Marshall isn’t treating Saturday like a paycheck game. The Thundering Herd visit No. 5 Georgia convinced they can push — and maybe even shock — the Bulldogs. That belief is the theme leading up to the 2025 season opener. Marshall senior cornerback Marvae Myers pointed to the last time the programs met in 2004, when Georgia persevered, 13-3.
“We’ve got history with Georgia,” Myers said. “I’ve seen the last game was a pretty close one, something I’m pretty sure they weren’t expecting. But we’ve just been focusing on not making this just a game where we show up. We’re going to go out there, show heart and we’re coming to win. We’re not coming out there just to play. We want to win.”
The Thundering Herd showed they can compete with top programs, including wins over AP Top 25 teams such as No. 8 Notre Dame in 2022 (26-21) and No. 23 Appalachian State in 2020 (17-7), plus a 24-17 victory against Virginia Tech in 2023.
However, the task in Athens is especially daunting. Marshall’s roster features 76 new players and just eight returnees from last year’s Sun Belt champion squad, forcing the Herd to integrate a largely unfamiliar lineup against one of the nation’s elite teams. First-year coach Tony Gibson, previously North Carolina State’s defensive coordinator, must mold the new pieces quickly while preparing for Georgia’s well-oiled SEC powerhouse.
Georgia remains a heavy favorite — 38.5 points according to FanDuel Sportsbook — with the Bulldogs owning a 31-game home winning streak at Sanford Stadium. Despite the daunting odds, the Thundering Herd are embracing the challenge.
“I feel like the first week is the best time to have them because we don’t know what they expect out of them and they really don’t know what they expect out of us because we’re a whole new team, 60-plus new players,” Marshall senior defensive lineman Katron Evans said “So it’s like it’s the best time to have Georgia, especially being that we’re a Group of [Six] school and they’re SEC.”
Georgia is 13-0 all-time against teams from the Sun Belt, won 11 consecutive season openers and owns the longest active home win streak in FBS. But Marshall, winners of 12 straight season openers dating back to 2013, isn’t treating those numbers as a reason to back down.
Read the full article here