Marshall is off to a 4-0 start with a win over Virginia Tech among the victories.
Marshall throttled East Carolina in week two 31-13, and have also defeated Old Dominion and Albany this season.
Marshall travels to play 3-2 NC State at 2 p.m. Saturday on CW Network.
Five Marshall players to watch
Senior cornerback Micah Abraham
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Abraham is an impressive ballhawk in the secondary. The Tampa, Fla., native has two interceptions this season and 10 in his five-year career. Abraham snagged six interceptions last year, to go along with 36 tackles and 10 passes defended. He has eight tackles and four passes defended this season, raising his career totals to 122 tackles and 32 passes defended. Abraham’s father was former NFL cornerback Donnie Abraham, who played from 1996-04 between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets.
Junior running back Rasheed Ali
Ali is off to a great start and has proven to be an all-around every down back. The 6-0, 209-pounder from Cleveland, Ohio, has rushed 91 times for 475 yards and nine touchdowns, plus caught nine passes for 64 yards. Ali got hurt in 2022, but rushed for 1,401 yards and 23 touchdowns, and caught 46 passes for 342 yards and a score in 2021. Ali rushed 27 times for 174 yards and two scores in the 24-17 win over Virginia Tech on Sept. 23. He has rushed for over 100 yards in nine games in his career.
Sophomore quarterback Cam Fancher
The 6-1, 201-pounder from Huber Heights, Ohio, took over position against James Madison on Oct. 22, 2022, and hasn’t look back. Fancher went on to complete 121-of-215 passing for 1,465. yards, eight touchdowns and five interception last year, along with 101 carries for 456 yards and a score. Fancher has completed 71.0 percent of his passes this season, and he has gone 88-of-124 passing for 890 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He has added 43 carries for 162 yards. Fancher threw for 278 yards and two scores, and rushed 15 carries for 102 yards in the 41-35 win over Old Dominion last week.
Senior linebacker Eli Neal
The 6-0, 226-pounder from Memphis, Tenn., has 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception this season. Neal had 98 tackles, three sacks, one interception and three passes defended last year. The productive Neal has 309 career tackles, 11.5 sacks, four interceptions and seven passes defended. Neal had 10 tackles and a sack against Virginia Tech, and has tallied at least 10 tackles in nine games.
Senior defensive end Owen Porter
Porter might be undersized at 6-3 and 237 pounds, but the Huntington, W.Va., native has been productive. Porter has 25 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles this season. Porter had a season-high 12 tackles and one sack in the 21-17 win over Albany on Sept. 2. Porter erupted for nine tackles, 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble in a 26-12 win at James Madison on Oct. 22. Porter finished with 54 tackles, 9.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last year. He has accumulated 150 career tackles, 17.5 sacks, 34 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.
What to watch for from Marshall
1. Marshall QB will scramble. Marshall quarterback Cam Fancher was listed as an “athlete” by Rivals.com in the class of 2021, coming out of Hubert Heights (Ohio) Wayne High. Marshall and Georgia State were his lone FBS offers.
Fancher had 107 carries for 466 yards and a touchdown last year, and has 43 carries for 162 yards this season. He has had 15 carries in two games this season, including tallying 102 yards last week against Old Dominion.
Fancher rushed for at least 10 carries last year in five of the six games he played extensively. So, between direct runs or taking off out of the pocket, the Wolfpack defense will get the chance to lay some licks against Fancher. However, opponents have only two sacks against Marshall this season.
2. Rasheen Ali is an elite back. Rasheen Ali had a monster season in 2021, but got hurt last year, but Marshall kept it moving.
Former Rivals.com five-star running back Khalan Laborn, was dismissed from Florida State in 2020. He landed at Marshall and rushed for 302 carries for 1,513 yards and 16 touchdowns in Ali’s absence.
With Laborn now gone, Ali has resumed being the standout running back. He’s rushed for at least 96 all-purpose yards in all four games, with two efforts over 137 yards. NC State did a great job of shutting down Louisville’s rushing attack last Friday, so the challenge is on.
3. The Herd will use the tight end. Marshall sophomore tight end Cade Conley is a good what if for schools struggling at tight end this season, such as NC State.
The 6-4, 239-pound Conley walked-on at Central Michigan coming out of Williamston, Mich. He had 11 catches for 168 yards in 2022, and when the Chippewas didn’t put him on scholarship, he decided to enter the portal.
Conley landed at Marshall and has 18 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown in four games. He had seven catches for 79 yards against Albany in the season opener. NC State has generally been good against tight ends, but Notre Dame’s tight ends did hurt the Wolfpack’s defense.
Three keys to the game for NC State football
Three keys to the game for NC State football
1. NC State has made the move to sophomore quarterback MJ Morris, a former Rivals.com four-star prospect in the class of 2022.
Morris is expected to fire up the offense Saturday, after scoring just 10 points in the loss against Louisville. The hope is that Morris will rejuvenate the rushing attack and that the receivers will get the ball more downfield. If both happen, the Wolfpack will score more than 24 points for the second time in six games this season.
What will be interesting to follow is how many times Morris takes off out of the pocket. He had 13 carries against Virginia Tech last year, and then 19 vs. Wake Forest and 13 with an injured knee against Boston College. Morris would prefer to pass the ball over run it, but he’s capable of scrambling when needed.
2. In order for Morris to cook on the field, the offensive line has to play better.
Redshirt junior center Dylan McMahon is slated to be back with the hope that will settle things down. NC State’s offensive line missed McMahon badly against Louisville. If the center spot is settled, then redshirt sophomore Lyndon Cooper can go back to left guard.
Then the next question is what will happen on the right side of the line. NC State could go with redshirt sophomore Anthony Carter at guard, and redshirt junior Timothy McKay at tackle. Or if the Wolfpack liked what they saw against Louisville, it could be McKay at guard and redshirt freshman Jacarrius Peak at tackle.
If the line doesn’t do a better of pass protection, opening up holes in the run game and cutting down on penalties, it won’t matter who is the quarterback.
3. NC State’s defense is going to get the chance to tee off on Marshall quarterback Cam Fancher, it’s just a matter of how much.
Fancher won the state title in the triple jump while in high school. The 6-1, 201-pounder is a lefty passer with average arm strength. He likes to run the ball and he’s going to get hit by NCSU’s Payton Wilson, Davin Vann and Jaylon Scott and crew.
Fancher has run the ball 43 yards for 162 yards with a long of 22 this season. Marshall is going to try and establish the ground game with Fancher and running back Rasheen Ali. The Thundering Herd don’t have a go-to receiver, but sophomore Caleb Coombs and junior Caleb McMillan are the leading wide receivers, and tight end Cade Conley will be a factor.
Three numbers of note
4 Place in the East Division of the Sun Belt in the preseason coaches’ poll. Marshall was ranked behind James Madison, Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina.
39 National place for Marshall's defense in allowing 20.5 points per game, which is two slots lower than NC State.
169 Rushing yards per game for Marshall this season. Redshirt junior center Logan Osburn anchors the line and is from Ona (W.Va.) Cabell Midland High, which is the alma mater of NCSU senior linebacker commit Cannon Lewis.
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