Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Marshall-WKU clash has history of suspense
10/10/2020 8:58:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Thundering Herd, Hilltoppers meet Saturday in Bowling Green, Kentucky
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
The football history between Marshall and Western Kentucky doesn't have the longevity of the Hilltoppers' rivalry with Middle Tennessee, a series with 69 meetings dating back to the 1920s.
The WKU-MT battle is unofficially known as 100 Miles of Hate. Perhaps an alternative name for the Thundering Herd-Hilltoppers annual matchup could be Sixty Minutes of Suspense. The matchups have been dramatic and nail-biting since the schools started to tangle as members of Conference USA.
The 2020 version of the series kicks off tonight at 7:30 p.m. on Stadium. If the last three seasons are any indication, uncertainty in the game's outcome could loom until the final minutes … or moments.
"I think about a 60-minute battle," Marshall senior cornerback Jaylon McClain-Sapp said of the annual C-USA East Division pairing. "A rivalry game."
Marshall (2-0, 0-0) leads the all-time series, 7-4, but the Herd has won three consecutive games. Those narrow victories were decided by a single digits – a total of 13 points.
In 2017, Marshall controlled the game for three quarters, leading by as many as 20 points, 30-10, entering the final 15 minutes. A couple of touchdown passes by then-WKU quarterback Mike White pulled the Hilltoppers within a touchdown, but that's as close as it'd get.
The last two meetings were more dramatic.
In 2018, the Herd's most recent trip to Houchens-L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Marshall trailed inside of two minutes left of the fourth quarter.
Tyre Brady hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 left to put the Herd ahead, 20-17, but WKU answered with a 65-yard drive to the 10-yard line. A field goal would have tied it up, but WKU QB Steven Duncan was sacked by Marshall defensive tackle Ryan Bee, who swiped the ball loose. Marshall recovered and sealed the win.
Last season, Justin Rohrwasser kicked three consecutive 53-yard field goals as time expired, the first two as a WKU timeout caused the whistle to be blown a moment before the ball was snapped. Rohrwasser collected himself each time, knocking the final kick through for a career long and a 26-23 Herd win.
"Last year we lost a tough one against them," WKU head coach Tyson Helton said this week. "They kicked a last-second field goal. It was a great game. Everybody is excited to play a really good opponent in Marshall."
WKU (1-2, 1-0) opened the season with consecutive losses – 35-21 at Louisville and 30-24 vs. Liberty. The Hilltoppers bounced back last Saturday with a C-USA win against Middle Tennessee, a 20-17 that WKU had to hold onto in the fourth quarter.
The Hilltoppers were 9-4 last season, including 6-2 in C-USA play. Five of those wins were by single digits, so WKU has experience with narrow victories, too.
"They always find a way to keep the game close and we find a way to keep the game close," said Nazeeh Johnson, a senior starter in Marshall's secondary. "It's a rivalry. They're not going to go anywhere and we're not going to go anywhere."
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Marshall's game captains for WKU are junior running back Sheldon Evans and senior lineman Cain Madden on offense, and junior defensive back Steven Gilmore and senior linebacker Tavante Beckett on defense.
Evans has been a captain in all three of the Herd's games in 2020. This is Madden's second time as captain, the other coming in 2019.
Beckett has been a game captain five times in his career, including all three games this season. This is Gilmore's first time as a captain.
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Junior running back Brenden Knox is knocking on the door of the Top 10 of the school's all-time rushing list. Knox has 2,188 career rushing yards on 411 attempts, which ranks No. 11 all-time at Marshall.
Next up: Larry Fourqurean, who rushed for 2,232 yards from 1980-83. Knox needs 44 rushing yards against WKU to catch Fourqurean.
Knox could quickly move up a couple more spots, too, in the month of October. Erik Thomas rushed for 2,357 yards from 1993-96, and Devon Johnson piled up 2,373 yards on the ground from 2012-15.
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and an eight-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
