Following a second straight conference loss, the Thundering Herd will hit the road and head to Atlanta for a matchup with the sputtering Georgia State Panthers
Following a second straight conference loss, the Thundering Herd will hit the road and head to Atlanta for a matchup with the sputtering Georgia State Panthers.
Georgia State is still seeking their first conference win of the season, losing their sixth straight game last weekend at Coastal Carolina.
Marshall is coming off of a close loss to James Madison last weekend, officially eliminating the defending champs from conference title contention.
Marshall
The Thundering Herd have had an up and down season. Going from an 0-2 start, to putting themselves back into title conversation to now being eliminated from said conversation and needing to win two of their last three games to become bowl eligible.
While quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson has been a pleasant surprise for the Thundering Herd, it seems the veteran quarterback has cooled off as we hit the final stretch of the season.
Rio-Wilson was red hot to begin league play, throwing for a combined 754 yards, rushing for 264 yards and throwing six touchdowns for the Thundering Herd in their first three conference games. Additionally, Rio-Wilson had eclipsed 250+ yards in three of the last four games for Marshall.
The seasoned quarterback has cooled off tremendously after the last two games against Coastal Carolina and James Madison, throwing for just over 150 yards in each of these games.
While Rio-Wilson does not shoulder the blame for Marshall’s recent spiral, he will need to return to form as the Thundering Herd are fighting for bowl eligibility.
Despite the losses, Marshall has rushed for 200+ yards in back-to-back games and has generated great success on the ground all season. This consistent success in establishing the run has the Thundering Herd ranked 15th in FBS rushing offense and will most likely opt to keep the ball on the ground against Georgia State, who ranks 132nd in FBS against the run, allowing 218.2 yards per game and 5.63 yards per carry on average.
Georgia State
This has quickly become a season that Panthers fans would much rather forget. Coming off of their 6th double-digit loss of the season, Georgia State currently sits at 1-8 and is in the middle of a six-game losing streak. While a bowl game isn’t completely out of the question for the Panthers, the outlook is bleak.
In an all but lost season, there has been a significant bright spot for this Panthers team. A huge season by Ted Hurst has given Panthers fans something to cheer for, hauling in 57 receptions for 854 yards and six touchdowns this season.
The Georgia State quarterback room has also been quite an anomaly for the Panthers. Although Cameron Brown leads the team in passing yards with 1239 yards, mid-season addition TJ Finley has stepped up in moments Brown was absent and has passed for 993 yards while serving as back-up quarterback.
The trio of Brown, Finley, and Hurst have Georgia State ranked 43rd in FBS passing offense. With the Thundering Herd 123rd in FBS against the pass, look for the Panthers to lean on their air attack to try and keep pace with Marshall.
Marshall at Georgia State
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov.15 at 2:00 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WRAS-FM 88.5
For more information on tickets and parking, fans can click here. Fans can also contact the Georgia State ticketing office via phone at (404) 413-4020 or via email at tickets@gsu.edu.
About The Author
