Marshall University

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Charles Huff’s Weekly Press Conference – Coastal Carolina | Player Interviews – James Madison

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Marshall Football looks to wrap up the Sun Belt Conference East Division title at 8 p.m. Saturday when the team travels to Bridgeforth Stadium to take on James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Clock: ESPNU

Listen: Live

Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Game notes: Marshall | JMU

Twitter: @HerdFB

Instagram: @Herd_FB

NOTES BEFORE THE GAME

Marshall looks to solidify the Sun Belt Conference’s East Division title with a win on Saturday. Doing so would earn the pack a spot in the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game. Marshall earns a berth in the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship with a win or a Georgia Southern loss.

Marshall enters the game with an 8-3 record and a 6-1 record in the Sun Belt East Division. After being selected to finish 5th in the East Division in the pre-season, the Crew is guaranteed to finish no lower than 2ndn.d.

Marshall quarterback Braylon Braxton enters as the reigning SBC Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for 350 total yards, which included throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for 140 yards, in last week’s 42-35 win at Old Dominion.

JMU is looking to complete an undefeated season at home (currently 5-0 this season). Over their last 50 home games, James Madison is 46-4 at Bridgeforth Stadium, making it one of the toughest places to play in the country.

Among those four home losses during that stretch is a 26-12 loss to Marshall in 2022 – the Herd’s only trip to Bridgeforth Stadium ever. Since that loss, the Dukes have won 12 of their last 13 games at home.

It will be senior day for JMU at Bridgeforth Stadium. The Dukes lost on Senior Day last season — a 26-23 overtime loss to App State.

ABOUT MARSHALL

Marshall enters Saturday’s contest at 8-3 overall and 6-1 on the season, which has the Pack in first place in the Sun Belt East Division. Head coach Charles Huff is in his fourth season at the helm of the Thundering Herd.

Offensively, the Thundering Herd is 18th in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 205.8 yards per match.

Marshall quarterback Braylon Braxton enters the game as the reigning Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Pack to a turnover-free performance in a 42-35 win at Old Dominion last week. Braxton threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another 140 in the win.

On the defensive side, the pack is led by the defensive end Mike Greenone of the nation’s leading defenders and someone who was honored this week as a Bednarik Award semifinalist. Green ranks no. 1 in the FBS in sacks (15.0), tackles for loss (20.0), sack yardage (126), TFL yardage (137) and is also no. 1 among all FBS defensive linemen in tackles (76).

Marshall linebacker Jaden Yates also leads all FBS players in total tackles with 105. Defensive backs JJ Roberts and Jacobie Henderson is ranked as no. 1 and 2 in SBC in passes defended with 14 and 11 respectively.

For a more in-depth look at Marshall football, visit HERE.



ABOUT JAMES MADISON


James Madison enters Saturday’s game at 8-3 overall and 4-3 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Dukes are coached by Bob Chesney, who is in his first year leading the program.

JMU is led offensively by talented quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who has thrown for 2,460 yards with 24 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Defensively, the Dukes are excellent, starting with defensive lineman Eric O’Neill and linebacker Khairi Manns. O’Neill currently has 9.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss on the season – both of which are just behind Marshall. Mike Green. Manns has 53 tackles on the season with 8.0 sacks to his credit.

JMU leads the nation in turnover margin at +17. The Dukes have 25 takeaways to their credit (17 interceptions, 8 fumble recoveries) and have turned the ball over just eight times in 11 games.

For more information on James Madison, visit HERE.



SERIES HISTORY

This will be the fifth ever meeting between Marshall and James Madison, with the Pack holding a 3-1 advantage in the series. Marshall earned a 26-12 victory at Bridgeforth Stadium in 2022, while JMU won last year’s contest, 20-9, in Huntington.

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—HerdZone.com—