HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) – Marshall football opened their 2023 season Saturday against Albany.

The Thundering Herd came out slow, getting shut out in the first half, but battled back to win it 21-17.

Check out the highlights and postgame above!

Marshall’s entrance was a little different this year, we got some smoke and some fire! Along with a huge crowd turnout, 25,101 the final tally.

It was a sluggish first half on both sides.

The Marshall defense held strong, racking up four sacks and Owen Porter had 2.5 tackles for loss. But the offense struggled to get something going, Cam Fancher went 14-20 for 122 yards.

Albany then kicked a field goal with seconds left to make it 3-0 at halftime.

The Great Danes kept that momentum going in the second half, finding a guy wide open in the back of the endzone for the first touchdown of the game. That made it 10-0 five minutes into the third quarter.

Marshall then responded in that very next drive, Cam Fancher with a toss to Charles Montgomery, and he finds the sidelines for the Herd’s first score! Now 10-7.

Then running back Rasheen Ali did what Rasheen Ali does, finding the endzone twice, both on two huge breakout runs. The second touchdown gave the Herd a 21-17 lead.

With seconds left on the clock, Albany was inside the redzone, and Owen Porter came up with the big stop to save the win in his final home opener in the Joan! 

Head coach Charles Huff said this game is the best thing that could’ve happened to them because they had to battle back and they proved they could do it. 

Hear from Huff, Rasheen Ali, and Owen Porter above!

Next week: Marshall travels to Greenville to face East Carolina.