Saturday, August 30, 2014

Yager Stadium in Oxford

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On Saturday afternoon, the Marshall Thundering Herd will look to use their potent offensive attack when they visit the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in each team's opening game of the season. Marshall beat the RedHawks 52-14 in last year's matchup.

Marshall continued to make strides towards being an all-around solid team in 2013 by finishing with a 7-1 record in Conference USA play and a 10-4 record overall. They had a top 10 scoring offense (42.1 points per game) and were able to beat Maryland 31-20 in the Military Bowl at the end of the year.

The Thundering Herd are expected to once again have one of the best offensive lines in the conference. Wide receiver Tommy Shuler is a favorite to win the conference's Player of the Year award after catching 106 passes for 1,165 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Senior defensive lineman Ra'Shawde Myers will lead the defense after accumulating 51 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2013.

Miami (Ohio) was one of the worst teams in the country last year after going 0-8 in the MAC and 0-12 overall. They scored just 9.8 points per game, which was 125th in the nation, and they gave up 35.7 points per game.

The RedHawks will be hoping that their 15 returning starters from a year ago can help them pick up a few wins this season. Sophomore quarterback Austin Gearing is expected to get more of a role this year after rushing for 478 yards in 2013.

Injuries to Watch

Marshall Thundering Herd

08/24/14 OL Clint Van Horn Ankle probable Saturday vs. Miami Ohio

Miami (OH) RedHawks

No injuries to report at this time

Tony's Pick: Take Miami

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