Though Marshall’s dominant Division I-AA and MAC days are long gone, the Thundering Herd are still capable of competing with the big boys and pulling off an occasional upset.
The Ohio State Buckeyes play host to the Marshall Thundering Herd this weekend in a matchup of two rested football teams, both coming off a Week 3 bye. Saturday’s nooner (ET) will be just the third ever meeting between OSU and Marshall – on the gridiron, at least – with the Buckeyes holding a 2-0 advantage. The teams last played in 2010, when Terrelle Pryor led the Scarlet and Gray to a decisive 45-7 victory.
However, in 2004, when these teams met for the first time, Marshall nearly upset Ohio State in The Shoe thanks to four Buckeye turnovers. The Thundering Herd tied that inaugural game with just nine minutes to go, before OSU’s Mike Nugent ended the upset bid with a clutch 55-yard field goal in the game’s final seconds.
But it’s safe to say that things are a bit different now, for both teams.
20 years ago, Marshall was just two (years) removed from the second of back-to-back 11-win seasons and five removed from a perfect 13-0 season. The team was considered a mid-major monster back then, but has since fallen back to earth a bit, averaging seven wins per season since 2015. That being said, P4/P5 opponents such as Ohio State would still be wise to take the Thundering Herd very seriously — just ask Notre Dame.
Here are a few more things you should know about the Marshall Thundering Herd
Marshall University is named after John Marshall AKA “The Great Dissenter.” Marshall’s full/given name was actually John Marshall Harlan, so there’s an alternative universe in which we’re talking about Harlan University… Anyway, Marshall served as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court justice from 1877 until his death in 1911. Now you know.
Marco the Bison is the school’s mascot. I would have guessed Billy or Bob. Or maybe Billy Bob, for alliteration purposes. But I definitely would not have gone the Italian route.
Marshall might have the best NIL deal/arrangement in college athletics. Just this week, Marshall coach Charles Huff jokingly attempted to lure Ohio State players to his school with an all-you-can-eat NIL deal courtesy of Tudor’s Biscuit World. Said deal may not be very lucrative (or real), but it’s worth a shot, right?
The 2006 film We Are Marshall, starring Matthew McConaughey, is based on the events and aftermath of a 1970 plane crash that greatly and tragically affected Marshall’s football program, as well as countless others. If you’re reading this, I’m just going to go ahead and assume that you’ve seen or at least heard of the movie and/or history upon which it is based.
50 years. Never forget. Never defeated. We Are Marshall.
To join the Memorial Fountain Ceremony go to https://t.co/T77G65f72h@marshallu pic.twitter.com/hBqncjjjSs— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) November 14, 2020
Marshall once dominated at the Division I-AA/FCS level. The Thundering Herd won Div I-AA national titles in both 1992 and 1996, and finished as the runner-up in ’91, ’93, and ’95.
Chad Pennington and Randy Moss ain’t walkin’ through that (locker room) door on Saturday. Pennington and Moss starred for Marshall in the late 1990s, helping the Thundering Herd rattle off 35 wins in three seasons (1997-99). They are widely considered the two best players in program history. But the only way Pennington and/or Moss sees the field on Saturday is if one or both is some sort of honorary captain. Which is a real bummer, because the Herd could use Moss, even at his current age.
Cole Pennington, on the other hand, is walking through that door! Cole is Chad’s son and a backup quarterback for Marshall. Unfortunately for the Thundering Herd, none of Randy Moss’ children are on the roster.
Marshall played the role of “giant slayer” as recently as 2022. The Thundering Herd went into South Bend and knocked off the Notre Dame Fighting Irish two years ago, upsetting the then-No. 8 team in the country on the latter’s home field. But, uh, that’s sort of becoming ND’s deal, right? MAC and former MAC schools are 2-1 in their last three games at Notre Dame, although the Irish can “even the score” Saturday afternoon against Miami (OH).
But don’t expect them (Marshall) to do the same in 2024. At least not in Columbus. The Thundering Herd finished outside the top-90 in both scoring offense and scoring defense last year, on their way to a 6-7 record. Charles Huff’s squad then proceeded to lose most of their offensive production, as well as a majority of the Herd’s starting defense. A.J. Turner, Braylon Braxton (offense), Eli Neal, and J.J. Roberts (defense) are all players to keep an eye on, but the 2024 version of Marshall will likely have trouble hanging with Ohio State.