Football Preview: Marshall Mavericks vs. Nacogdoches Dragons
Marshall has gone 6-1 against Nacogdoches recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Marshall Mavericks are taking a road trip to take on the Nacogdoches Dragons at 7:30 p.m. Marshall is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 37.1 points per game this season.
Marshall's defense heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They breezed by Jacksonville at home to the tune of 35-0. The Mavericks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 22 points or more this season.
Keyunta Lias had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. He is becoming a predictor of Marshall's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Raijon Sims, who picked up 143 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Marshall was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 288 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 152 rushing yards in seven consecutive games.
Marshall didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Javonta Robertson, Monta Haynes, and DJ Goudeau picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, a victory for Nacogdoches just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They were beaten by Whitehouse 50-23. While losing is never fun, the Dragons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 531st, while the Wildcats are ranked 181st).
Despite the loss, Nacogdoches saw an underclassman step up: Rj Whitaker rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 45 receiving yards.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Nacogdoches, adding 11 points to the final score. All those points came courtesy of Victor Martinez: he added nine points with three field goals, and another two kicking extra points.
Marshall has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. As for Nacogdoches, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-4.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Marshall has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 320.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Nacogdoches struggles in that department as they've been averaging 239.6. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Marshall against Nacogdoches in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 70-40 win. Will Marshall repeat their success, or does Nacogdoches have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
