Jason Corriher

Marshall University Sports Information

 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall football will visit the University of South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick announced Friday morning.

The Thundering Herd will receive a $1.4 million guarantee for the game, the largest in school history.

Marshall will host N.C. State the following Saturday, the backend of a home-and-home series that begins in 2017.

“We’re excited to play an SEC school, especially one that is in a fertile recruiting ground for our program and within driving distance for our fans,” said Hamrick.

“We had an opportunity to play a game of this caliber in 2018 and it was too good to pass up.”

The two schools have met just once, with the Thundering Herd pulling out a 24-21 road victory on Sept. 19, 1998 via a late interception by 2016 Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Dani Derricott and Billy Malashevich’s 37-yard field goal as time expired.

Friday’s announcement is the latest in the continual upgrade to the program’s non-conference schedule under Hamrick.

Since his arrival, Marshall has landed home-and-home football series with N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Purdue, Boise State, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Navy and Appalachian State, and rekindled longtime series with regional Mid-American Conference members Ohio, Miami (Ohio), Akron and Kent State.

The Gamecocks hired former Florida coach Will Muschamp last December, who went 28-21 with the Gators.