Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Old Dominion
10/29/2026 1:24:00 PM | Football
Herd, Monarchs meet at S.B. Ballard in SBC East matchup
Coach Gibson Weekly Press Conference – Old Dominion | Player Interviews – Old Dominion
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football hits the road for the first of two straight road contests on Saturday, traveling to Norfolk, Va., for a 1 p.m. matchup against Old Dominion at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The game will be shown on ESPN+ and is ODU's Homecoming for 2026.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Live
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Game notes: Marshall | Old Dominion
Twitter: @HerdFB
Instagram: @Herd_FB
PRE-GAME NOTES
Marshall travels to Norfolk, Va., this week coming off a 20-13 nationally-televised win over South Alabama on Oct. 20 in a rare Tuesday night game.
The Herd defense stood out in last week's win, limiting the SBC's top offense to just one touchdown and nearly 150 yards off its average in the victory.
Marshall and Old Dominion have been conference rivals since 2014 as part of Conference USA. The two teams then made the jump to the Sun Belt Conference together, along with James Madison and Southern Miss prior to the 2022-23 year.
Marshall Director of Strength and Conditioning Dwight "Deege" Galt IV served as Old Dominion's Director of Sports Performance from 2019-21 and was also at Penn State with current ODU head coach Ricky Rahne from 2014-18 before reuniting with him at ODU when Rahne got the head coaching job in 2020. Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning Greg Allen was also at ODU from 2016-21.
ABOUT MARSHALL
Marshall comes into the contest at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in SBC play after knocking off South Alabama, 20-13, on Oct. 20 in a game in which the Jaguars came to Huntington undefeated in Sun Belt play.
Quarterback Zion Turner led the Herd attack, going 21 of 33 for 181 yards while also rushing nine times for 45 yards and a touchdown. Backup quarterback Khalil Wilkins also rushed eight times for 69 yards to lead the Herd ground attack.
Defensively, Marshall limited a tough South Alabama rushing offense to 4.2 yards per carry and kept the Jaguars to 4 of 18 on 3rd down conversions while allowing just one touchdown in the win.
Safety Daytione Smith finished with nine tackles for the Herd while defensive end Kelvon McBride added four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble for the Herd defense.
Punter Coop Heimbach also averaged 50.5 yards per punt on four punts with three punts inside the 20-yard line. Heimbach leads the SBC in punting average at 46.0 yards per punt.
For a more in-depth look at Marshall football, visit HERE.
ABOUT OLD DOMINION
Old Dominion comes into Saturday's Homecoming game at S.B. Ballard Stadium at 2-6 overall and 1-4 in SBC play.
The Monarchs are coming off a 26-0 loss at Louisiana Tech on Saturday and are averaging just 15.5 points per game.
Quarterback Jaxon Potter made the first start of his career last week, completing 18 of 34 passes for 154 yards.
Defensively, the Monarchs bring a ton of pressure and will look to force the Herd into mistakes. Lucas Struck leads the team with 61 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss, while Koa Naotala has 47 tackles, including a team-best 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
For more information about Old Dominion, click HERE.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 12th meeting all-time between the schools with the series being played annually each season (except for the 2020 COVID year that ODU sat out) since Old Dominion's arrival in Conference USA in 2014. Marshall has dominated the series to date, winning 10 of 11 meetings, including last season's 48-24 win in Huntington. The Herd is also 4-1 in Norfolk.
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