– By Bill Cornwell

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Both teams are 1-2 with a loss to Ohio State.

Western Michigan and Marshall have each yet to beat an FBS opponent this season.

That will change this weekend, for one thing, and there are a lot of similarities early on between the Broncos and Herd, who meet at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in a game that can be seen on ESPN+.

Marshall was a little more competitive than Western Michigan against the third-ranked Buckeyes, scoring an early touchdown in a 49-14 loss while holding the Broncos to 99 total yards in their 56-0 setback.

Marshall head coach Charles Huff says the Broncos have plenty of talent and a solid system on both sides of the ball.

“This is not a game where you think you have a layup after playing two Power 4 schools,” Huff said. “This is a good football team that does a good job in all three phases. This is the second year for Coach (Lance) Taylor’s program and they have high expectations for their program. They kept a lot of their players and brought in some reinforcements to fill in where something was needed.”

Taylor came to Western Michigan after serving as offensive coordinator at Louisville for one season. He recognizes that Marshall will bring its own challenges.

“Marshall has playmakers on both sides of the ball and they are very disciplined,” Taylor said. “They got better every game, which is what you see with really good football teams. I thought they played really well at Ohio State, so we have a lot of work to do this week.”

Broncos junior defensive lineman Mason Nelson says Marshall and WMU’s shared football heritage is helpful in preparing for this week.

“Marshall is a good opponent for us because they used to be in the MAC and they kind of play like a MAC team. “So this is a good game for us before conference play and it’s also very important for us,” Nelson said.

Both teams have already experienced a bye week. Marshall’s was sandwiched between losses to Virginia Tech and Ohio State, while the Broncos enter this contest after a week off after recording their first win against Bethune-Cookman on September 14th.

“The bye week came at a great time for us because it allowed us to assess who we were and what our strengths and weaknesses were after three games,” Taylor said. “I challenged our team and staff to look at what we did well in previous games and what we struggled with and address those things during the bye week.”

As he prepares for Marshall, Taylor says his offense will feature a lot of defensive lineman Mike Green, who has 4.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries on the young season.

“He turns the movie off when you start watching it,” Taylor said. “He’s a threat in the running and passing game. He leads the nation in sacks, rushes the passer and creates those devastating game-changing plays that are momentum plays.

“Defensively the team is disciplined and solid in what they do. She plays hard, runs the soccer ball, tackles well and does everything you’re supposed to do.”

— — — — —

Huff is no stranger to Western Michigan’s program. He spent the 2013 season as the Broncos’ running backs coach.

Marshall’s head coach left Kalamazoo after one season to become an assistant at Penn State, where he spent four seasons as special teams coordinator and running backs coach.

— — — — —

It’s Hall of Fame weekend for Marshall athletics. Nine former MU athletes will be honored for their achievements.

The nine include three former football players – quarterback Rakeem Cato (2011-14), receiver Tommy Shuler (2011-14) and offensive lineman Nate McPeek (2000-03).

Others honored include former softball head coach Shonda Stanton (2000-2017), softball pitcher Andi Williamson (2011-13), women’s track and field standouts Vanessa Jules (2009-13) and Crystal Walker (2011-13), as well former baseball players Dave Allie (1971-74) and Aaron Blair (2011-13).