September 12, 2018,  Football  No comments

Hurricane Florence versus the Thundering Herd

By Michael Morgan

The Marshall Thundering Herd football team plans to travel to play the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday. Hurricane Florence has already led to the cancellation of multiple college football games, and the Herd hope that is does not hinder any more, due to the million dollar payout the school would receive if the game is played.

A few notable games that will not be played are West Virginia University against N.C. State this weekend, as well as the University of North Carolina and the University of Central Florida, and are not likely to be played at all in the future.

The category 3 hurricane is not only a concern for this game and the Carolinas, where up to 40 inches of rain is possible according to the Weather Channel, but for the safety of residents of the Carolinas and Appalachia as well. The Weather Channel says that waves as high as 83 feet have been measured northeast of the storm’s eye, and winds of 74-plus mph are expected.

The Herd (2-0) travel to Columbia as underdogs against the Gamecocks (1-1) of the Southeastern Conference for the second time since 1998. The Herd won the last matchup, 24-21, on a field goal as time expired.

Quarterback Isaiah Green and receiver Tyre Brady (182 yards and 3 TD) will lead the Herd against preseason All-America and All-SEC receiver Deebo Samuel (157 all-purpose yards and 2 TD) of South Carolina. This game is arguably Marshall’s toughest game this season and would be an important momentum boost before playing N.C. State on Sept. 22 at home.

As of now, the game is still set to be played as scheduled, but there still remains a possibility that it is added to the list of contests cancelled this week across college football. Marshall has a bye-week in week 9 of the season which could allow them to schedule a game against a different opponent in place of Saturday’s game against the Gamecocks if the game is not played.