HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Marshall lost their third consecutive football game Thursday night at Edwards Stadium. The loss drops the Herd to 4-3 on the season and 1-2 in the conference. The Dukes of James Madison University remained undefeated (7-0) and are comfortably seated at first place in the Sun Belt Conference.
The first half was mostly quiet with the only score coming off an early field goal by the Dukes. The Marshall defense put the Herd on the board early in the second half with a safety. James Madison answered back, however, and held a 13-2 lead going into the fourth quarter. Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 94 yards for a Herd touchdown, but it was not enough to get the job done against the Dukes. The final score was 20-9.
While this was a crucial game for the Herd, the biggest loss of the night was not found on the scoreboard. In the fourth quarter Marshall Defensive Back J.J. Roberts went down with an apparent neck injury after delivering a hit.
Players from both teams kneeled and watched in silence as Roberts was surrounded by medical staff. While down for nearly twenty minutes, staff had to carefully remove Roberts’ face mask, jersey, and shoulder pads. As he was being carted off the field, Roberts offered a reassuring thumbs up to the concerned crowd.
The only official update was given this morning through a social media post by Roberts’ father, who stated that Roberts was still in the hospital and was getting an MRI. He also noted that “The situation is better now than it could’ve been” and asked for continued prayers while thanking the community for their support.
Roberts, who was the 2019-2020 Gatorade West Virginia Player of the Year at Cabell Midland High School, spent three years at Wake Forest before returning home to play his Junior year of football for the Thundering Herd. He has two Interceptions and 48 total tackles through seven games with the Herd this season.
Marshall will look to get back on track next Saturday when they travel to play Coastal Carolina in an important SBC matchup.