Thundering Herd students,

It’s time. There are 128 FBS programs and Marshall is the only one yet to play. That changes Saturday evening at 6 p.m., when the Thundering Herd will host Morgan State in our season opener. It is the first of seven home games this season — the first time that has happened around here in 20 years — and we need you there for every snap of every game.

It is important to me, our assistant coaches and your fellow students on the football team to look into the stands and see a sea of green. It is important to us that you are loud and respectfully rowdy. It is important to me that we protect our place atop major colleges as the winningest home team. Baylor, Boise State, Alabama, Houston, Oklahoma, Penn State and Ohio State are programs in the top 10 winning percentage in their current home stadiums. Our football home, Joan C. Edwards Stadium, is number one.

This is expected to be another special season for our football program that will further strengthen our position within college football. Akron, coming off a bowl game win, and Louisville, a nationally ranked ACC test, come here to play us in September. Middle Tennessee, a bowl team a season ago, and Western Kentucky, the defending Conference USA champion, visit in November. Those games are sandwiched around an October featuring back-to-back games against Florida Atlantic and Charlotte. We’ll be fired up for all of those games — and we want you to be, too.

Our expectations are high, so we hope you’ll help us fight for that eighth home game — Dec. 3 in the Conference USA championship game. We can get there together.

Did you know? There are five FBS programs with no more than one home loss the past three seasons: Florida State, Alabama, Clemson, Michigan State and Marshall. Elite college football is happening in your backyard. Come check it out.

Tickets for home games may be picked up at the Cam Henderson Center athletic ticket office Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tickets are free to students with a valid MU ID.

We genuinely appreciate your support. We wouldn’t be anything without it. See you Saturday evening and … GO HERD!

Sincerely,

John “Doc” Holliday

Head football coach

Marshall University