Without question, the Marshall offensive unit -- when a person can think of what comes to mind -- had its fair share of ups and downs.
Ultimately, however, Marshall ended up having a successful season, finding its way over the back half of the regular season en route to a 9-4 overall record in 2022.
More information below on each position group and their grades!
QUARTERBACK:
Unfortunately, Marshall's 2022 season, in this area, ended as it began -- cloudy.
In all 13 games and 640 offensive snaps, Cam Fancher finished with a 59.0 PFF as the redshirt freshman threw for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns to six interceptions in 2022. The redshirt freshman did lead Marshall to a 6-1 overall record in games that the Huber Heights, Ohio native started, but only graded above a 65 PFF twice -- in the Thundering Herd's victories against Appalachian State (67.2 PFF) and Georgia State (65.6 PFF). Still, Fancher's leadership skills were evident in how Marshall finished the season.
Texas Tech transfer Henry Colombi's struggles have been talked about ad nauseum to this point, but Colombi's 46.5 PFF grade was the second-lowest grade of the 52 offensive players who suited up for Marshall in 2022, only above Stacey Marshall, Jr.'s 40.3 PFF grade.
Colombi completed 94 of his 129 passes for 935 yards and six touchdowns, but also threw four interceptions. Two of Colombi's six starts came against NCAA FCS competition -- including Colombi's highest grade of 70.4 against Norfolk State who went 2-9 -- and didn't post a grade above a 61 PFF against any other opponent while mainly throwing screen passes in most of his passing attempts.
None of the additional quarterbacks who exclusively played in reserve roles finished with a grade above 61 PFF for the year, and the ones who finished above 60 PFF -- Peter Zamora, Cole Pennington, Cade Cunningham and Chase Harrison -- combined for 21 snaps and one pass attempt all year with Zamora -- who threw the lone pass attempt -- entering the transfer portal.
With those performances in mind, in addition to Colombi's graduation, the departure of Zamora, and no quarterback coming into the 2023 class from the high school ranks, it is safe to say that Marshall will need to explore the transfer portal, regardless of a breakout spring from the returning bodies.
Marshall currently sits 92nd of 131 FBS teams in points per game (24.5) with the bowl games not finished, and a large part of that falls on the most important skill position group for the entire offense.
RUNNING BACK:
Despite the off-field discussion that surrounded Rasheen Ali's departure from the team for the late portion of the summer as well as the early fall portion, the running back room was outstanding all season long and was only bolstered further when Ali returned as Marshall ultimately holds the 15th best rushing attack in the entire FBS with 2,677 rushing yards with a week-and-a-half left in the entire college football season.
The effectiveness of Khalan Laborn, as the vast majority of people would agree on, was a big reason why.
Laborn -- who currently sits seventh in the entire FBS with 1,531 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns on 303 attempts in 2022 -- finished with a very strong 79.9 PFF grade despite fighting through nagging shoulder and ankle injuries at different points in the season.
Laborn averaged 4.1 yards per carry or more in 10 of the 13 games, finished with a 70 PFF or better in six games and a 75 PFF or better in four games. Of all 13 contests, Laborn scored under a 60 PFF just once -- the Senior Day contest against Georgia State in which he ripped off an 83-yard touchdown run to help Marshall come back from an early 10-0 deficit en route to the win.
Despite his absence from the lineup, Ali proved to be tremendous in the three contests that he did play in, rushing for 273 yards and a touchdown on just 47 attempts for a 5.8 yard-per-carry average.
Ali averaged at least 4.9 yards per carry in all three of his appearances and notched offensive PFF grades of 74.1, 78.3 and 70 in Marshall victories against Georgia Southern, Georgia State and UCONN to end the year.
Even behind Laborn and Ali, the rest of the running back room showed great promise. Ethan Payne (71 PFF) ran for 245 yards and two touchdowns on 58 attempts as a chain mover who notched a strong 5.1 yard-per-carry average, while A.J. Turner posted 100 yards on 17 attempts for a 5.9 yard-per-carry mark en route to an even better PFF mark of 74.7.
Payne posted grades of better than 75 PFF against Coastal Carolina and UCONN while Turner posted excellent grades against Troy (72.3 PFF) and Gardner-Webb (83.7 PFF).
Maurice Jones (eight carries, 51 yards, 62.0 PFF) and Isaiah Gordon (three carries, nine yards, 52.6 PFF) are also talented running backs who will add to a loaded running back room -- and are eligible for a redshirt having only played in one contest during the season.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS:
Due in large part to the struggles in finding an effective solution at quarterback throughout the year, the wide receivers and tight ends struggled to put up numbers over the course of the season as well.
Receiver-wise, Bryan Robinson's 74.4 PFF grade was actually the best grade of any receiver, but Robinson only played in two games and had a catch for 15 yards against Georgia Southern.
Among the receivers who played on a regular basis, it was not a surprise to see Corey Gammage excel. Gammage's grade -- a respectable 69.7 PFF -- came on the back of leading Marshall in catches (53), receiving yards (758), and receiving touchdowns (6). No other Marshall receiver had more than ONE receiving touchdown.
Gammage posted five grades of better than 65 PFF, including high marks of 74.6 PFF against Coastal Carolina (eight catches, 163 yards), 72.9 PFF against Appalachian State (six catches, 91 yards, TD), and 72.2 PFF against Notre Dame.
Talik Keaton, who unfortunately had his season cut short due to injury, notched 185 yards on 20 catches in eight games for a 63.8 PFF, while Shadeed Ahmed and Charles Montgomery posted identical 60.6 PFF marks. Montgomery posted 402 yards and a touchdown on 36 catches while Ahmed posted 150 yards and a touchdown on 16 catches.
EJ Horton (58.8 PFF, 13 catches, 188 yards, TD), Caleb McMillan (58.6 PFF, 14 catches, 202 yards, TD), Jayden Harrison (56.6 PFF, 12 catches, 95 yards, TD), Stone Scarcelle (53.7 PFF) and Caleb Coombs (52.1 PFF, four catches, 17 yards) rounded out the receiving core's efforts.
Tight end-wise, it was a struggle for Marshall's offense to get the tight ends involved all year. Toby Payne notched two catches for 27 yards in a contest played for the Thundering Herd while Devin Miller (21 catches, 168 yards, two touchdowns) notched a low 50.1 PFF grade. Stacey Marshall, Jr. notched just one catch for six yards all year as the Arizona transfer posted a 40.3 PFF mark.
OFFENSIVE LINE:
From a lineman standpoint, Tyshawn Hurst's 82.1 PFF mark and Tariq Montgomery's 67.4 PFF rating led the Thundering Herd, but Hurst played in just one contest while Montgomery played in two affairs.
Of the full-timers on the line, Cedrice Paillant's 64.7 PFF grade and Dalton Tucker's 64.6 mark led Marshall, while Logan Osburn (62.9 PFF) and Trent Holler and Ethan Driskell (61.7 PFF grades each) followed suit. Paillant posted a 82.4 pass blocking grade while Tucker and Osburn posted 77.4 and 77.1 pass blocking marks for the Thundering Herd.
Kendrick Sartor's 56.6 PFF grade rounded out the efforts for the regulars on the offensive line.
Despite the low offensive grades, Marshall's top-20 rushing mark offensively -- plus a pass blocking effort where the Marshall offensive line gave up just 15 sacks all season in 13 games -- leads me to believe these grades are low for a line that seemed to get better, and even overachieve, later into the year.
Other linemen who played in limited time included Steven Faucheux (64.2 PFF), Tim Lawson (60.0 PFF), Jack Murphy (59.3 PFF), Trent Fraley (56.5 PFF), Eric Meeks (55.8 PFF), and Jacob Kirkendoll (53.9 PFF).
SHORT SUMMARY:
Overall, it's safe to say that Charles Huff's offense, led by offensive coordinator Clint Trickett of Last Chance U fame, is still a work in progress.
The entire unit only had two grades above a 70 PFF all year -- the upset victory over Notre Dame in South Bend where Marshall produced a 72.4 PFF grade, and a 70.4 mark against Georgia Southern.
The offense was clearly better with Fancher as the starting quarterback as evidenced by a total offense PFF grade of 65 or better in four out of Marshall's last six contests compared to only two such performances in the first seven affairs, but that won't get it done without a defensive effort similar to this past season's.
Ultimately, however, Marshall ended up having a successful season, finding its way over the back half of the regular season en route to a 9-4 overall record in 2022.
More information below on each position group and their grades!
QUARTERBACK:
Unfortunately, Marshall's 2022 season, in this area, ended as it began -- cloudy.
In all 13 games and 640 offensive snaps, Cam Fancher finished with a 59.0 PFF as the redshirt freshman threw for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns to six interceptions in 2022. The redshirt freshman did lead Marshall to a 6-1 overall record in games that the Huber Heights, Ohio native started, but only graded above a 65 PFF twice -- in the Thundering Herd's victories against Appalachian State (67.2 PFF) and Georgia State (65.6 PFF). Still, Fancher's leadership skills were evident in how Marshall finished the season.
Texas Tech transfer Henry Colombi's struggles have been talked about ad nauseum to this point, but Colombi's 46.5 PFF grade was the second-lowest grade of the 52 offensive players who suited up for Marshall in 2022, only above Stacey Marshall, Jr.'s 40.3 PFF grade.
Colombi completed 94 of his 129 passes for 935 yards and six touchdowns, but also threw four interceptions. Two of Colombi's six starts came against NCAA FCS competition -- including Colombi's highest grade of 70.4 against Norfolk State who went 2-9 -- and didn't post a grade above a 61 PFF against any other opponent while mainly throwing screen passes in most of his passing attempts.
None of the additional quarterbacks who exclusively played in reserve roles finished with a grade above 61 PFF for the year, and the ones who finished above 60 PFF -- Peter Zamora, Cole Pennington, Cade Cunningham and Chase Harrison -- combined for 21 snaps and one pass attempt all year with Zamora -- who threw the lone pass attempt -- entering the transfer portal.
With those performances in mind, in addition to Colombi's graduation, the departure of Zamora, and no quarterback coming into the 2023 class from the high school ranks, it is safe to say that Marshall will need to explore the transfer portal, regardless of a breakout spring from the returning bodies.
Marshall currently sits 92nd of 131 FBS teams in points per game (24.5) with the bowl games not finished, and a large part of that falls on the most important skill position group for the entire offense.
RUNNING BACK:
Despite the off-field discussion that surrounded Rasheen Ali's departure from the team for the late portion of the summer as well as the early fall portion, the running back room was outstanding all season long and was only bolstered further when Ali returned as Marshall ultimately holds the 15th best rushing attack in the entire FBS with 2,677 rushing yards with a week-and-a-half left in the entire college football season.
The effectiveness of Khalan Laborn, as the vast majority of people would agree on, was a big reason why.
Laborn -- who currently sits seventh in the entire FBS with 1,531 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns on 303 attempts in 2022 -- finished with a very strong 79.9 PFF grade despite fighting through nagging shoulder and ankle injuries at different points in the season.
Laborn averaged 4.1 yards per carry or more in 10 of the 13 games, finished with a 70 PFF or better in six games and a 75 PFF or better in four games. Of all 13 contests, Laborn scored under a 60 PFF just once -- the Senior Day contest against Georgia State in which he ripped off an 83-yard touchdown run to help Marshall come back from an early 10-0 deficit en route to the win.
Despite his absence from the lineup, Ali proved to be tremendous in the three contests that he did play in, rushing for 273 yards and a touchdown on just 47 attempts for a 5.8 yard-per-carry average.
Ali averaged at least 4.9 yards per carry in all three of his appearances and notched offensive PFF grades of 74.1, 78.3 and 70 in Marshall victories against Georgia Southern, Georgia State and UCONN to end the year.
Even behind Laborn and Ali, the rest of the running back room showed great promise. Ethan Payne (71 PFF) ran for 245 yards and two touchdowns on 58 attempts as a chain mover who notched a strong 5.1 yard-per-carry average, while A.J. Turner posted 100 yards on 17 attempts for a 5.9 yard-per-carry mark en route to an even better PFF mark of 74.7.
Payne posted grades of better than 75 PFF against Coastal Carolina and UCONN while Turner posted excellent grades against Troy (72.3 PFF) and Gardner-Webb (83.7 PFF).
Maurice Jones (eight carries, 51 yards, 62.0 PFF) and Isaiah Gordon (three carries, nine yards, 52.6 PFF) are also talented running backs who will add to a loaded running back room -- and are eligible for a redshirt having only played in one contest during the season.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS:
Due in large part to the struggles in finding an effective solution at quarterback throughout the year, the wide receivers and tight ends struggled to put up numbers over the course of the season as well.
Receiver-wise, Bryan Robinson's 74.4 PFF grade was actually the best grade of any receiver, but Robinson only played in two games and had a catch for 15 yards against Georgia Southern.
Among the receivers who played on a regular basis, it was not a surprise to see Corey Gammage excel. Gammage's grade -- a respectable 69.7 PFF -- came on the back of leading Marshall in catches (53), receiving yards (758), and receiving touchdowns (6). No other Marshall receiver had more than ONE receiving touchdown.
Gammage posted five grades of better than 65 PFF, including high marks of 74.6 PFF against Coastal Carolina (eight catches, 163 yards), 72.9 PFF against Appalachian State (six catches, 91 yards, TD), and 72.2 PFF against Notre Dame.
Talik Keaton, who unfortunately had his season cut short due to injury, notched 185 yards on 20 catches in eight games for a 63.8 PFF, while Shadeed Ahmed and Charles Montgomery posted identical 60.6 PFF marks. Montgomery posted 402 yards and a touchdown on 36 catches while Ahmed posted 150 yards and a touchdown on 16 catches.
EJ Horton (58.8 PFF, 13 catches, 188 yards, TD), Caleb McMillan (58.6 PFF, 14 catches, 202 yards, TD), Jayden Harrison (56.6 PFF, 12 catches, 95 yards, TD), Stone Scarcelle (53.7 PFF) and Caleb Coombs (52.1 PFF, four catches, 17 yards) rounded out the receiving core's efforts.
Tight end-wise, it was a struggle for Marshall's offense to get the tight ends involved all year. Toby Payne notched two catches for 27 yards in a contest played for the Thundering Herd while Devin Miller (21 catches, 168 yards, two touchdowns) notched a low 50.1 PFF grade. Stacey Marshall, Jr. notched just one catch for six yards all year as the Arizona transfer posted a 40.3 PFF mark.
OFFENSIVE LINE:
From a lineman standpoint, Tyshawn Hurst's 82.1 PFF mark and Tariq Montgomery's 67.4 PFF rating led the Thundering Herd, but Hurst played in just one contest while Montgomery played in two affairs.
Of the full-timers on the line, Cedrice Paillant's 64.7 PFF grade and Dalton Tucker's 64.6 mark led Marshall, while Logan Osburn (62.9 PFF) and Trent Holler and Ethan Driskell (61.7 PFF grades each) followed suit. Paillant posted a 82.4 pass blocking grade while Tucker and Osburn posted 77.4 and 77.1 pass blocking marks for the Thundering Herd.
Kendrick Sartor's 56.6 PFF grade rounded out the efforts for the regulars on the offensive line.
Despite the low offensive grades, Marshall's top-20 rushing mark offensively -- plus a pass blocking effort where the Marshall offensive line gave up just 15 sacks all season in 13 games -- leads me to believe these grades are low for a line that seemed to get better, and even overachieve, later into the year.
Other linemen who played in limited time included Steven Faucheux (64.2 PFF), Tim Lawson (60.0 PFF), Jack Murphy (59.3 PFF), Trent Fraley (56.5 PFF), Eric Meeks (55.8 PFF), and Jacob Kirkendoll (53.9 PFF).
SHORT SUMMARY:
Overall, it's safe to say that Charles Huff's offense, led by offensive coordinator Clint Trickett of Last Chance U fame, is still a work in progress.
The entire unit only had two grades above a 70 PFF all year -- the upset victory over Notre Dame in South Bend where Marshall produced a 72.4 PFF grade, and a 70.4 mark against Georgia Southern.
The offense was clearly better with Fancher as the starting quarterback as evidenced by a total offense PFF grade of 65 or better in four out of Marshall's last six contests compared to only two such performances in the first seven affairs, but that won't get it done without a defensive effort similar to this past season's.
Last edited:
