Marshall beats Gardner-Webb 36-35

Team pages: Gardner-Webb · Marshall

Gardner-Webb1-435
Marshall3-136Final
Sat, Sep 26 · Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, W.Va. · Crowd 25,710ESPN+

Marshall beat Gardner-Webb 36-35.

We had Marshall favored. It won.

Next: Gardner-Webb beat Charleston Southern 12-10, Sat Oct 3

Next: Marshall lost to James Madison 45-17, Sat Oct 3

How it swung

The turning point: Pennington 44-yd TD pass to Adopte, Gardner-Webb leads 35-27 (Q4, 9:24). Marshall went from 75% to 35% to win.

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Marshall a 91% chance, and the closing betting line (Marshall was a 24.5-point favorite) put it at 98%.

Down to 20% in the fourth quarter, Marshall came back to win.

Up to 80% in the fourth quarter, then Gardner-Webb lost it.

75-yard TD passGardner-Webb · Q1 8:47Fumble return TDGardner-Webb · Q2 5:24
FinalMarshall 36-35 Gardner-WebbMarshall wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.
50%25%75%90%Q1Q2Q3Q496% at halfMarshallLowest 20%Won36-3512−40+34Scores75-yard TD passFumble return TD
50%25%75%90%Q1Q2Q3Q496% at halfMarshallLowest 20%Won36-3545Scores75-yard TD passFumble return TD
50%10%25%75%Q1Q2Q3Q44% at halfMarshallHigh 80%Lost35-3612+40−35Scores75-yard TD passFumble return TD
50%10%25%75%Q1Q2Q3Q44% at halfMarshallHigh 80%Lost35-3645Scores75-yard TD passFumble return TD

The five plays that swung it

  1. 1Q4 9:24Pennington 44-yd TD pass to Adopte, Gardner-Webb leads 35-27Marshall 75% → 35% (−40)
  2. 2Q4 6:06Del Rio-Wilson 34-yd TD pass to Turner-Bradshaw, cuts it to 35-33Marshall 30% → 64% (+34)
  3. 3Q4 1:57Bonde 27-yd field goal no goodMarshall 44% → 72% (+28)
  4. 4Q4 0:20Del Rio-Wilson sacked for a 3-yd lossMarshall 79% → 56% (−23)
  5. 5Q4 0:03Diaz Nicolas 32-yd field goal, Marshall goes ahead 36-35Marshall 78% → 100% (+22)

The five plays that swung it

  1. 1Q4 9:24Pennington 44-yd TD pass to Adopte, Gardner-Webb leads 35-27Gardner-Webb 25% → 65% (+40)
  2. 2Q4 6:06Del Rio-Wilson 34-yd TD pass to Turner-Bradshaw, cuts it to 35-33Gardner-Webb 71% → 36% (−35)
  3. 3Q4 1:57Bonde 27-yd field goal no goodGardner-Webb 56% → 28% (−28)
  4. 4Q4 0:20Del Rio-Wilson sacked for a 3-yd lossGardner-Webb 21% → 44% (+23)
  5. 5Q4 0:03Diaz Nicolas 32-yd field goal, Marshall goes ahead 36-35Gardner-Webb 22% → 0% (−22)
Marshall’s chance to win after every play.
How to read this chartStarts from the pregame line (Marshall -24.5), at 96% for Marshall (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays.

Every drive

Marshall scored on 7 of its 14 drives; Gardner-Webb on 4 of its 10.

Marshall’s drives are teal, Gardner-Webb’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

own goalgoal lineQ1Gardner-Webb: Touchdown, from 75 yards out to 0TouchdownMarshall: Touchdown, from 72 yards out to 0TouchdownGardner-Webb: Touchdown, from 75 yards out to 0TouchdownMarshall: Field goal, from 72 yards out to 36Field goalGardner-Webb: Turned over on downs, from 75 yards out to 37DownsMarshall: Interception, from 63 yards out to 19InterceptionGardner-Webb: Punt, from 60 yards out to 52PuntQ2Marshall: Touchdown, from 91 yards out to 0TouchdownGardner-Webb: Missed field goal, from 57 yards out to 36Missed FGMarshall: Fumble Return returned for a touchdown, from 64 yards out to 64Fumble Return TDMarshall: Touchdown, from 75 yards out to 0TouchdownGardner-Webb: Fumble, from 77 yards out to 82FumbleMarshall: Field goal, from 18 yards out to 3Field goalMarshall: Kickoff, from 65 yards out to 47KickoffQ3Marshall: Punt, from 82 yards out to 83PuntGardner-Webb: Punt, from 66 yards out to 71PuntMarshall: Punt, from 83 yards out to 45PuntGardner-Webb: Touchdown, from 91 yards out to 0TouchdownMarshall: Missed field goal, from 75 yards out to 16Missed FGQ4Gardner-Webb: Touchdown, from 80 yards out to 0TouchdownMarshall: Touchdown, from 74 yards out to 0TouchdownGardner-Webb: Missed field goal, from 75 yards out to 10Missed FGMarshall: Field goal, from 80 yards out to 14Field goalMarshall: Uncategorized, from 65 yards out to 46Uncategorized

From Gardner-Webb’s side

Gardner-Webb’s best moment: Pennington 44-yd TD pass to Adopte, Gardner-Webb leads 35-27 (Q4 9:24). It lifted Gardner-Webb’s win chance by 40 points.

5 lead changes.

Box score

Marshall 36, Gardner-Webb 35

Gardner-Webb covered +24.5 by 23.5. The total, 71, went over 56.5.

Gardner-WebbMarshallTotal yardsGardner-Webb 458Marshall 569458569Passing yardsGardner-Webb 298Marshall 413298413Rushing yardsGardner-Webb 160Marshall 156160156First downsGardner-Webb 19Marshall 271927TurnoversGardner-Webb 1Marshall 212Time of possessionGardner-Webb 26:47Marshall 33:1326:4733:13
Team totalsGardner-WebbMarshall
Total yards458569
Passing22 of 33, 298 yds27 of 40, 413 yds
Rushing27 for 160 yds35 for 156 yds
First downs1927
Third down9 of 153 of 12
Fourth down1 of 21 of 1
Turnovers12
Penalties12 for 101 yds11 for 105 yds
Time of possession26:4733:13

Gardner-Webb leaders

  • Passing Cole Pennington 22 of 33, 298 yds, 4 TD
  • Rushing Christian Vann 14 for 99 yds; Randy Young 11 for 76 yds
  • Receiving Giovanni Adopte 7 for 179 yds, 2 TD; Kory Jones 4 for 60 yds, 2 TD

Marshall leaders

  • Passing Carlos Del Rio-Wilson 26 of 38, 386 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
  • Rushing Carlos Del Rio-Wilson 14 for 48 yds; TJ Lester 7 for 43 yds
  • Receiving Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw 7 for 131 yds, 2 TD; De'Andre Tamarez 3 for 96 yds

No rain through the game

74° at kickoff · no rain recorded

September game-day temperatures at Joan C. Edwards Stadium

Win chance with rain, wind and thunder from the nearest airport, by game timeQ1Q2Q3Q4Marshall favoredGardner-Webb favored100%Win chanceMarshallRaininches per 10 min0.1 inNo rain recordedWindmph, average and gusts20 mph40 mphHourly wind only at this airport
Win chance with rain, wind and thunder from the nearest airport, by game timeQ1Q2Q3Q4Marshall favoredGardner-Webb favoredRain · inches per 10 min0.1 inNo rain recordedWind · miles per hour2040Hourly wind only at this airport

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

Fourth quarter, 9:24 left6:32 p.m.
Gardner-Webb 35, Marshall 27 · Marshall 35% to win
no rain · 70°
Pennington 44-yd TD pass to Adopte, Gardner-Webb leads 35-27

Jump to

Where this weather comes fromMeasured at Huntington/tri Stat airport, 8.3 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last 4 games

Gardner-Webb · 1-3

Rated 220th in our preseason ratings, 164th now, up 56 spots.

1-3 in its last 4 — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

W 44-20 vs North Carolina Central #197 of 668

won by 24 as a 7-point favorite

Gardner-Webb won 44-20 vs North Carolina Central. Chance to win started at 75%, low 67%, high better than 99%.

L 23-24 @ Liberty #96 of 668

lost by 1 as a 28.5-point underdog

Gardner-Webb lost 23-24 at Liberty. Chance to win started at 4%, low 1%, high 64%.

L 13-17 @ Wofford #194 of 668

lost by 4 as an 8.5-point underdog

Gardner-Webb lost 13-17 at Wofford. Chance to win started at 12%, low 4%, high 27%.

L 17-35 @ Austin Peay #105 of 668

lost by 18 as a 14.5-point underdog

Gardner-Webb lost 17-35 at Austin Peay. Chance to win started at 13%, low under 1%, high 19%.

Last three games

Marshall · 2-1

Rated 23rd in our preseason ratings, 39th now.

2-1 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

W 30-24 @ Missouri State #97 of 668

won by 6 as a 4-point favorite

Marshall won 30-24 at Missouri State. Chance to win started at 48%, low 47%, high 93%.

W 28-26 vs Middle Tennessee #128 of 668

won by 2 as an 11.5-point favorite

Marshall won 28-26 vs Middle Tennessee. Chance to win started at 84%, low 34%, high better than 99%.

L 0-45 @ Penn StateTop 25 #38 of 668

lost by 45 as a 23.5-point underdog

Marshall lost 0-45 at Penn State. Chance to win started at 4%, low under 1%, high 4%.

Week by week

Marshall

Wk 1: L 0-45 at Penn State▼45Penn StateWk 2: W 28-26 vs Middle Tennessee▲2Middle TennesseeWk 3: W 30-24 at Missouri State▲6Missouri State
  • Wk 1Lat Penn State0-45
  • Wk 2Wvs Middle Tennessee28-26
  • Wk 3Wat Missouri State30-24

Gardner-Webb

Wk 1: L 17-35 at Austin Peay▼18Austin PeayWk 1: L 13-17 at Wofford▼4WoffordWk 2: L 23-24 at Liberty▼1LibertyWk 3: W 44-20 vs North Carolina Central▲24N. Carolina…
  • Wk 1Lat Austin Peay17-35
  • Wk 1Lat Wofford13-17
  • Wk 2Lat Liberty23-24
  • Wk 3Wvs North Carolina Central44-20

Power rating by week

Marshall is rated 10.7 points ahead as of week 3. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

11-1-13Wk 0Wk 2Wk 3MarshallGardner-Webb

The series

Marshall leads the series 2-0

2 meetings since 2013 · Marshall has won the last 2

  • 2022Marshall 28-7Marshall won 28-7 vs Gardner-Webb. Chance to win started at 97%, low 95%, high better than 99%.
  • 2013Marshall 55-0

Each line is Marshall’s chance to win through that meeting. Older meetings have no play by play, so no line.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Our model and the betting line don’t fully agree on Marshall’s chances here.

50-50Model 91% · Lin…Gardner-WebbMarshall

Marshall favored by 24.5 · Total 56.5

How games like this usually go

Marshall by 24.5, and it went to form

50%90%Q1Q2Q3Q450%90%Q1Q2Q3Q4

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.

The market

The spread moved 1 point toward Marshall.

opened −23.5now −24.5

The total rose 6 points.

opened 50.5now 56.5

Spread: −23.5 → −24.5 · Total: 50.5 → 56.5

The books’ cut: 3.8%, the margin built into the odds

Weather at kickoff

Mild and dry. Feels like 72° at kickoff.

Gardner-Webb at Marshall · Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 · Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington

  • 72°feels like at kickoff
  • Dryno rain at kickoff
  • 97weather score, Comfortable
  • Tiedfor the roughest of the day's 8 kickoff times

At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.

Kickoff times that Saturday

Games in this time zone used 8 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was tied for the roughest of the day's eight kickoff times. At Joan C. Edwards Stadium that day, a noon, 5 pm, 6 pm or 7 pm kickoff would have scored 100, against 97 at 3:30 pm.

The roughest kickoff time is the lowest of the day's times. It can still be Mixed or Comfortable.

  • noon: 100, Ideal
  • 12:45 pm: 98, Comfortable
  • 2 pm: 97, Comfortable
  • 3:30 pm: 97, Comfortable (this game)
  • 4 pm: 98, Comfortable
  • 5 pm: 100, Ideal
  • 6 pm: 100, Ideal
  • 7 pm: 100, Ideal

Weather score at each kickoff time.

Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.

At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.

Home field

Marshall is worth +1.8 points (±3.6) more at home than on the road since 2018 — bottom third of FBS, 16th percentile.

66% at home, 52% on the road against FBS opponents (29-15 home, 25-23 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -4.2 at home vs. away over 102 games — inside the ±6.0 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

The visitors travel about 223 miles to get here.

Where next