The Marshall Thundering Herd suffered its first loss of the season after falling 48-41 to the North Carolina State Wolfpack in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday, Oct. 8.
“They battled and they played hard,” said head coach Charles Huff. “That’s a real ACC Power Five football team. We made way too many mistakes to beat that caliber of a team. You just can’t do it.”
Marshall quarterback Cam Fancher tallied a career-high 315 passing yards, acquiring four total touchdowns, two of which were rushing scores.
The Herd opened up the scoring in the first quarter with a seven-yard scamper from Fancher, following an interception by J.J. Roberts. The Wolfpack answered back with a 17-yard pass from quarterback MJ Morris to wide receiver Kevin Concepcion to tie the game.
Marshall’s defense would also score in the first quarter after an interception by Josh Moten that was returned 27 yards into the endzone, placing the Herd back in the lead.
Going into halftime, the Herd held a three-point lead, outscoring the Wolfpack 24-21 in the first 30 minutes of the contest.
In the second half, the Wolfpack found their stride on offense. The third quarter brought about two explosive scoring drives: a 37-yard rush from Michael Allen and a 62-yard touchdown pass from Morris to Trent Pennix.
The Herd kept the contest close, though, with Fancher finding Jayden Harrison for a 28-yard touchdown pass. Rece Verhoff knocked down his second field goal of the game, a 26-yarder, to bring the Herd within one, trailing 35-34 going into the final 15 minutes of play.
Following a series of scoring drives from the Wolfpack, the Herd was left trailing by 14 points in the game’s final moments.
Fancher found Caleb Coombs with 1:28 left in the contest for a 16-yard touchdown to pull the game within seven points.
The Herd’s attempt at a comeback was unsuccessful, following a turnover on downs that sealed the win for the Wolfpack.
Both teams were plagued by turnovers throughout the game. The Wolfpack defense forced three turnovers, as well as several turnovers on downs. Morris threw three interceptions, one being a pick-six by Josh Moten.
“You can’t turn the ball over five or six times and think that you’re going to have an opportunity to win any football game,” said Huff.
On Saturday, Oct. 14, Marshall will travel to Georgia State for its first Sun Belt road contest of the season.
