Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
East Carolina
Marshall Football Hits Road To Take On East Carolina
9/7/2023 4:30:00 PM | Football
Two strong Group of Five programs meet in battle of teams linked by 1970 plane crash
2023 MARSHALL FOOTBALL TICKETS | Charles Huff's Weekly Press Conference - ECU
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football makes its first road trip of the 2023 season when the Thundering Herd travels to take on East Carolina at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina. The game will be nationally broadcast on ESPNU.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch:Â ESPNU
Listen: Live
Live Stats: StatBroadcastÂ
Game notes: Marshall | East Carolina
Twitter:Â @HerdFB
Instagram: @Herd_FB
PRE-GAME NOTES
These two teams are etched together in history through the 1970 Marshall plane crash. As Marshall traveled back from a 17-14 loss to East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970, the plane the team was traveling on crashed into the hillside upon re-entry to Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 persons aboard, including 37 players, 10 coaches and staff members, 21 townspeople/boosters, five crew members and two media members.
The 2023 contest between the two schools was originally scheduled to be played in 2020 during the 50th anniversary season of that tragedy, but COVID-19 canceled that game in Greenville, pushing it to this season.
Outside of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, there is a tribute plaque memorializing Marshall's 1970 team who played their last game at the venue.
ABOUT MARSHALL
Marshall comes into the game at 1-0 overall following a 21-17 win over Albany in the season opener last weekend.
The Thundering Herd defense stood tall in the game's most pivotal sequences as defensive ends Sam Burton and Owen Porter ensured victory with consecutive sacks at the end of the game.
Burton finished with a career-high 2.5 sacks while Porter added a career-high 12 tackles to go along with the game-clinching fourth-down sack as the Herd won its first game of 2023.
Marshall running back Rasheen Ali rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Cam Fancher completed 80 percent of his passes (28 of 35) to lead the Herd offense.
For a more in-depth look at Marshall football, visit HERE.
Â
ABOUT EAST CAROLINA
Â
East Carolina is coached by Mike Houston, who is in his fifth season at East Carolina and 13th season as a head coach overall.
Saturday's game will serve as the Pirates' home opener after they started the season with a 30-3 loss to No. 2 Michigan last week in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In the last meeting between the teams in 2021, East Carolina rallied from a 38-21 deficit with 21 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to earn a 42-38 win in Huntington.
The contest was consistent with what the series has been of late, as five of the last seven games have been decided by one touchdown or less with three of those contests going to overtime.
Â
For more information surrounding the East Carolina football program, visit HERE.
Â
SERIES HISTORYÂ
This will be the 17th meeting between the two storied rivals. East Carolina leads the overall series by an 11-5 margin. That figure includes a perfect 7-0 record at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C.
Â
For all the latest information about Marshall Football, follow @HerdFB on Twitter and @Herd_FB on Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
Â
---HerdZone.com---
