By Anthony Doria, FM88 Sports
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (WMUL-FM) — Marshall football is finally back, as the Thundering Herd head into the 2026 season on Saturday, Sep 5, as year two of the Tony Gibson era begins in Huntington. Like last year when Marshall took on the Georgia Bulldogs, Marshall will have
another tough opponent on the road, in what many people consider one of the toughest environments in all of college football, as they trek up to Happy Valley to take on the 18th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. A crowd of over 107,000 is expected to fill Beaver Stadium on Saturday, which could break the record for the highest attendance at a game Marshall has played in.
The current record is 106, 520, which was set in 2003 when Marshall played Tennessee in Knoxville. The Herd has high expectations for this season after a disappointing 5-7 record in the 2025 season, which started with a dreadful 45-7 loss to the eventual SEC Champion Bulldogs. Now in his second season, Head Coach Tony Gibson was adamant about not repeating the result of the Georgia game this year. “I don’t want a repeat of what happened last year.” Gibson Said. “We’re going to have to be creative on what we’re doing… we’re going to have to adjust to what they’re doing to us, and take what they’re giving us.” This also will not be Gibson’s first visit to Happy Valley, as he visited a couple of times when he was an assistant coach at Michigan under now-West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. “Not a very good experience being up there in State College, so hopefully this time around it’s a little different.”
Gibson also would say that the environment is great for the players as well as the program. “It’s going to be loud, and a lot of our guys think that they ought to be playing at that level.” Gibson said. “They’re going to get their opportunity, and it’s a great opportunity for us to showcase who we are.” Quarterback and captain Carlos Del Rio Wilson says it’s great to play a team like Penn State, and he views it as a chance to show the kind of team Marshall can be. “It’s definitely a privilege to go out there and play them the first game… show that we are on that same level and to show that we can be a powerhouse school and the old Marshall is back” Despite the crowd and opponent, Wilson views every game the same, no matter who they are facing. “I don’t look at Penn State as a team where we’re going up there to play a big powerhouse school that’s better than us” Wilson stated. “I just look at it like it’s another game. Every game that we go into, we got the same mindset… we’re going into practice with the mindset, energy, effort, and detail…I feel like that’s our mindset going into Penn State.”
Linebacker Cannon Lewis also loves the chance to play in front of a big crowd. The graduate of Cabell Midland High School, located just over 20 minutes down the road from Marshall’s campus, followed Gibson from NC State to come home to the Thundering Herd last season. While he was a part of the Georgia game, Lewis said he is still thankful to play this game for the green and white: “I’m really thankful to have that opportunity…To do it with Marshall is absolutely a lot more special than it would be anywhere else.” Physicality has been a major point of emphasis for Marshall this offseason. With the physicality that Matt Campbell teams bring, Lewis said it’s an important trait to have. “We preach it… We talked about it every day. Not treating it like you’re going out there against a scout team and just trying to tag off, but getting used to putting your pads on people every single day and executing because that’s absolutely what they’re going to bring.”
For Daytoine Smith, this won’t be the first time he has played in a big game like this one. He was on the roster in 2022, the year Marshall upset No 8 Notre Dame on the road, and is going into his 6th year at Marshall The turnover battle often plays a big role in who wins in football. Smith, being a captain and leader of the defense, brought that up to the defensive backs, stressing how big the turnover margin is in games like this: “I told them today, we got to be aggressive… In these games, you got to make those plays. You have to execute… turnovers are a big, big thing in games like this. We got to win the turnover margin.” Marshall had some struggles in the back end last season, having the second-worst passing defense in the Sun Belt, giving up an average of over 260 passing yds per game. The defensive back room has been talked about
as having major improvements coming into this year, a statement which Smith agreed with. “A major leap from last year… nobody on this defense plays scared… each play… you play like it’s your last play… that’s the mentality this year and we playing to a standard and that’s what we preach every day.”
For Jalen Slappy, he was also apart of the 2022 roster, but this game means more to him then Notre Dame, since he is able to start and be a part of a potential upset. “For me it means a little more… We’ve played a lot of P4 schools in the past, but I’ve never actually played in the game and
started. I’m still looking for that first win, So it’s really exciting.” A common phrase repeated in football is, “games are won in the trenches.” with the physicality mindset that Marshall is preaching, Slappy is sharing that with the linemen as well. “You can’t just show up… and just try to be
physical. You got to practice like that.” Slappy said. “That’s why I’m preaching to the young guys and old linemen right now just having that mindset to turn that switch on that you got to dominate trenches between the lines.”
Marshall has had a history of big upsets, and Saturday, the herd look to etch another one into the history books. Kickoff on Saturday will be a 3:30 Pm on FS1.