PITTSBURGH — In some strange way, Marshall’s non-conference season loosely followed the preseason script, or at least the one stuck in my head all August.
The Thundering Herd kills Morgan State, gets buried by Louisville and competes with Pittsburgh. Indeed, the Herd pulled to within three points of the Panthers in the fourth quarter Saturday, though it couldn’t get the ball back and lost 43-27.
So the outlier remains Marshall’s 65-38 loss to Akron. From a standings perspective, it’s the “gift” that keeps on giving — the Thundering Herd must go 5-3 in Conference USA play to become bowl eligible.