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Middle Tennessee vs Marshall matchup
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Middle Tennessee (1-0) visits Marshall (0-1) on Sept 12 at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
MTSU chases its first 2-0 start in 25 years against a former conference rival.
Background
The two schools are former conference rivals — they played as CUSA members from 2013 to 2021 and first met in the 1992 I-AA playoffs — and now meet as a non-conference game. Marshall holds a 7-5 all-time series lead and is 5-1 in games played in Huntington. Both opened 2026 differently: MTSU beat Murray State 38-14, while Marshall lost 45-0 at No. 18 Penn State.
How it unfolded
- 1992Marshall and Middle Tennessee first met in the NCAA I-AA (now FCS) playoffs; Marshall won 35-21 and went on to win the National Championship.
- 2013 -2021The two schools played as CUSA members; MTSU held a 5-4 advantage in the series during that span.
- 2018MTSU's lone all-time win in Huntington came in 2018, 34-24.
- 2021MTSU earned a 34-28 victory in the teams' previous matchup.
- 2025Marshall won the most recent meeting 42-28 in Murfreesboro; that game had weather delays lasting two hours and 12 minutes.
- Sep 5, 2026MTSU opened with a 38-14 win over Murray State at Floyd Stadium in a weather-delayed game called at 12:55 a.m. with 11:01 left in the fourth quarter; Roman Gagliano threw for 200 yards, Antonio Martin rushed for 103 and Cam'ron Lacy had 118 receiving yards.
- Sep 5, 2026Marshall opened with a 45-0 loss at No. 18 Penn State; quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson completed 17 of 25 passes for 102 yards.
- Sep 12, 2026Middle Tennessee (1-0, 0-0 CUSA) at Marshall (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt), Joan C. Edwards Stadium (30,475), Huntington, WV; kickoff 6:02 p.m. CT, streaming on ESPN+.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Marshall Athletics says the Herd kicks off the home portion of its 2026 season Saturday night under the new lights at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
- Official
- MTSU Athletics says Saturday provides the team's first road test of the season and a chance to build momentum before hosting Nevada on Sept. 19.
- Analysts
- The Herald-Dispatch writes that Middle Tennessee has a direct upgrade at quarterback compared to last season's meeting, saying Gagliano has done a tremendous job playing efficient, winning football.
- Analysts
- The Daily News Journal's Cecil Joyce notes MTSU is aiming for its first 2-0 start in 25 years.