IRVING, Tx. — The Marshall football team will have September matchups with the Southeastern Conference’s South Carolina and its first-ever home game against the Atlantic Coast Conference’s N.C. State in a 2018 schedule that was announced Tuesday by the Conference USA office.
Marshall and South Carolina 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.
The Sept. 22 home game with the Wolfpack is the back-end of a home-and-home series between the two schools.
NC State won the 2017 matchup 37-20 in Raleigh, but Thundering Herd wide receiver Tyre Brady finished with a Carter Finley Stadium-record 248 receiving yards in the process.
This season’s N.C. State showdown will be Marshall’s third power conference opponent to visit Joan C. Edwards Stadium over the past four seasons.
Purdue (Big Ten) came to Huntington for the Sept. 5, 2015, season opener and Louisville (ACC) visited Sept. 24, 2016.
One of Marshall coach Doc Holliday’s previous coaching stops was N.C. State, from 2000-04.
The Thundering Herd will also host defending Conference USA champion Florida Atlantic on Oct. 20. Marshall’s bye is Oct. 27.
The Thundering Herd will open its schedule with a trip to Oxford, Ohio to play Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 1. Other road dates include WKU (Sept. 29), Old Dominion (Oct. 13), Southern Miss (Nov. 3) and FIU (Nov. 24).
The Marshall home opener will be against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 8, while Middle Tennessee (Oct. 6), Charlotte (Nov. 10) and UTSA (Nov. 17) are also scheduled to visit.
Each Conference USA school will play every team in its division once for six games, while playing two cross-over opponents from the opposite division. Each team will reverse the location of its 2017 opponents, both inter-division opponents and intra-division foes.
The conference is in the second year of a rotation between cross-division opponents that will rotate every two years until 2024, when each school has played every opponent in the opposite division once home and away.
Conference USA’s 14th annual Championship Game, pitting the champions of the East and West Divisions, is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 1.
Seven of the Thundering Herd’s 2018 opponents played in bowls in 2017.
“Our football program is extremely excited for the upcoming season,” said Holliday. “I have said many times that we have the best fans around and we look forward to seeing them in Joan C. Edwards Stadium this fall.”
At this point, all of Marshall’s 2018 games are on Saturdays.
However, it is important to note that all games featuring Conference USA schools are subject to date changes and some are expected to move in the coming weeks in order accommodate national broadcast opportunities.
2018 Schedule
Sept. 1 at Miami (Ohio)
Sept. 8 EASTERN KENTUCKY
Sept. 15 at South Carolina
Sept. 22 N.C. STATE
Sept. 29 at WKU*
Oct. 6 MIDDLE TENNESSEE*
Oct. 13 at Old Dominion*
Oct. 20 FLORIDA ATLANTIC*
Oct. 27 Bye
Nov. 3 at Southern Miss*
Nov. 10 CHARLOTTE*
Nov. 17 UTSA*
Nov. 24 at FIU*
*Conference USA game