WKU Football: Marshall Q&A with Moonshine Throwdown
Marshall superfan Trace Johnson of The Moonshine Throwdown Podcast sits down to talk all things Thundering Herd and this weekend's Moonshine Throwdown.
It all comes down to this.
The Tops and Thundering Herd meet again only this time there’s a Conference USA title game berth on the line. The Moonshine Throwdown has become a fan favorite since it began in 2014 when WKU spoiled Marshall’s perfect season 67-66.
To answer our questions on the Herd, I got one of my long time Twitter friends Trace Johnson to give us all more insight. Trace helps with the Moonshine Throwdown podcast so be sure you check it out as well as the MSTD Twitter account and follow Trace as well.
The Towel Rack: For the WKU fans who haven’t followed Marshall closely, how would you say the Herd’s season has gone up to this point?
Trace Johnson: Marshall’s season has had its ups and downs so far, and that’s to be expected with a first-year coach. But even at that, the Herd is 7-4 and one win away from playing for a title. With the losses and major change from last season, this has been a pretty solid season with a lot potentially still in play.
TTR: How would you say that new head coach Charles Huff has done in his first season at the helm of the Herd?
TJ: Charles Huff has done a good job in year one with the Herd. He almost totally cleaned house and brought in his own coaching staff with the one holdover being offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey, and even the offense has looked different compared to the past few years. His energy and passion has been palpable for the fanbase and fans expect big things moving forward.
TTR: With the stakes so high for this game and the winner gets to the C-USA title game, what do you think the home environment will be like in the Joan?Â
TJ: Hopefully, the attendance will be good for this game. That’s been an ever-growing issue on social media among Herd fans lately. Attendance has been down, but for a game like this, it’d be nice to see a good turnout. Regardless of the number, the crowd that shows up will be loud and rowdy.
TTR: Who are the biggest playmakers on offense for the Herd that the Hilltopper defense need to worry about?
TJ: Rasheen Ali is a nightmare to game plan for. He’s having a freshman season the caliber of Randy Moss in 1996 in terms of touchdowns. He also has rushed for over 1,000 yards so far. Grant Wells is hot and cold, but when he’s hot, he’s scorching. The Herd’s wide receiver unit it also solid with names like Corey Gammage, Talik Keaton, Willie Johnson, Xavier Gaines, etc.
TTR: How do you see the Herd defense matching up against Bailey Zappe and the Hilltopper air raid offense?
TJ: Marshall has an unenviable task this week, slowing down Bailey Zappe. There’s no shutting him down, let’s be real. But the Herd is among the tops in the nation in sacks, so no matter how many yards Zappe has thrown for this year, he can’t throw when he’s laying on the ground. Marshall will have to get to the QB this week and the secondary will have to be sharp.
TTR: Obviously the Moonshine Throwdown has become a fan favorite rivalry since 2014 but with a C-USA title game berth at stake this year, do you think this year’s game has the potential to be the best game the rivalry has ever had?
TJ: It will be extremely hard to top the 2014 game, but this year’s MSTD could be a classic. There’s been so many great games in this series, but this one has all the makings of being one of the very best.
TTR: ESPN basically has this game as a coin flip and has the Herd as one point favorites. What do you think the Herd need to do to hold the Tops off and get back to the C-USA title game?
TJ: Marshall has to win the trenches this week. WKU has a plan and it’s worked well most of the season. But if Marshall is able to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, the Herd has the advantage. Wells will also have to play his best game of the season and stay turnover free.
TTR: Moonshine Throwdown for all the marbles. What’s your prediction for the game?
TJ: This should be a close one, but the Herd has shown it’s not quite ready for the big-time quite yet in year one of the Huff era. The games against App State and UAB come to mind. This definitely could be a Marshall win, but it’s hard to go against WKU with the way that offense has been rolling, especially when it’s hard to trust Marshall’s offense sometimes. WKU: 41, MU: 35.
Super thank for Trace’s time answering our questions! Be sure you follow Moonshine Throwdown if you don’t already for all the best info on this great rivalry game.