Marshall Thundering Herd (3-3) vs. James Madison Dukes (5-1)
The 2022 college football season continues with Week 8 matchups Saturday, October 22, so we’re taking a closer look at the Sun Belt Conference showdown from Zane Showker Field at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Marshall meets James Madison for the first time ever. The Dukes are listed as 13-point home favorites, while the totals sit at 53.0 points.
The Marshall Thundering Herd (3-3; 2-4 ATS; 0-2 conf.) are coming off a 23-13 home loss to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in Week 7. It was their third defeat in the last four outings including a couple of road losses at Bowling Green 34-31 in overtime and Troy 16-7. The Thundering Herd racked up just 276 total yards against the Ragin’ Cajuns and turned the ball over twice, allowing their opponents to put 20 consecutive second-half points on the scoreboard.
“We have a lot of things to clean up, the discipline is what we need to clean up the most, the details,” Marshall head coach Charles Huff said. “I'm not discouraged by anything. But this is a real league, and in this league, you can't win games by playing hard. You've got to play disc iplined; you've got to execute in critical situations, and you've got to execute on both sides of the ball.”
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6:52 4th | Khalan Laborn finds the endzone for his second rushing TD of the game!
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???- 23#WeAreMarshall pic.twitter.com/2llcqEyszo— Marshall Football (@HerdFB) October 13, 2022
Senior RB Khalan Laborn led the way for Marshall in Week 7, notching 26 carries for 120 yards and a couple of touchdowns. He’s already recorded 851 rushing yards and ten touchdowns in 2022. Henry Colombi went 9-of-13 for 68 yards and an interception last week, and senior signal-caller has thrown for 943 yards, six touchdowns, and four picks so far this season.
The Thundering Herd lean on their ground game, averaging 210.2 rushing yards per game (21st in the country) and 4.5 per carry (tied-52nd). They allow just 17.3 points per contest (tied-16th) on 213.3 passing yards (46th) and 77.3 rushing yards (2nd).