Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defensive lineman Jontavious Morris (3) sacks Marshall Thundering Herd quarterback Chase Litton (14) during Western Kentucky's 49-28 win over Marshall on Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, at Houchens-Smith Stadium. (Austin Anthony / photo@bgdailynews.com)

IRVING, Texas – Before last season, Marshall coach Doc Holliday had seen two true freshmen start at quarterback for his football teams.

One, dating back to Holliday’s time as associate head coach at North Carolina State, was Phillip Rivers. He’s now one of the most prolific QBs in the NFL.

The other was Rakeem Cato, who played QB at Marshall from 2011-14 and broke school records for passing yards and TDs.

Holliday had to play his third-ever true freshman quarterback last season when young Chase Litton was called into action. The Tampa, Fla., native responded by completing 60.1 percent of his passes for 2,605 yards with 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

Litton is back to pilot the Herd as a sophomore, and Holliday said the experience he gained in 2015 will help him this fall.

“Anytime you play a true freshman, which we did a year ago, you go through growing pains,” Holliday said last month at Conference USA Media Days. “But he’s matured a lot over the last year and he’s gotten a lot better.

“He understands the responsibility of being the quarterback at Marshall University. He’s embraced that and I like where he is at this point.”

Holliday, Litton and the rest of the Thundering Herd were picked by league media to finish third in the C-USA East Division behind predicted winner Middle Tennessee and predicted runner-up Western Kentucky.

Marshall will host the Hilltoppers on Nov. 26, renewing what’s been a spirited series between the two programs during their short time together in C-USA.

WKU handled Marshall 49-28 on Thanksgiving weekend last year in Bowling Green, one season after winning a 67-66 overtime thriller against a 19th-ranked Thundering Herd squad in Huntington, W. Va.

Holliday said he’s confident that with Litton, his quarterback questions are answered heading into the 2016 season. That’s something many of the Herd’s league foes, including WKU, can’t say.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Litton has several key pieces returning around him. Those include senior right guard Michael Selby, junior running back Hyleck Foster (99 carries, 450 yards, three touchdowns in 2015) and junior tight end Ryan Yurachek (44 catches, 417 yards, nine touchdowns).

“No. 1, he’s got the skill set,” Holliday said of Litton. “Then you talk about the intangibles as far as leadership skills and understanding the game and respecting your teammates and everything else that goes along with being a great quarterback… he’s gone through that part of it now.

“Chase is a tremendous kid that likes to compete.”

Defensive standouts returning for Marshall include senior safety Tiquan Lang (91 tackles), senior defensive end Gary Thompson (nine sacks) and junior cornerback Rodney Allen (three interceptions).

The Herd finish the year by hosting WKU after going to Miami to play FIU the week before on Nov. 19.

Marshall plays back-to-back interesting games in the non-conference part of the schedule, hosting Louisville on Sept. 24 and going to Pittsburgh a week later on Oct. 1.

“That’ll be a great atmosphere,” Holliday said of the home game against U of L. “It’ll be hard to get a ticket, that’s for sure.”

-Follow Daily News sports reporter Brad Stephens on Twitter @BradBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.