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October 20, 2026 - Marshall’s football uniforms for its Tuesday night matchup with South Alabama feature special decals to honor the state’s coal miners. The Herd will wear all black.
It’s a special tradition to establish for Marshall coach Tony Gibson. His father was a coal miner.
“I grew up in the No. 1 coal-producing county in West Virginia,” said Gibson, a native of Van in Boone County. “My dad was a coal miner, and he died at 55 of lung cancer. It brings a lot of meaning, not only to myself but to Marshall and Southern West Virginia. We’re going to do some things with them and have them at the game. It’ll be a great night.”
Marshall’s football team will wear new helmets to honor coal miners during its Tuesday night contest with South Alabama.
Courtesy of Marshall athletics
A new alternate logo features black MU lettering with a pickaxe atop it. Judah Price played at Independence High in Coal City, and he served as a model for the reveal.
“It’s super special,” Price said. “My grandpa was in the mines, and my dad was, too, for a little bit. That’s a big thing where I’m from. I have a huge respect for everyone in the coal mines, and I’m super, super honored to represent them on Tuesday.”
The game is Marshall’s first on a Tuesday since 2008, a 37-23 win over Houston. Below is a look at game-note notables for each team ahead of the Herd’s third SBC matchup.
National television
The ESPN2 broadcast marks the fifth-straight season in which Marshall has been featured in a midweek nationally televised game.
Funnily enough, Marshall was at the impetus of midweek games being scheduled by the Group of Six. The Mid-American Conference was the first to schedule a midweek game for national incentives, and Marshall played in the first MACtion game on Thursday, Oct. 14, 1999.
Tuesday night lights
Marshall has a 3-1 record on Tuesday nights at home. The first-ever organized football game the Herd played against a college opponent was on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 1903.
Marshall won 36-34 in 2002 against Miami (Ohio) on a Tuesday, and RedHawks assistant Jon Wauford was arrested for shoving a fan on the field.
In 2008, the last home game for the Herd on a Tuesday night before this week, Marshall wore green helmets for the first time and beat Houston. It included another oddity as Patrick Edwards, a Cougars wide receiver, injured his leg by running into a band cart. He later sued Marshall and the conference and settled.
Turnover margins
South Alabama ranks No. 6 nationally in turnover margin at plus-1.3 per game. Marshall is on the opposite end at No. 136 of 138 Division I FBS teams at minus-1.5 per game.
Price is right
With the absence of Jo’Shon Barbie, listed as out on Marshall’s availability report, Price is in line for his second career start at running back. His first came in the 27-21 loss to Coastal Carolina. He ran 12 times for 124 yards with a touchdown, along with two receptions for 12 yards and a score.
Price is an in-state product and former walk-on who is now on scholarship. He played high school football at Independence. Price’s 50-yard touchdown run and 124 total yards are both season bests for the Herd’s run game.
Javae Gilmore led Marshall in tackles last time out against Coastal Carolina with 10. He added 2.5 tackles for a loss, along with a pass breakup leading to an interception and a blocked field goal.
Special teams, special player
Cooper Heimbach leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks No. 17 nationally with an average of 45.3 yards per punt. Heimbach had a 57-yard punt against Coastal.
Run game
South Alabama has a three-headed run game with Keenan Phillips, PJ Martin and Trae’von Dunbar. The trio combines for 1,146 yards on the ground and 15 rushing touchdowns.
In the Jaguars’ 56-49 win over Arkansas State, Phillips had 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD.
Clock control
South Alabama ranks No. 16 nationally with an average time of possession of more than 33 minutes. In each contest, the Jaguars have possessed the ball for longer than 28 minutes.
Slow start
Marshall’s 0-2 start in Sun Belt Conference play puts it in unfortunate company with Southern Miss and Louisiana-Monroe. A loss would create the Herd’s first 0-3 start in conference play since 2010.
Versatility
South Alabama’s Kenton Jerido played at all five positions on the offensive line in 2025. He entered this year as a second-team All-SBC selection.
Roster makeup
South Alabama has 44 players from Alabama, including 13 from the Mobile area. The Jaguars have 60 newcomers — 32 freshmen and 28 transfers. The Jaguars entered the season with six returning starters on both offense and defense.
Major talents
Jaguars coach Major Applewhite has coached 10 quarterbacks that have reached the NFL ranks. Among them are Vince Young, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young.
Both Youngs and Tagovailoa were selected in the top five of the NFL draft, while Jones went at No. 15. |
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