Head coach Charles Huff and the Marshall Thundering Herd have an overwhelming challenge this Saturday, as they play the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on “Big Noon Saturday” (coverage starts at 10 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)
Huff knows his team, which is currently a 40-point underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook heading into Ohio Stadium, will have its hands full. So Huff took the opportunity during his press conference Tuesday to make a tasty pitch to Buckeyes players to come play in Huntington.
“I feel good about the track we’re on, and I feel good about the players we have, [but I] would love to have some of those guys from Ohio State, too, so if they want to transfer on down, we’ve got a Tudor’s Biscuit NIL all-you-can-eat,” Huff said. “So, if any of those guys that run really, really fast at Ohio State like Tudor’s Biscuits, I promise you, all-you-can-eat all day if you transfer here.”
Huff knows that’s unlikely, but he had even higher praise for the Buckeyes’ stacked roster Tuesday.
“I’ll be honest, they are probably the best team I’ve seen on film — ever,” Huff said. “I’m not just saying that to get everybody excited. They are better than the 2001 [Miami] national championship team that we played at Alabama, when you look across the board. I’m not saying every player is the best player in the country, but collectively, they have a really good, explosive, fast, strong physical football team.”
Huff also touched on Ohio State’s rumored NIL budget of $20 million for a roster full of talented veterans — including standouts who chose to return instead of leaving for the NFL like wide receiver Egmeka Egbuka, defensive linemen Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau and running back TreVeyon Henderson. They also added high-profile transfers such as quarterback Will Howard, safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins.
“They’ve been able to go out and acquire some of the best talent in the country,” Huff said.
The Thundering Herd are 1-1 this season, with a 45-3 win over the Stony Brook Seawolves and a 31-14 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies under their belt.
Marshall’s offense is led by quarterback and North Texas transfer Stone Earle, while running back A.J. Turner has rushed for 222 yards on an astonishing 15.9 yards per carry across its first two games. The Thundering Herd also feauture wide receiver and Michigan State transfer Christian Fitzpatrick, who has totaled 170 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Huff is in his fourth season at Marshall, with the school a combined 23-18 with him as head coach. The Thundering Herd’s best season under Huff came in 2022, as they went 9-4. Marshall has been bowl eligible in each of Huff’s three complete seasons as head coach.
A stunner in Columbus on Saturday would not be the first time Marshall has pulled off a massive shocking upset under Huff. In that aforementioned 2022 season, Marshall beat then No. 8-Notre Dame in South Bend, 26-21.
As for the Buckeyes, they’re off to a 2-0 start with dominant wins at home over the Akron Zips and Western Michigan Broncos by a combined score of 108-6. The Buckeyes have the second-shortest odds at +340, trailing only Georgia, to win the 2024 national championship on DraftKings Sportsbook.
[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]
College Football
Marshall Thundering Herd
Ohio State Buckeyes
Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
