Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Louisiana
Marshall, Louisiana Fight For 2024 Hercules Tires SBC Football Championship
12/5/2024 5:30:00 PM | Football
East Division champion Herd is looking for first FB title in the Sun Belt Conference
Charles Huff's Weekly Press Conference - Louisiana | Player Interviews – Louisiana Â
LAFAYETTE, La. – Marshall Football takes on Louisiana in the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Football Championship at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Cajun Field in Lafayette, La. The game will be shown nationally on ESPN.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch:Â ESPN
Listen: Live
Live Stats: StatBroadcastÂ
Game notes: Marshall | Louisiana
Twitter:Â @HerdFB
Instagram: @Herd_FB
PRE-GAME NOTES
Marshall will be playing in its first-ever Sun Belt Conference Championship after representing the SBC East Division. The Herd advanced to the 2024 Hercules Tires SBC Football Championship after a thrilling 35-33 double-overtime win at James Madison last week.
Marshall defensive end Mike Green was named as the 2024 SBC Player of the Year while Herd quarterback Braylon Braxton earned the 2024 SBC Newcomer of the Year award.
Louisiana quarterback Ben Wooldridge was named the 2024 SBC Offensive Player of the Year while Ragin' Cajuns coach Michael Desormeaux was named the 2024 SBC Coach of the Year.
The Ragin' Cajuns will be making their fifth appearance in the title game in the seven-year history of the event, but their first since 2021 when they hosted the event and defeated App State, 24-16.
Desormeaux's first game leading Louisiana was in the interim title when Marshall and Louisiana met in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl – a game the Ragin' Cajuns won, 36-21.
ABOUT MARSHALL
Marshall comes into Saturday's Sun Belt Championship at 9-3 overall and winners of the SBC East Division after finishing 7-1 in the league. Head coach Charles Huff is 31-20 overall in four seasons with the Thundering Herd.
Offensively, the Thundering Herd is 19th in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 200.4 yards per game.
Marshall quarterback Braylon Braxton is 7-0 as the starting quarterback for the Thundering Herd this season after leading the Herd back from a 17-0 deficit to earn a 35-33 double-overtime win over James Madison last week. Braxton had a 1-yard plunge on fourth down to help knot the game, then later found Chuck Montgomery for the game-winning two-point conversion in the win.
The Herd defense is led by 2024 SBC Player of the Year Mike Green, a defensive end who is one of the nation's premier defensive players and someone honored earlier this season as a Bednarik Award semifinalist. Green ranks No. 1 in FBS in tackles for loss (21.0), sack yardage (139) and TFL yardage (150) while ranking No. 2 in sacks (16.0) and No. 3 among all FBS defensive linemen in tackles (79).
Marshall linebacker Jaden Yates also leads all SBC players in total tackles with 114 on the season. Defensive back J.J. Roberts is tied for No. 2 in FBS in pass breakups with 14.
For a more in-depth look at Marshall football, visit HERE.
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ABOUT LOUISIANA
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Louisiana comes into this game with a 10-2 record overall and a 7-1 record in the Sun Belt's West Division. The Ragin' Cajuns are led by Michael Desormeaux, who is in his third full year leading the team.
Louisiana was led for much of the year by quarterback Ben Wooldridge, the SBC's Offensive Player of the Year. However, Chandler Fields has recently stepped up in his absence and led the Ragin' Cajuns to a pair of wins over the last two weeks of the season.
The Louisiana defense is led by senior linebacker K.C. Ossai, who will make his 51st career appearance on Saturday. Ossai has 103 tackles on the season for the Ragin' Cajuns, who also feature defensive linemen Jordan Lawson and Mason Narcisse as playmakers.
Kicker Kenneth Almendares was a Lou Groza Award finalist and is 26 of 28 on field goal attempts this season.
For more information about Louisiana, visit HERE.
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SERIES HISTORYÂ
This will be the third all-time meeting between Marshall and Louisiana with the Ragin' Cajuns having won the previous two meetings. The first came in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl when the nationally-ranked Ragin' Cajuns rallied in the fourth quarter for a 36-21 win. In 2022, the two teams met again in Marshall's first home game in the SBC – a 24-13 win for Louisiana.
For all the latest information about Marshall Football, follow @HerdFB on X and @Herd_FB on Instagram.
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