Editor’s note: This is part 13 of a 13-part series previewing each of Western Kentucky’s opponents for the 2021 football season. Part 13 features a look at Marshall.

There are 11 games to be played before it, but the final game of the regular season already has the attention of Western Kentucky’s players.

“Our last game of the season we’re going to be very much looking forward to it. We get Marshall last,” WKU fifth-year safety Antwon Kincade said in July during the Conference USA virtual media days. “That’s going to be a great atmosphere and we can’t wait to play in it.”

“I’ve been here for a while. I really would like to just put it on Marshall,” WKU junior offensive tackle Mason Brooks said Aug. 3 at the team’s media day. “That’s the end of the year, so I feel like that would be a nice cherry on our season.”

The Hilltoppers and Thundering Herd are scheduled to conclude the regular season Nov. 27 in a “Moonshine Throwdown” meeting at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, W.Va.

WKU aims to turn the tide in a rivalry game that’s been one-sided since 2017. Marshall has won the last four meetings, including a dominating 38-14 performance last year in the Hilltoppers’ homecoming game. WKU won the first three times the two started playing annually as members of Conference USA – the first of which being WKU’s 67-66 overtime win in 2014 – and the Herd hold an 8-4 lead all-time in the series.

Marshall won its first seven games, rose to the top 15 in the rankings and was the best team in C-USA’s East division last season. The Thundering Herd are predicted to represent the East in the league’s Dec. 3 championship game again, receiving 17 first-place votes, but they’ll have a new man leading the team.

Marshall’s 2020 season came crashing down after its hot start. It fell 20-0 to Rice in what ended up being its regular-season finale, lost 22-13 in the C-USA championship game to UAB and got beat 17-10 by Buffalo in the Camellia Bowl to end the year on a three-game skid. Head coach Doc Holliday was selected as C-USA’s Coach of the Year, but still did not have his contract renewed following his 11th season.

The Herd hired Alabama associate head coach/running backs coach Charles Huff as its next head coach. He inherits a talented roster favored to repeat in the East, but he wasn’t paying attention to the outside noise entering the fall.

“Obviously there’s a lot of rat poison out there right now about our team and our players, which is awesome for everybody who does not put on a helmet, but for us it’s about focusing on the details,” Huff said at the C-USA virtual media days.

“Over the history here, Marshall has had some very successful seasons. We are trying to close the gap, and that gap is not very wide, but we are trying to do it by improving on the little things, blocking out the noise, not tasting the rat poison and working every day to be the best versions of ourselves on and off the field.”

Marshall returns nine starters from the second-best scoring offense in C-USA last season – the Herd averaged 28.5 points per game. That group includes quarterback Grant Wells, who was named C-USA Freshman of the Year after he threw for 2,091 yards and 18 touchdowns.

The Herd also return all-conference tight end Xavier Gaines, who finished second on the team in receiving with 404 yards and four scores on 28 receptions, and receiver Corey Gammage, who led the team with 409 yards and four touchdowns on 35 catches.

Marshall will need to replace running back Brenden Knox, who was the 2019 C-USA Most Valuable Player. It returns second-leading rusher Sheldon Evans, who had 330 yards and four touchdowns on 72 attempts last year and also averaged 21 yards per punt return.

Marshall’s defense allowed 13 points per game in 2020, ranking first nationally. Its 279.4 yards allowed per game were second nationally to Army – WKU’s second opponent this season. Marshall’s rushing defense was particularly stout, allowing just 95.5 yards per game – the fourth-best mark in the country.

Marshall loses C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Tavante Beckett, but defensive backs Steven Gilmore and Nazeeh Johnson and tackle Jamare Edwards return after all-conference 2020 seasons to anchor that group.

“We’ve got a lot of really good players, some phenomenal coaches and we’ve got to find a way every single day to close the gap, to take a little step closer and closer to consistently executing so that on Saturdays irregardless of the circumstance, we can have the result that we’re looking for,” Huff said.

Kickoff for the Nov. 27 game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.{&end}