By: Connor Brown, Production Director, FM88 Sports
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – With the game tied and less than five minutes remaining, Marshall needed one more stop and one final drive to turn a night honoring West Virginia’s coal miners into a victory.
The Thundering Herd delivered both.
Judah Price, a walk-on running back from Coal City, West Virginia, scored on a 5-yard run with 1:49 remaining Tuesday night, capping a 75-yard drive and lifting Marshall to a 20-13 win over South Alabama at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Marshall’s helmet decals honored the state’s coal miners, and Price gave that tribute a fitting finish. His touchdown came after the Herd’s defense held South Alabama to a field goal on its opening possession, surrendered just six points through three quarters and returned to the field after the Jaguars tied the game late.
“That’s just the coal way,” Price said. “Hard-working people, just getting the job done. That’s what we did tonight.”
The victory moved Marshall to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt Conference play, giving the Herd their first conference win of the season. It also offered a response to two difficult weeks, with the defense delivering its strongest performance of the season and quarterback Zion Turner managing the offense without an interception.
Marshall coach Tony Gibson said the team had spent its extended preparation period addressing the mistakes that had hurt it earlier in the season. The message was simple: stop beating itself and execute together.
“Quit beating us. It’s us versus us every week,” Gibson said. “If we can not beat ourselves, that’s the kind of football we can play.”
For most of Tuesday night, Marshall finally played that way.
South Alabama entered the game averaging 447.3 yards of offense per game. The Herd held the Jaguars to 326 yards, including 148 through the air, and forced quarterback Jared Hollins into a difficult passing night. Hollins completed 12 of 33 passes and threw one interception, while South Alabama converted only four of 18 third-down attempts.
The defense’s improvement began with its approach to the run. Defensive end Kelon McBride said Marshall spent the week studying the Jaguars’ tendencies and focused on forcing them into uncomfortable passing situations.
“We’ve been focusing on the run,” McBride said. “Watching film, we seen that there was a team that barely threw the ball. So, focusing on the run and making them throw the ball, you know, put them in situations they don’t want to be in.”
The Jaguars still found 178 rushing yards on 42 attempts, but Marshall limited the damage through the air and made South Alabama work for its points. South Alabama managed field goals of 29 and 42 yards in the first half, while Marshall’s defense kept the game close enough for the offense to find its footing.
The biggest defensive play came on an interception that shifted momentum. Cornerback Charles McCartherens broke up a pass, and Cole Funerburk secured the deflection for the pick. The turnover helped give Marshall the kind of break it needed in a low-scoring game.
Gibson praised both players for finishing the play, particularly Funerburk for continuing after the initial pass breakup. McBride also pointed to the interception as an example of the effort Marshall had demanded throughout the week.
“The play’s not over to the whistle blow,” McBride said. “So, I’m just proud that he kept playing.”
Defensive back Daytione Smith finished with nine tackles and credited the secondary’s coverage with creating opportunities for the rest of the defense. The corners limited South Alabama’s passing options, giving the front more chances to pursue the ball and finish tackles.
“We knew we had to, everybody had to do their job,” Smith said. “So, it was play by play. We did our job and end up turning out good.”
Marshall’s offense had its own adjustments to make. Turner, making his first start since Missouri State a year earlier, completed 21 of 33 passes for 181 yards and avoided a turnover against a South Alabama defense known for applying heavy pressure. He also ran for 45 yards and a touchdown, giving the Jaguars another threat to account for.
The Herd’s first two scoring drives ended with Jorge Diaz Nicolas field goals of 47 and 48 yards. South Alabama answered with a field goal of its own before halftime, leaving the teams tied 6-6.
Marshall finally broke through in the third quarter. Turner capped a six-play, 55-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, putting the Herd ahead 13-6 with 3:25 remaining in the period.
The score reflected a key offensive adjustment. Turner said South Alabama was overcommitting to Marshall’s run game, leaving room to attack the opposite side of the formation. After the offense recognized those openings and communicated the changes on the sideline, Turner found opportunities to move the ball with his legs while remaining careful with his throws.
“I know this offense better than a lot of people,” Turner said. “So, it’s just about on game day just going out there and executing the offense and making the right decisions.”
Turner’s performance carried a personal meaning, too. He spoke afterward about the doubts he faced while waiting for another opportunity to start, but he was careful to credit the entire team for the result.
“To get this opportunity tonight and what I did tonight and what we did as a team,” Turner said, “it feels so good.”
Marshall appeared to have control after taking the lead, but South Alabama responded with its longest scoring drive of the night. The Jaguars marched 80 yards on 13 plays, using six minutes of the fourth quarter before PJ Martin broke free for a 19-yard touchdown run with 4:38 remaining. Davis Little’s extra point tied the game at 13.
The Herd had to answer, and it did so without throwing a pass.
Marshall covered 75 yards on eight plays, leaning on its offensive line, its running backs and the quarterback-run threat to keep the Jaguars off balance. Khalil Wilkins, who led Marshall with 69 rushing yards, helped drive the possession forward. His ability to carry the ball gave the offense another option after Turner left the game with an injury.
Gibson said the decision to run the ball was part of the plan to drain the clock. South Alabama had been reacting to the quarterback-run threat, and Marshall kept taking advantage of the space it created.
“Credit to our offensive line, our backs, tight ends blocking it up,” Gibson said.
Wilkins said he trusted the players around him and never doubted the Herd would reach the end zone.
“Whether I did it, whether Judah did it, one of my brothers, we was going to get in the end zone,” Wilkins said. “That’s just it. We had no choice. We was going to execute.”
Price finished the drive with the decisive 5-yard touchdown run, giving Marshall a 20-13 lead with 1:49 left. For the West Virginia native, the moment meant more than securing the win. His grandfather and father both worked in the coal mines, connecting the game’s tribute to his own family history.
Price said the night represented not just his family, but the state as a whole.
“To represent the coal miners tonight, that’s our state,” Price said. “So, just a super big moment for everybody.”
Marshall’s defense then had one more job. South Alabama crossed midfield on its final possession but could not convert a fourth-and-five, giving the Herd the ball back and allowing the defense to finish the night it had worked toward all week.
Price was quick to credit that final stand for making his touchdown the game-winner.
“They stuffed them right at the end there,” Price said. “So, without them, I wouldn’t have been a game-winner.”
The numbers showed how closely contested the game was. Marshall finished with 328 total yards to South Alabama’s 326, and both teams recorded 20 or fewer first downs. But the Herd protected the football, throwing no interceptions and losing no fumbles, while South Alabama gave the ball away once on the interception.
For Gibson, the difference was the ability to finish. Marshall had struggled to sustain its effort across four quarters earlier in the season. Tuesday night, the defense answered after South Alabama’s tying score, and the offense responded with the drive that decided the game.
“That was the first time all year long that we’ve been able to sustain over 60 minutes and finish games off,” Gibson said.
The result did not erase the work still ahead for Marshall, but it gave the Herd a performance they can build on. On a night dedicated to the people whose hard work helped shape West Virginia, the team’s final drive matched the meaning of the tribute.
Marshall did not need a spectacular finish through the air. It needed eight plays, 75 yards and a group willing to keep pushing forward.
Price crossed the goal line, and the Herd finished the job.
Marshall returns to the field next Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Herd travel to Norfolk, Virginia, to face Old Dominion in another Sun Belt Conference matchup. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.