Week 1: Marshall Mountain Mamas
by Chito Chibuye
Dawgs OTL Writer/ UGA Alumnus
My homework this week was simple: rewatch We Are Marshall and get myself hyped for week 1 of college football. I forgot how good that movie is — and how stacked the cast was. Most remember Matthew McConaughey as head coach Jack Lengyel, who takes over after the 1970 plane crash that tragically wiped out nearly the entire program. Few remember Anthony Mackie (Falcon/Captain America), Kate Mara (Entourage and House of Cards), Ian McShane (Deadwood and John Wick), and January Jones (Mad Men).
The film captures a program forced to rebuild from the ashes. And while 2025’s circumstances are nowhere near that tragedy, Marshall once again finds itself in the middle of massive turnover.
From Champs to Change
Marshall ended 2024 flying high — Sun Belt champions after a dominant 31–3 win over Louisiana (yep, Billy Napier’s old crew). They finished 10–3, led by Sun Belt Player of the Year Mike Green, who topped the FBS with 17 sacks and went in Round 2: No. 59 overall to the Baltimore Ravens — right after UGA’s own Malaki Starks.
Normally, that kind of season guarantees a coach a big bag. Not this time. After contract talks with Charles Huff went south, so did he, for the Head coaching job @ Southern Miss — taking players, assistants, and just about everything else that wasn’t nailed down with him. He said: “I’m leaving here with sum’n!” (Like Denzel)
Enter Tony Gibson
So in steps Tony Gibson, the former NC State defensive coordinator (2024), returning home to West Virginia with Power Five experience in tow. His challenge will be eerily similar to what McConaughey had to deal with in the movie. A brand new roster that has been gutted and rebuilt via a 62 (yes, really) 62-player class from February’s recruiting haul, most of whom are transfers plus three new coordinators.
A scouting report on this team feels impossible to construct, but here are a few names you’ll need to know:
QBs: Carlos Del Rio (Florida transfer) and Zion Turner (dual-threat)
RBs: Tony Mathis Jr. (Houston) and Michael Allen (UNLV)
Pass-catchers: TE Toby Payne and Akron transfer WR Adrian Norton
Defensive anchors: DT Jalil Rivera-Harvey (Sr. transfer) and SS Jadrarius Green-McKnight (FSU transfer) will look to contain Gunner Stockton and this loaded offense.
That’s about as much identity as we can grab before the season kicks off.
What It Means for Week 1
If you’re the gambling type, stay far, far away from this game . Week 1 games are notoriously messy and the referees will be plenty busy on Saturday. We have no idea what the Herd wants to do this week, or what they're capable of doing (Kirby Smart said as much in his presser this week). This is a “work on us” type of game. A chance for UGA to fine tune their timing on offense, and their tackling on defense. A chance for the 2’s and 3’s to show the coaching staff who is ready to play winning football with every rep. A chance for the rest of Dawgnation to learn the new names of the players that will contribute to this season and beyond. As far as West Virginia goes..
We’ve got country roads too — and ours lead straight to Sanford, Go Dawgs.
Prediction: Georgia 48, Marshall 13
