# 2023 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

The 2023 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Thundering Herd played their home games at the Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. The team was coached by third-year head coach Charles Huff. The Marshall Thundering Herd football team drew an average home attendance of 23,198 in 2023.

## Preseason
### Media poll

In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Thundering Herd were picked to finish in fourth place in the East division.
Media poll (East division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | James Madison | 78 (4) |
| 2 | Appalachian State | 75 (4) |
| 3 | Coastal Carolina | 71 (1) |
| 4 | Marshall | 68 (1) |
| 5 | Georgia Southern | 52 (1) |
| 6 | Georgia State | 31 |
| 7 | Old Dominion | 17 |
Offensive lineman Logan Osburn, Defensive lineman Owen Porter, linebacker Eli Neal, and defensive back Micah Abraham were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team. Running back Rasheen Ali and offensive lineman Ethan Driskell were named to the second team.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

On February 7 defensive coordinator Lance Guidry was hired by the University of Miami to be their defensive coordinator.
On February 9 the Thundering herd hired Jason Semore to be their defensive coordinator. He was previously the safeties and special teams coach at Georgia Tech.

## Schedule

The football schedule was announced February 24, 2023.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Albany* | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV | ESPN+ | W 21–17 | 25,101 |
| September 9 | 4:00 p.m. | at East Carolina* | Dowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, NC (rivalry) | ESPNU | W 31–13 | 38,211 |
| September 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Virginia Tech* | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV | ESPN2 | W 24–17 | 31,475 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Old Dominion | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV | ESPN+ | W 41–35 | 22,652 |
| October 7 | 2:00 p.m. | at NC State* | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | The CW | L 41–48 | 56,919 |
| October 14 | 7:00 p.m. | at Georgia State | Center Parc StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN2 | L 24–41 | 16,718 |
| October 19 | 7:00 p.m. | James Madison | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV | ESPN | L 9–20 | 22,109 |
| October 28 | 6:00 p.m. | at Coastal Carolina | Brooks StadiumConway, SC | NFLN | L 6–34 | 21,324 |
| November 4 | 6:00 p.m. | at Appalachian State | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC (rivalry) | NFLN | L 9–31 | 34,057 |
| November 11 | 7:00 p.m. | Georgia Southern | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV | NFLN | W 38–33 | 19,175 |
| November 18 | 5:00 p.m. | at South Alabama | Hancock Whitney StadiumMobile, AL | ESPN+ | L 0–28 | 14,105 |
| November 25 | 3:30 p.m. | Arkansas State | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV | ESPN+ | W 35–21 | 18,673 |
| December 19 | 9:00 p.m. | vs. UTSA* | Toyota StadiumFrisco, TX (Frisco Bowl) | ESPN | L 17–35 | 11,215 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game Summaries
### Albany

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Great Danes | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C)
* Game attendance: 25,101
* Referee: Javarro Edwards
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Martin (play-by-play), Carl Lee (analyst)
* Pregame line: Marshall –22.0
| Statistics | ALB | MRSH |
| First downs | 19 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 74–300 | 61–413 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–106 | 26–145 |
| Passing yards | 194 | 268 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–38–0 | 28–35–1 |
| Time of possession | 35:09 | 24:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Albany | Passing | Reese Poffenbarger | 22/38, 194 yards, 1 TD |
| Albany | Rushing | Nate Larkins | 13 carries, 39 yards |
| Albany | Receiving | Jackson Parker | 5 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 28/35, 268 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 18 carries, 137 yards, 2 TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | Chuck Montgomery | 6 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD |

### at East Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 31 |
| Pirates | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SE 10 mph
* Game attendance: 38,211
* Referee: Marshall Lewis
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Jay Alter (play-by-play), Rene Ingoglia (analyst)
* Pregame line: Marshall –3.0
| Statistics | MRSH | ECU |
| First downs | 22 | 13 |
| Plays–yards | 68–392 | 69–269 |
| Rushes–yards | 38–131 | 38–146 |
| Passing yards | 261 | 123 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 17–30–0 | 13–31–2 |
| Time of possession | 30:05 | 29:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 15/28, 178 yards |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 18 carries, 85 yards, 3 TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | Caleb McMillan | 4 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD |
| East Carolina | Passing | Mason Garcia | 10/23, 62 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| East Carolina | Rushing | Mason Garcia | 16 carries, 118 yards |
| East Carolina | Receiving | Jsi Hatfield | 4 receptions, 57 yards |

### Virginia Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hokies | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 31,475
* Referee: Ted Pitts
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline)
* Pregame line: Marshall –5.5
| Statistics | VT | MRSH |
| First downs | 16 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 65–343 | 71–380 |
| Rushes–yards | 30–184 | 44–214 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 166 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–35–0 | 16–27–2 |
| Time of possession | 27:14 | 32:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Virginia Tech | Passing | Kyron Drones | 19/35, 159 yards |
| Virginia Tech | Rushing | Bhayshul Tuten | 9 carries, 88 yards |
| Virginia Tech | Receiving | Benji Gosnell | 4 receptions, 52 yards |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 16/27, 166 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 27 carries, 174 yards, 2 TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | Caleb Coombs | 4 receptions, 41 yards |

### Old Dominion

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Thundering Herd | 3 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 41 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 22,652
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Martin (play-by-play), Carl Lee (analyst)
* Pregame line: Marshall –14.5
| Statistics | ODU | MRSH |
| First downs | 11 | 30 |
| Plays–yards | 54–434 | 84–464 |
| Rushes–yards | 31–339 | 49–186 |
| Passing yards | 95 | 278 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 11–23–3 | 29–35–1 |
| Time of possession | 18:39 | 41:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Jack Shields | 11/23, 95 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Kadarius Calloway | 11 carries, 236 yards, 3 TD |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Reymello Murphy | 1 reception, 42 yards |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 29/35, 278 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Cam Fancher | 15 carries, 102 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Caleb Coombs | 8 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |

### at NC State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 14 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 41 |
| Wolfpack | 7 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 48 |
at Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: NW 11mph
* Game attendance: 56,919
* Referee: Jeff Flanagan
* TV announcers (The CW): Evan Lepler (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Tabitha Turner (sideline)
* Pregame line: North Carolina State –6.5
| Statistics | MRSH | NCSU |
| First downs | 22 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 90–419 | 66–401 |
| Rushes–yards | 38–104 | 34–136 |
| Passing yards | 315 | 265 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 29–52–1 | 17–32–3 |
| Time of possession | 32:44 | 27:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 29/51, 315 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 14 carries, 63 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Darryle Simmons | 8 receptions, 87 yards |
| NC State | Passing | MJ Morris | 17/32, 265 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT |
| NC State | Rushing | Michael Allen | 9 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD |
| NC State | Receiving | Kevin Concepcion | 8 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD |

### at Georgia State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Panthers | 14 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 41 |
at Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,718
* Referee: Jeremy Parker
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpot (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline)
* Pregame line: Georgia State –2.0
| Statistics | MRSH | GSU |
| First downs | 23 | 25 |
| Plays–yards | 68–457 | 73–474 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–156 | 42–240 |
| Passing yards | 301 | 234 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 27–34–0 | 21–31–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:43 | 35:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 27/34, 301 yards, 1 TD |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 19 carries, 103 yards, 2 TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | Rasheen Ali | 4 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia State | Passing | Darren Grainger | 21/31, 234 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia State | Rushing | Marcus Carroll | 28 carries, 159 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia State | Receiving | Tailique Williams | 6 receptions, 129 yards, 1 TD |

### James Madison

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 20 |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: Thursday, October 19, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 22,109
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
* Pregame line: James Madison –3.5
| Statistics | JMU | MRSH |
| First downs | 19 | 10 |
| Plays–yards | 69–405 | 62–169 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–131 | 32–-4 |
| Passing yards | 274 | 173 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–33–1 | 17–30–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:49 | 26:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Jordan McCloud | 21/31, 264 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| James Madison | Rushing | Jordan McCloud | 6 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Reggie Brown | 6 receptions, 126 yards, 1 TD |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 17/30, 173 yards, 1 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Ethan Payne | 20 carries, 62 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Jayden Harrison | 4 receptions, 40 yards |

### at Coastal Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Chanticleers | 10 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 34 |
at Brooks Stadium • Conway, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 21,324
* Referee: Marshall Lewis
* TV announcers (NFLN): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play), Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
* Pregame line: Marshall –3.5
| Statistics | MRSH | CCU |
| First downs | 17 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 71–283 | 62–427 |
| Rushes–yards | 26–81 | 40–145 |
| Passing yards | 202 | 282 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 23–45–4 | 15–22–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:53 | 32:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 11/22, 125 yards, 2 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 12 carries, 52 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | DeMarcus Harris | 5 receptions, 61 yards |
| Coastal Carolina | Passing | Jarrett Guest | 14/20, 289 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Coastal Carolina | Rushing | Ethan Vasko | 5 carries, 37 yards |
| Coastal Carolina | Receiving | Jared Brown | 5 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD |

### at Appalachian State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 34,057
* Referee: Ted Pitts
* TV announcers (NFLN): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play), Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
* Pregame line: Appalachian State –3.5
| Statistics | MRSH | APP |
| First downs | 13 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 50–252 | 67–377 |
| Rushes–yards | 25–108 | 40–148 |
| Passing yards | 144 | 229 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–25–3 | 20–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:20 | 35:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 14/25, 144 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 13 carries, 74 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Jayden Harrison | 1 reception, 35 yards |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Joey Aguilar | 20/27, 229 yards, 3 TD |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Joey Aguilar | 10 carries, 44 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Kaedin Robinson | 4 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD |

### Georgia Southern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 3 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 33 |
| Thundering Herd | 10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 19,175
* Referee: Scott Broadway
* TV announcers (NFLN): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play), Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
* Pregame line: Georgia Southern –1.5
| Statistics | GASO | MRSH |
| First downs | 18 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 80–384 | 54–370 |
| Rushes–yards | 24–77 | 33–169 |
| Passing yards | 307 | 201 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 29–56–0 | 15–21–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:42 | 27:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia Southern | Passing | Davis Brin | 29/54, 307 yards, 3 TD |
| Georgia Southern | Rushing | Jalen White | 17 carries, 67 yards |
| Georgia Southern | Receiving | Jaylon Barden | 6 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD |
| Marshall | Passing | Cole Pennington | 15/20, 201 yards, 1 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 24 carries, 165 yards, 3 TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | DeMarcus Harris | 4 receptions, 147 yards |

### at South Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaguars | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, Alabama
* Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind: S 8 mph
* Game attendance: 14,105
* Referee: Marshall Lewis
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Pat Greenwood (play-by-play) and Charlie Harrison (analyst)
* Pregame line: South Alabama –10.5
| Statistics | MRSH | USA |
| First downs | 10 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 56–201 | 72–393 |
| Rushes–yards | 2–42 | 10–197 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 196 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–36–3 | 19–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:33 | 36:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Cole Pennington | 22/36, 159 yards, 3 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 16 carries, 55 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Rasheen Ali | 4 receptions, 41 yards |
| South Alabama | Passing | Carter Bradley | 17/23, 176 yards, 2 TD |
| South Alabama | Rushing | La'Damian Webb | 24 carries, 117 yards, TD |
| South Alabama | Receiving | Caullin Lacy | 9 receptions, 126 yards |

### Arkansas State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Red Wolves | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Thundering Herd | 14 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 18,673
* Referee: Jeremy Parker
* TV: ESPN+
* Pregame line: Marshall –1.5
| Statistics | ARST | MRSH |
| First downs | 20 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 67–305 | 75–493 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–42 | 53–279 |
| Passing yards | 263 | 214 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–38–1 | 16–22–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:04 | 36:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arkansas State | Passing | Jaylen Raynor | 19/38, 263 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Arkansas State | Rushing | Ja'Quez Cross | 11 carries, 27 yards, 1 TD |
| Arkansas State | Receiving | Corey Rucker | 5 receptions, 87 yards |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 16/22, 214 yards, 3 TD |
| Marshall | Rushing | Ethan Payne | 19 carries, 113 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Chuck Montgomery | 4 receptions, 51 yards, 2 TD |

### vs UTSA

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UTSA | 0 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Marshall | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Toyota Stadium • Frisco, Texas
* Date: Saturday, December 19, 2023
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: 11 mph (18 km/h) SE
* Game attendance: 11,215
* Referee: Rodney Burnette
* TV announcers (ESPN): Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (sideline)
* Box score
| Statistics | UTSA | MRSH |
| First downs | 20 | 13 |
| Plays–yards | 72–386 | 68–367 |
| Rushes–yards | 41–135 | 34–109 |
| Passing yards | 251 | 258 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–31–2 | 15–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:59 | 30:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTSA | Passing | Owen McCown | 22/31, 251 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| UTSA | Rushing | Rocko Griffin | 11 carries, 43 yards, TD |
| UTSA | Receiving | Joshua Cephus | 7 receptions, 102 yards, TD |
| Marshall | Passing | Cole Pennington | 15/33, 258 yards |
| Marshall | Rushing | Rasheen Ali | 9 carries, 92 yards, TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | Jayden Harrison | 6 receptions, 132 yards |