Marshall plays Notre Dame football for first time ever

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Marcus Freeman is going to draw comparisons to Brian Kelly at every turn. Fair or not, it’s just the way it’s going to be for him as Kelly’s successor.

Here’s a Kelly statistic Freeman might not know himself but will be sure to soon figure out if his Fighting Irish somehow lose to Marshall as a heavy favorite at Notre Dame Stadium Sept. 10.

In 12 years at the helm, Kelly only lost one home opener. He held a record of 11-1 in the first game of the season played at Notre Dame Stadium. A loss would give Freeman as many defeats under these circumstances in one year as Kelly had in a dozen.

That’s not good for optics.

Is the mark going to be in Freeman’s mind? No. It doesn’t do him any good to think of something like that while preparing his team to play. But it adds context to this weekend’s matchup.

Kelly’s lone home-opening loss came in 2011, his second season in South Bend. The Irish were ranked No. 16 in the preseason Associated Press poll. They were up against unranked South Florida coached by former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz’s son, Skip. The Bulls went 8-5 the previous two seasons before knocking off Notre Dame. A program of similar stature, Marshall has won at least seven games in every season since 2017. The Thundering Herd went 7-6 in head coach Charles Huff’s first season last fall.

Marshall is not, say, 2022’s version of USF; a 2-10 team without a shot in Hades to beat a program like Notre Dame on its own soil. The same could be said for the 2020 USF team Notre Dame blasted 52-0. Those Bulls went 1-8.

The Thundering Herd finished second behind Western Kentucky in Conference USA’s East division last year, meanwhile, and are a team that should not be taken lightly. They’ve been to eight bowl games in the last nine seasons. They won their 2022 season opener 55-3 against Norfolk State.

Marshall certainly doesn’t take itself lightly.

“You have to create and protect your identity every day,” Huff said. “You have to come out with the right energy and the right intensity and the right focus. That doesn’t mean you’re going to make every play and have no missed assignments, but the focus is on making sure every time we hit the field we protect our identity.”

Missing A Playmaker

Are the 2022 vs. 2011 comparisons uncanny? No.

Eleven years ago, Notre Dame’s home opener was also the season opener. It wasn’t fully known what to expect from the Irish or their opponent. This year, Notre Dame has already played Ohio State. Marshall isn’t going to catch Notre Dame by surprise.

Especially not without its most important returning offensive player.

Huff harped on his team’s identity. The Herd’s offensive identity in 2021 was essentially one guy: then-redshirt freshman running back Rasheen Ali.

Ali took a temporary, voluntary leave of absence from the program Aug. 23 for an undisclosed reason. Huff said Ali would not return until he was “mentally, physically and emotionally ready.” A timetable for Ali’s return was not given.

Ali rushed for 1,401 yards on 5.6 yards per carry last fall. He finished tied with BYU’s Tyler Allgeier for the No. 1 spot nationally with 23 rushing touchdowns. Ali also caught 45 passes for 334 yards and 1 touchdown.

The biggest takeaway? Everyone should wish whatever is ailing Ali go away soon and that he’s able to rejoin his teammates with a healthy head on his shoulders. More minor in the consequential pecking order? Ali is going to be sorely missed by Huff and company.

The offensive slack is going to have to be picked up by Texas Tech transfer quarterback Henry Colombi, a journeyman who began his career at Utah State before starting nine games in two seasons in Lubbock. A three-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep, Colombi is looking to finish his college career with an opportunity to be a team’s starter from start to finish. He completed 24 of 26 throws for 205 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the season opener.

Huff expects him to take the reins and run with them.

“I think you can clearly see that he has a veteran presence,” Huff said. “Nothing rattles him. Nothing gets him off-kilter. Doesn’t matter if he makes a completion, doesn’t matter if he takes off running, doesn’t matter if he throws an interception.

“He’s done a good job of taking leadership when he’s on the field.”

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Expect to see Colombi strike up a strong rapport with senior wide receiver Corey Gammage, who led Marshall with 78 catches and 869 receiving yards last season. No Marshall pass catcher had more than 3 touchdown receptions in 2021, though, which could pose a problem without Ali. Gammage caught the lone Colombi touchdown pass in Week 1, but junior wideout Talik Keaton was Colombi’s favorite target with 8 catches for 71 yards.

Colombi understands it’s his job to make those around him better.

“Every week that you are out here, every week that you’re running the offense is another opportunity to get more comfortable in the system and to continue to build chemistry with the receivers, the offensive line and the running backs,” Colombi said. “I’m excited to move forward.”

Facing Adversity

Huff made sure his team realized the full scope of the Ali situation before Marshall’s season opener. He took his players back to where Ali was one year ago.

“We told them the story of Rasheen Ali,” Huff said. “Three-hundred and sixty-five days ago, we did a simulated scrimmage and Rasheen ran with the third group in that scrimmage. That’s where he was on the depth chart a week before the first game.”

Translation: Anybody could step up and be a hero.

“Don’t get me wrong, Rasheen is a phenomenal player,” Huff said. “But we use that as an example because you never know when your opportunity is going to come.”

Florida State transfer Khalan Laborn has been eyeing his opportunity for a while. A former five-star recruit from Virginia Beach (Va.) Catholic, Laborn was the No. 3 running back recruit in the class of 2017 per the On3 Consensus Ratings. Now he’s a backup running back at Marshall who hadn’t recorded a collegiate carry since 201 — until this past Saturday, when he ran 12 times for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Laborn redshirted as a true freshman. He missed all of 2018 with a dislocated kneecap. He was the Seminoles’ backup in 2019 and ran 63 times for 297 yards and 4 touchdowns. Then he was dismissed from the program for a violation of team rules.

One of the best recruits in his class, a prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State among others, had less than 300 rushing yards to show for himself in three years. He had more than one-third of his career total in one game against Norfolk State.

A less-pressurized fit at Marshall and a head coach in Huff who spent two seasons as Alabama’s running backs coach in 2019 and 2020 might be just what Laborn needs to reach his full potential. The Ali ordeal, although devastating for the program in general, might motivate him to succeed, too.

Laborn had a promising lead-in to the 2022 season even when Ali was in the picture. According to Huff, he broke 3 tackles and took the first play of a mid-August scrimmage 80 yards to the end zone.

“To see him start like that was fun,” Colombi said. “I was looking to the sideline because I thought it was going to be second-and-5, and then he breaks down the sideline.”

Marshall isn’t going to beat Notre Dame without big plays. But it’s going to have to play stout defense, too. The Thundering Herd allowed 36.2 points per game in their six losses last season. That figure would have been tied with Rice for the No. 120 spot in the nation as a season-long average.

The three tackles Laborn broke on his scrimmage scamper? Those have to be made against the likes of Notre Dame running backs Chris Tyree, Audric Estime and Logan Diggs. Easier said than done.

Taking down the Irish in their home opener is difficult, but it isn’t impossible. Just ask Kelly, who will forever be one game away from an unblemished home opener record while at Notre Dame.

Freeman has a strong chance to start his own streak Saturday.

Facts & Figures

Marshall at Notre Dame

Date: Sept. 10, 2022

Site: Notre Dame Stadium

Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. ET

Television: NBC

Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates and SiriusXM Channel 129. For a complete listing of affiliates, go to und.com/radioaffiliates/.

Series Facts: This is the first-ever meeting between Marshall and Notre Dame.

Head coaches: Marshall — Charles Huff (8-6, second season); Notre Dame — Marcus Freeman (0-2, first season).

Noting Marshall: The Thundering Herd’s offensive coordinator is former Florida State quarterback Clint Trickett … Marshall had the No. 30 scoring offense in the country in 2021 at 33.0 points per game … The Thundering Herd ranked No. 13 nationally in 2021 at 456.5 yards per game but ranked No. 81 nationally in total defense at 396.6 yards allowed per game; the Herd’s 192.0 rushing yards allowed per game ranked No. 105 nationally … Running back Rasheen Ali was a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt pick … Linebacker Abraham Beauplan and defensive back Steven Gilmore were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt second-team defense … Marshall graduated a total of 132 starts from its 2021 offensive line, leaving a rather inexperienced corps of offensive linemen to start the 2022 season … The Herd tied for No. 15 in the nation in 2021 with 40 sacks; players who logged 28 of those are back in 2022 … Like Notre Dame, Marshall has a new placekicker and punter in 2022.