Riding a seven-game win streak, Marshall University’s football team (8-1) faces conference-foe Middle Tennessee State University (3-5) Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Despite Middle Tennessee’s record, the team is 3-1 at home with its only home loss coming against Vanderbilt University – a member of the Southeastern Conference.

Middle Tennessee ranks fourth in Conference USA in scoring offense this season, averaging 34.6 points per game, just ahead of fifth-ranked Marshall at 31.9 per game.

Marshall receiver Deandre Reaves said he expects Middle Tennessee to be much more competitive than its record would suggest.

“It doesn’t matter what their record is,” Reaves said. “They’re at home, and they’re a heck of a team. It’s always different when you’re playing at their place. They got some talented players on both sides of the ball. It’s a heck of a team, and it won’t be an easy game.”

Reaves said the Herd expects its final three games, which are against C-USA opponents, to be the most challenging games of the season.

Marshall quarterback Chase Litton, who is coming off a record-setting performance where he passed for 486 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 34-14 victory against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, said the team has to play flawlessly for the remainder of the season if it expects to repeat as conference champions.

“We have to be perfect,” Litton said. “We’ve got to play the way we know we can if we want to win a conference title again.”

Despite the team having a consecutive league championship in mind, Litton said he and his teammates are taking it one game at a time.

Litton said the team has to be focused and execute efficiently on the road against Middle Tennessee to come away with its eighth-straight win.

“They’re a really good team,” Litton said. “We just have to go in there and focus and be ready to go. Coach always preaches ‘bring your toughness and your leadership on the road.’ And that’s what we try to do.”

Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m. at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium.

Malcolm Walton can be contacted at [email protected].