Marshall is ready to put the extended layoff behind him

– By Bill Cornwell

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall football faces a challenging November, but the Thundering Herd will enter the final month of the regular season fully rested.

The stretch begins Saturday afternoon when the Herd (4-3, 2-1) takes on Louisiana-Monroe (5-2, 3-1) at Joan C. Edwards Stadium at 3:30 p.m., a game to watch can be watched on ESPN+.

Marshall last played on Oct. 17 when it beat Georgia State, and Saturday's contest will be the team's first game in 16 days.

The Warhawks lost 46-17 at South Alabama last week.

Marshall relied heavily on a steady dose of his running game in the win over the Panthers, with AJ Turner rushing for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Turner also had a receiving score and totaled 207 all-purpose yards. He now leads the Sun Belt Conference with 717 rushing yards.

The Warhawks struggled defensively in the loss at South Alabama, primarily stopping the Jaguars on the ground. UL Monroe allowed six rushing touchdowns and gave up 355 yards on the ground.

Those numbers could be a signal of what Marshall plans to do offensively on Saturday, but MU head coach Charles Huff says the Warhawks' defensive woes could be temporary.

“They’ve done a really good job against the run this year,” Huff said. “I think last week’s performance was an outlier. AJ is having a great year, but we have to make sure the quarterback is efficient with the ball, the offensive line is preventing negative plays and whoever is in the backfield has to make positive runs and play efficiently.”

UL Monroe's offense hasn't put up eye-opening numbers this season, but it does have a talented backup in freshman Ahmad Hardy, who has rushed for 604 yards and six touchdowns. The Warhawks' quarterback is another freshman, Aidan Armenta, who threw for 630 yards with five touchdowns.

“They’re doing a good job as far as stressing your entire defense,” Huff said. “You can plan your defense, but what matters is attacking the guy. I was really impressed with Ahmad Hardy as he is really good at breaking tackles and the first defender very rarely brings him down. It will be a concerted effort to stop him and our fundamentals and technique in the duel must be solid.”

The Warhawks are led by first-year head coach Bryant Vincent, who took the job after serving as New Mexico's offensive coordinator last year. Vincent also had coaching stints at UAB and South Alabama.

Marshall and Louisiana-Monroe have met only once before, and that matchup was significant when UL Monroe, then known as Northeast Louisiana, defeated the Herd 43-42 in the 1987 NCAA I-AA National Championship Game in Pocatello, Idaho.

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Although Saturday is not Marshall's final home game of the season, it will be Senior Day, as the Nov. 16 game against Coastal Carolina will serve as a day of remembrance for the 75 victims of the 1970 Marshall football plane crash.

Eighteen MU seniors will be honored prior to this week's game, and three additional players who have already participated in the Senior Day festivities will also be honored.