Marshall vs. Charlotte Football Gameday Guide

Photo Credit: Charlotte Observer

Niner Nation will be in full force at Jerry Richardson Stadium at 3:30 today, as the most important game in Charlotte’s football history takes place against the Marshall Thundering Herd. For 6 years…Charlotte had only won 22 games with 48 losses. Losing had become the culture and aura of the 49ers, but when Mike Hill was hired as the Athletic Director on March 15, 2018 that culture began to change. Brad Lambert (now Marshall Defensive Coordinator) was let go as Head Football coach after the 2018 season and the search for a replacement began. Will Healy was the man for the job. After guiding Austin Peay to an 8 win season (following an 0-11 record) the young coach began to catch the eyes of Division 1 programs everywhere. Will Healy changed the culture from day one and now Charlotte has a chance to go to it’s first bowl game in program history.

Charlotte has won 3 straight and with a (5-5) record, a bowl game is at stake. On the other hand…Marshall has had a solid season and a (7-3) record to show for it. A win for the Thundering Herd gives them a great shot to be in the Conference USA championship game. Both teams have one game remaining after today and yes…Charlotte could win next week and get a bowl berth…but it would be amazing to see them do it in front of a big crowd in Charlotte.

Photo Credit: WVMetroNews

Marshall is led by Running Back Brenden Knox on offense who leads the team with 1,046 rushing yards and 5.5 average yards per carry. One thing I noticed about Marshall was that their Kicker Justin Rohrwasser is 29/30 field goal attempts this season, so that only helps their scoring output. The Thundering Herd have 3 losses on the season and 2 of which were to ranked opponents (Boise State and Cincinnati). Their other loss was an away game versus Middle Tennessee State. After that loss, Marshall has “thundered” to 5 straight wins and are the favorite going into Charlotte. Marshall’s defense is only “okay” on paper, they give up 22.6 points per game on average.

Photo Credit: Charlotte 49ers

Charlotte on the other hand features a high-octane offense with QB Chris Reynolds (from Davie County High School in Mocksville, NC) and RB Benny LeMay leading the way. Reynolds has 18 TD passes and 516 rushing yards on the season. LeMay injured his achilles a few weeks back and is doubtful for the game which is a major blow for the 49ers. They also feature two Sophomore Wide Receiver’s named Victor Tucker and Cameron Dollar (from East Lincoln High School in Denver, NC) who have over 500 receiving yards this season. Dollar is coming off of a 9 reception, 157 yard performance against UTEP. Tucker on the other hand, performed well earlier this season against Appalachian State by getting 6 receptions for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns as well. Charlotte does allow 35.5 points a game, which is one of their glaring weaknesses.

My prediction is Charlotte 36 Marshall 31…I think that Niner Nation will create a hostile environment like never before seen at Charlotte and their ability to run the ball will help them prevail. Marshall has a “sub-par” offense and this creates a great matchup for the Charlotte 49ers.

References: ESPN, wiki, charlotte49ers.com, herdzone.com