Jeremy Beakes

As is well documented on this page, @HerdFB and @HerdZone athletics runs through my blood. Essentially every day since covid began, when I was a freshman at Greenbrier East high school, I have facetimed my grandparents. Marshall athletics is the talking point of those calls, essentially every day. My Papaw, John Flowers, former member of the Thundering Herd and Barboursville High School principal. My Mamaw, Donna Flowers, Retired Educator and maybe the most positive supporter of Marshall sports on the planet. Mamaw’s brother, Barry Nash, was a member of the 1970 team. Our conversations range from TBT Herd That in July, To Marshall Soccer in December. From who the third string QB is, to the newest basketball walk on. Most recently, our conversations have been about the state of Marshall Football. My grandparents haven’t missed a home game in my memory, and Papaw can tell you the play by play from games all the way back in the Sonny Randle and Frank Ellwood eras. Today, they told me that for the first time in their memory, they left the game early Saturday. A combination of the weather, and the lack of production on the field, caused them to hear the herd’s first score of the game on the radio in the car headed home. They sat through Marshall losing 6-60 to Western back in 2016, but Saturday reached a tipping point. I say all this not to rag on the players, or the coaches, but to show how much this program means to so many of us. When we brought in Coach Tony, I could not have been more excited, In fact I made a long post like this one, saying how excited I was about bringing in someone like him, a true West Virginian, to lead our program. I truly believe Coach cares as much, if not more about this program succeeding than almost anyone. However the current product on the field is hard to watch and frankly unacceptable. This is an ever changing time in college football, heck, James Madison spent 30 million today to join a different Group of 6 conference. Marshall is succeeding in so many sports, Soccer is always competitive, Corny and Julie have the hoops teams buzzing, our GOAT is leading our softball program, baseball is becoming a tough out in the sunbelt, but our football program is falling behind. Many of us, Including Mamaw and Papaw, still believe that Marshall can be a premier program in college football. @GJHJ We love so much of what you have done for our Herd. Please don’t let us fall behind on Saturdays. As always, Go Herd. @TheHerdsHeadset @ThunderCast_Pod @HerdJacket @GoHerdorGoHme @HerdPlsWin @HerdFans_ @WeAreMU75