Marshall vs. Florida International: Game Preview With TV Schedule
By Connor Muldowney
@Connormuldowney
Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
As one of the few unbeaten teams left in the country, the Marshall Thundering Herd have been quite impressive although they have been playing lesser opponents all season long. Week eight will be no different as the Herd will be taking on a team with a losing record, but a 7-0 record doesn’t seem like such a stretch anymore.
After a 1-3 start to the year, the Florida International Golden Panthers have won two of their last three games to remain competitive in Conference USA play. Marshall is the only ranked opponent that the Golden Panthers will play all season long and they will look to ruin the potential perfect season that Marshall has going.
Marshall has been one of the best offensive teams in the nation this year, ranking 23rd in passing yards, 10th in rushing yards and second in points per game. Senior quarterback Rakeem Cato has been the most productive offensive player, passing for 1,698 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for another 200 yards and five touchdowns. Cato’s top target has been Tommy Shuler who has 29 catches for 393 yards and four touchdowns — all team-highs. Davonte Allen is close behind with 335 yards and two receiving scores as is Angelo Jean-Louis who has 332 yards and three scores. Junior running back Devon Johnson is off to a hot start this season for the Herd, rushing for 814 yards and 11 touchdowns while Remi Watson has 389 yards and three rushing scores.
Florida International has one of the poorest offensive attacks in all of college football. The Golden Panthers rank a lowly 111th in passing yards, 114th in rushing yards and 103rd in points scored per game. Freshman quarterback Alex McGough has been thrown into the fire this season, completing less than 50 percent of his passes for 953 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. The first-year starter’s favorite target has been Jonnu Smith who has caught 34 passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns — accounting for 33 percent of the team’s receiving yards. Glenn Coleman is the only other wide receiver worth noting as the senior has 18 catches for 334 yards and two scores. Alex Garnder leads the mediocre run game with some solid numbers of his own, rushing for 478 yards and a score while Anthon Samuel has three rushing touchdowns on just 178 yards.
Defensively, Florida International has been much more impressive on this side of the ball. While the Golden Panthers’ offense has been lethargic, the defense has been solid, ranking 24th in points allowed per game and 23rd in total yards allowed per contest. The Thundering Herd have been even more impressive than the Golden Panthers on defense this season, ranking eighth in points allowed and 25th in total yards allowed per contest. It’s pretty much a guarantee that FIU Stadium will be loud for this matchup against the unbeaten Thundering Herd.
Marshall will travel to Florida International to take on the Golden Panthers at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 18. The game will be broadcasted on local listings.
PREDICTION: Marshall 35, FIU 10
Want to see the Thundering Herd take on the Golden Panthers in week eight? Check out ScoreBig for tickets.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
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