Portland at Marshall
Huntingon, WV - The Trappers travel south to West Virginia for a matchup against the Marshall Thundering Herd. The Herd are coming off of a bye week, with their win coming in week one over Miami (FL) University. The Trappers are looking to rebound after dropping their first two games of the season, including a blowout loss at Penn State in week one, 70-12.
The Trappers offense will look to continue their hot streak after racking up 434 yards of total offense last week against LA Tech. They'll have their work cut out for them though, facing a Marshall defense who forced and recovered two fumbles against Miami (FL) and held the Hurricanes out of the endzone until late in the fourth quarter. The Herd defense is led by seniors Cory Tindal(87Ovr) at cornerback and A.J. Leggett(87Ovr) at free safety. Tindal has been thrust into the starting role after seeing limited playing time last season. He recorded one tackle and two pass breakups in the Herd's win over Miami (FL). Leggett is coming off a great season last year, recording 37 tackles (3 for loss), 9 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions. He recorded 4 tackles in the win over Miami (FL) with two of them for a loss. Coach Shaw and Adam Walker will likely look to Cecil Smart to carry the load again, avoiding throwing at this talented secondary as much as possible.
Portland will have their hands full on defense as well, trying to stop the Thundering Herd's high powered passing attack. They are led by senior quarterback Michael Birdsong(85Ovr), who threw for over 2700 yards last season and 23 touchdowns. He's coming off a 232 yard, 1 touchdown game against Miami (FL). Birdsong will be likely be without star receiver Deontay McManus(84Ovr), he's listed as questionable after suffering an abdominal tear in week one. Its expected that junior Hyleck Foster(79Ovr) will start in his place. This game, like all others, will come down to whoever has the ability to better control the line of scrimmage. Expect Portland's defensive line to struggle as they try to fight through the blocks of seniors Michael Shelby(87Ovr) and tackle Clint Van Horn(89Ovr). A lot of pressure will be put on the Trappers linebackers and secondary to stop the pass, even more so if the defensive line struggles to apply pressure.
Lee Corse picks Marshall to triumph, 35-24.