Marshall releases 2012 football schedule

Entering the 2011 campaign the Marshall football team had one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, but surprised many when it won the Beef ‘O'Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg to finish out the season at 7-6.

That 2011 schedule saw the Herd facing off against seven teams who made bowl games, including two teams which played in BCS Bowl games: West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

The Marshall football team released its schedule for the 2012 campaign Thursday, and the Herd seems to face a daunting task similar to the 2011 schedule.

Marshall will kick off the season on Sept. 1 in the "Friends of Coal Bowl" against instate rival West Virginia.

The Thundering Herd will host six games at Joan C. Edwards Stadium including two early non-conference games against Western Carolina on Sept. 8 and Ohio in the "Battle for the Bell" on Sept. 15.

Marshall will then hit the road for its first Conference USA game of the season on Sept. 22, when the team travels to the state of Texas to take on Rice.

The following week, the Herd will step out of conference play to face-off against Big 10 foe Purdue.

Of its six home games, Marshall will have four conference games in the Joan beginning with Tulsa visiting Huntington on Oct. 6.

Central Florida, Memphis and Houston will also travel to Huntington to take on the Herd.

The toughest road contest for the season for the Herd will most likely come on Oct. 27, as Marshall will travel south to Hattiesburg to take on defending C-USA champion Southern Miss.

The 2012 schedule sees Marshall playing six teams who made bowl appearances in 2011, with Tulsa being the only team to lose its bowl game.

This schedule also features three opponents that finished the 2011 season ranked in the USA Today Top 25.

On Nov. 10, Marshall will make the trip to Legion Field to take on the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and will close out the regular season on the road on Nov. 24 against East Carolina.

In a statement released by the Marshall Athletics Department, head coach Doc Holliday said this schedule is anything but a let down after 2011, and it will be great for the program to get to host six games.