The Marshall Thundering Herd will take on the USTA Roadrunners in the Frisco Bowl. Marshall lost five games in a row at one juncture of the season but secured their bowl eligibility by winning two of their last three games. The team had a 5-6 record going into the regular season finale but beat Arkansas State 35-21 to get their sixth and deciding win. UTSA was an eight-win team this season, heading to their fourth straight bowl game. However, they are winless in those games. UTSA's first season in the American Athletic Conference was a success, winning seven straight conference games before losing to Tulane in the final game.
When and where is Marshall vs. UTSA?
The Frisco Bowl between Marshall and UTSA will be at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 19th.
How to watch the Frisco Bowl
The game will be broadcast on ESPN. It can also be found on ESPN+.
Date: Tuesday, December 19st | Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Toyota Stadium — Frisco, Texas
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV
*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Marshall storylines
Marshall will be without starting quarterback Cam Fancher in the bowl game. He finished the season with 2,162 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and four rushing touchdowns. At the end of the regular season, Fancher decided to enter the transfer portal. It came as a surprise to a few people, but not head coach Charles Huff. Huff said on a local radio station that “there isn't a lot of money for NIL at Marshall, and the fans hate him (Fancher). The kid has been miserable.” They will hand the ball to redshirt freshman Cole Pennington. Pennington appeared in three games during the season, going 49-79 with 437 yards, zero touchdowns, and six interceptions. Cole is the son of former NFL quarterback Chad Pennington.
Marshall was a below-average team on offense this season except for their quarterback play, so Fancher's departure may make the team weaker on Tuesday night. They were 68th in the nation in passing yards but sat 89th in total yards and 94th in rushing yards. They were also one of the worst teams in turnovers. Their defense is closer to average, sitting in 65th, allowing 378.3 yards per game. Their 56th-ranked passing defense will have their hands full with the quarterback play of Frank Harris.
Huff's comments about the quarterback were met with disdain from Marshall fans, but he was apologetic in the media leading up to the game. “I was asked a question by a reporter and I inserted my opinion over facts about a situation, which ultimately created a little bit of a sandstorm,” Huff said. “It was truly based on my opinion of a small minority of fans, and I actually generalized the entire fan base. That was wrong. I take full responsibility for that.” Pennington may be showing the moxie of an NFL quarterback's son, as he was very professional when dealing with the blowback. “Bowl games are special in themselves,” Pennington said. “They're just a great way to extend your time with the guys that you built a culture with and a chemistry with the whole season.”
UTSA Storylines
This isn't the first Frisco Bowl for the Roadrunners, as they lost to the San Diego State Aztecs 38-24 in 2021. UTSA has been a great competitor in FBS since joining, but it isn't lost on the team that they haven't broken through and won a bowl yet. “It's important for us,” head coach Jeff Traylor said. “There are only a few things left in this program that we haven't done, and this is one of those things we haven't done, so for us, it takes on a level of importance that's probably more than most programs.”
The UTSA passing attack was the leading force for the Roadrunners in 2023. Their quarterback, Frank Harris, and their wide receiver, Joshua Cephus, were both first-team All-AAC players. Harris had 2,506 passing yards, 323 rushing yards, 22 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Cephus had 82 receptions, 1,049 yards, and nine touchdowns. “It's my last (game), you know?” Cephus said. “I've been here all my time in college. I can't miss an opportunity to go out and play with my teammates again. I'll never have a chance to play college football again, so I'm trying to go out with a bang.”
With the new quarterback for Marshall and UTSA's dominance in the AAC this season, the Roadrunners are the runaway favorites in this game. While Marshall was average to below average among the rest of the FBS, UTSA topped them in almost every category. UTSA was 39th in the nation in total yards and 37th in points scored. Their defense was also 56th in total yards allowed. One weakness for UTSA was their passing defense, but that should have less of an effect against Marshall.
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