Marshall QB Zion Turner to Start vs. Georgia Southern
The Thundering Herd hold a 5-3 record and seek bowl eligibility with a win over the Eagles on Saturday.
By Samir Doyle ·
Tony Gibson decided not to shake up the quarterback position at Marshall. The head coach announced on Tuesday that senior Zion Turner will start for a third straight game.
Turner takes the field at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Georgia Southern. The matchup takes place inside Allen E. Paulsen Stadium in Huntington, W.Va.
The Thundering Herd currently hold a 5-3 overall record and a 2-2 conference mark. They arrive in Statesboro following consecutive victories over South Alabama and Old Dominion.
Gibson said Turner earned the starting job through performance. He noted that Turner plays well and moves the offense effectively. Gibson also mentioned that Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Khalil Wilkins could see situational usage at the position.
A win on Saturday makes Marshall bowl eligible. The team aims to ride its current momentum wave into the contest against the Eagles.
Georgia Southern enters the game with a 4-4 record and a 3-1 conference mark. The Eagles won their last two games, including a 19-3 victory over Appalachian State last Saturday. Clay Helton is in his fifth season as head coach with a 31-29 career record at the school.
Marshall’s running game showed strength in the previous week. The team rushed for 196 yards against Old Dominion. Judah Price and TJ Lester combined for 158 of those yards. Lester scored twice in the first half, which included a 49-yard touchdown run.
Gibson said the offensive line is improving. He acknowledged that the team gave up too many pressures but felt the unit is getting better each week. The coach emphasized the need to limit penalties to avoid bad situations.
Marshall committed 11 penalties in the win over ODU. Ten of those came on offense, including four false starts and two holds. Gibson pointed to a false start on second and goal at the 2-yard line that pushed the team back five yards as an example of self-inflicted harm.
Redshirt freshman kicker Jorge Diaz Nicolas made the Lou Groza Award’s Stars of the Week list on Tuesday. He became the first player in Marshall history to kick five field goals in a single game.
Diaz Nicolas went 5-for-5 in the 36-23 win over Old Dominion. His five makes broke the school single-game record of four, a mark that had been set seven times previously. The kicks came from distances of 35, 34, 30, 30 and 24 yards.
Gibson said the coaching staff was proud of Diaz Nicolas’s performance. He noted that breaking the school record is rare and that the player’s hard work paid off during the road win.
