the players
Fans love the White Out, festivities, post game concerts, etc. but that atmosphere can become extremely distracting for players so the guys must stay focused to play well
3) Jalen White and OJ Arnold remain effective in the running game
To keep Marshall DE Mike Green honest and not give him a chance to pin his ears back and rush QB JC French every play, the Eagles must establish a presence in the run game
