Georgia Southern vs. Marshall 2025 Preview: Keys, Players and Predictions

The Georgia Southern Eagles (5-6) travel to West Virginia to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd (5-6) in their final game of the regular season. The Eagles are one win away from becoming bowl eligible; yet so is the Thundering Herd, significantly raising the stakes for both programs. With that in mind, let’s dive into this Georgia Southern vs. Marshall 2025 college football preview.

Georgia Southern Eagles vs. Marshall Thundering Herd: 2025 College Football Preview

Marshall opened up as 6.5-point favorites over the Eagles, according to Vegas Insider. However, has since moved up to an 8.5-point favorite, suggesting bettors are taking the Thundering Herd. The total has also seen some movement. After opening at 61.5-points, it has increased to 63.5, suggesting that bettors are taking the over.

Matchup History

The Eagles are 3-6 against the Thundering Herd in program history. However, Georgia Southern won last year’s meeting in a thrilling fourth quarter comeback. Georgia Southern entered the fourth quarter down 23-3, and scored 21 unanswered points to win the game 24-23. Oddly enough, that same Marshall team would go on to win the Sun Belt championship.

Key Players

Marshall Thundering Herd

Last week, the Eagles had a difficult time mitigating Old Dominion starting quarterback Colton Joseph’s legs. Joseph ran for more yards than he threw in the Monarchs’ dominant win in Paulson. This week, the Eagles will have another dual-threat to worry about in Marshall quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. Del Rio-Wilson is a talented passer and has 17 passing touchdowns on the year, ranking him 44th in the FBS. However, his game is much more than his arm.

Against App State last week, Del Rio-Wilson had 71 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. If the Eagles want to go bowling, they cannot allow Del Rio-Wilson to run all over them. If he’s able to get loose like he did against App State, and like Joseph did against the Eagles, it could be a long game for Georgia Southern.

The Thundering Herd have a talented receiver room, but the most talented player is clearly DeMarcus Lacey. Lacey has 716 yards on the season, ranking him 57th in FBS. The six-foot wideout also averages 5.5 receptions per game, 25th in FBS. He’s coming off a 134-yard, 12-reception performance against App State in Week 13.

A defensive player to watch for Marshall is cornerback Boogie Trotter. Trotter leads the Thundering Herd in solo tackles with 31 and has two tackles-for-loss. For a cornerback to lead his team in solo tackles is impressive. Trotter also has five interceptions on the year, tied for second overall in the FBS. If Georgia Southern wants to throw the ball, they will more than likely have to throw it away from Trotter.

Georgia Southern Key Players

Nothing went right for the Eagles last week against Old Dominion, and it all started with an early interception by quarterback JC French. French will need to be better if the Eagles want to go to their fourth-consecutive bowl game. Marshall’s passing defense has been lackluster, giving up an average of 253.2 passing yards per game. If Georgia Southern wants to exploit the Thunder Herd defense, they will have to do it in the air, so French will need to be prepared.

It was impossible for the Eagles to run the ball last week, after going down so much so quickly. This week, they will need to keep the running game as a viable option and avoid early deficits. Running back OJ Arnold had a career performance two weeks ago, but last week he was seemingly absent. Getting Arnold more involved will be key to taking pressure off French and allow the offense to remain unpredictable.

The best player on the team, Camden Brown, will obviously be a focal point for the Thundering Herd defense. Brown has been the guy for the Eagles all year. In fact, he is only 57 yards away from breaking the single-season receiving yard record at Georgia Southern. If the Eagles want to beat Marshall and go to a bowl game, they will need more than 57 yards from Brown.

How the Eagles Win

JC French will need to get into rhythm early if Southern wants to win this contest. The Eagles will want to pass the ball as much as they can, exploiting the weakness of the Thundering Herd. Getting Arnold more involved will also make French’s life easier by forcing defenders to worry about a powerful, and speedy back.

The Eagles will also need to protect French. The Thundering Herd have 27 sacks on the year, 32nd-most in the FBS. French takes an average of 2.4 sacks per game, 32nd-most in the Nation. He has also taken at least two sacks in each of his last four games. If French can get consistent time in the pocket, he should have no problems picking apart this defense.

Georgia Southern’s defense has been the hot topic all year for fans. Last week, the defense looked horrible against Colton Joseph and Old Dominion. A big part of that lack of success was the constant threat of the quarterback running. Marshall quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson will certainly be running against the Eagles, especially in the red zone. If the Eagles can just take away his legs, forcing Del Rio-Wilson and Marshall to lean on their passing game, they can slow this team down.

Prediction

This game will be a battle of two teams fighting to get a bowl game. The Eagles defense may not be able to keep Marshall under 30-points. However, their offense should be able to score just as much as the Thundering Herd. If the Eagles pull off the upset, it will be an offensive game.

Final score prediction: 36-34, Eagles.