Ok boys....may be the last time we'll do this in 2023...so here goes...
Many of us (myself included) felt like regardless of how this season would twist and turn we could at least look forward to a nice win on Senior Day at the end of the year against the lowly Red Wolves and the only intrigue would be if Butch Jones was still employed when they visited Huntington. Getting outscored 110-3 in the first two games of the year certainly didn't help his job security. However, somewhere along the way the Red Wolves found their groove and over the last 9 games they are 6-3 and averaging over 34 points per game including last week's 77 point outburst against bowl-bound Texas State. Most notable is the play of freshman quarterback Jaylen Raynor who in 9 games (he sat out the first 2 games) has over 2,000 yards passing, 14 TDs and only 5 INTs and he has...*gulp*...escape ability to make big plays with his feet as well.
Conversely, our slow Death March continued as we dropped our 6th game in 7 contests and over the past 5 games we've averaged 12 points per game. On the season, we've now thrown 9 TD passes and 17 INTs. Our turnover margin is 3rd worst in the country.
The silver lining you've been waiting for is the Arkansas State defense is absolutely dreadful - maybe the worst we've played all season. The worst 4 defenses in the conference (ULM, Southern Miss, Texas State, Arkansas State) are all in the West and you can flip a coin as to which one you'd most like to play against. To win on Saturday, our offense is going to have to find an identity and Cole has to stop turning the ball over - he has 8 turnovers in 3 games. If we don't turn the ball over and take advantage of their soft defense AND our defense can continue to get better stopping the run, we've got a chance.
Right now Vegas has this game about 28-26 with a Marshall win and I agree.
Many of us (myself included) felt like regardless of how this season would twist and turn we could at least look forward to a nice win on Senior Day at the end of the year against the lowly Red Wolves and the only intrigue would be if Butch Jones was still employed when they visited Huntington. Getting outscored 110-3 in the first two games of the year certainly didn't help his job security. However, somewhere along the way the Red Wolves found their groove and over the last 9 games they are 6-3 and averaging over 34 points per game including last week's 77 point outburst against bowl-bound Texas State. Most notable is the play of freshman quarterback Jaylen Raynor who in 9 games (he sat out the first 2 games) has over 2,000 yards passing, 14 TDs and only 5 INTs and he has...*gulp*...escape ability to make big plays with his feet as well.
Conversely, our slow Death March continued as we dropped our 6th game in 7 contests and over the past 5 games we've averaged 12 points per game. On the season, we've now thrown 9 TD passes and 17 INTs. Our turnover margin is 3rd worst in the country.
The silver lining you've been waiting for is the Arkansas State defense is absolutely dreadful - maybe the worst we've played all season. The worst 4 defenses in the conference (ULM, Southern Miss, Texas State, Arkansas State) are all in the West and you can flip a coin as to which one you'd most like to play against. To win on Saturday, our offense is going to have to find an identity and Cole has to stop turning the ball over - he has 8 turnovers in 3 games. If we don't turn the ball over and take advantage of their soft defense AND our defense can continue to get better stopping the run, we've got a chance.
Right now Vegas has this game about 28-26 with a Marshall win and I agree.
| Marshall (5-6) | Arkansas State (6-5) | |
| PPG | 22.2 (102nd) | 28.4 (60th) |
| Points Allowed | 28.8 (93rd) | 30.82 (102nd) |
| Total Offense | 345.5 (93rd) | 381.9 (65th) |
| Rush Offense | 121.1 (102nd) | 162.1 (64th) |
| Pass Offense | 224.4 (66th) | 219.8 (72nd) |
| Offensive Pass Effic | 118.92 (108th) | 135.2 (65th) |
| 3rd Down Offense | 29.9% (125th) | 35.5% (100th) |
| Total Defense | 382.2 (73rd) | 441.2 (121st) |
| Rush Defense | 167.7 (99th) | 175.2 (105th) |
| Pass Defense | 214.5 (47th) | 266.0 (122nd) |
| Defensive Pass Effic | 127.73 (46th) | 147.96 (110th) |
| 3rd Down Defense | 31.9% (19th) | 40% (76th) |
| Turnover Margin Per Game | -1.18 (128th) | +0.18 (44th) |
| Penalty Yards Per Game | 54.45 (78th) | 59.55 (100th) |
