Tom Bragg
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mostly jokes. (often but not always) weekly Marshall sports columns. Radio pxp for @HHHS_Sports. Used to be a newspaper guy. Support your local soccer club.
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Articles by Tom Bragg
Tom Bragg: Marshall baseball has time to turn things around; softball having one of its finest seasons
Expectations for the Marshall baseball team this season were understandably high. The Thundering Herd, coming off its best showing since joining the Sun Belt Conference (and for many years before that as well), has so far failed to meet those lofty goals. kAm%@ 36 72:C[ 367@C6 H6 86E 566A6C :?E@ E9:D[ |2CD92== :D ;FDE EH@ 82>6D 324< @7 4FCC6?E D64@?5\A=246 $@FE96C? |:DD] %92EVD E96 8@@5 ?6HD] %96 325n |&[ 2E h\h :? E96 $qr[ :D A24<65 :? H:E9 7@FC @E96C E62>D 2E ]d__ :?
Tom Bragg: Portal, NIL an animal that needs to be put down
Three players. That is what Marshall men's basketball coach Corny Jackson has to work with right now (as of Friday morning; it could be fewer by the time you read this). kAm%92?<D E@ E96 EC2?D76C A@CE2= 2?5 8C25F2E:@? E@ 2 >F49 =6DD6C 6IE6?E[ E96 %9F?56C:?8 w6C5 4FCC6?E=J 92D qCJ46 $=2J[ tC:49 w2C5:?8 2?5 (:== |@@C6 — 7F== DE@A] %92EVD E96 =:DE] vC25F2E:@?
Tom Bragg: Spring football has gone through a conceptual change
Spring football, as a concept, is in a weird place. It used to be the spring session of practices were a time when you got your first look at any of the early enrollees and maybe a few incoming transfers. Players who toiled down the depth chart got their shot to move up as others moved out of the program, while your starters and impact players got important offseason reps.
Tom Bragg: Things going well on the diamonds at Marshall
Sadly, both the Marshall men's and women's basketball teams bowed out of their respective conference tournaments without titles and are not participating in the NCAA tournament this year, but every dark cloud has a silver lining — and our silver lining is being able to now fully turn our attention back outside. Baseball and softball seasons are in full swing in Huntington, and both squads are playing some good ball right now. kAm%96 %9F?56C:?8 w6C5 D@7E32== E62> H2D A:4<65 E@ 7:?:D9 7:7E9 :?
Tom Bragg: Liking Marshall's odds in the SBC tournament
Marshall didn't get the win it needed last week to snag a share of the Sun Belt Conference regular season title, but other than that loss all the dominoes fell in just the right way for the Thundering Herd to secure the league's No. 2 seed and skip all the way to the semifinal round of the conference tournament. If you told most Marshall fans before the season that MU would be the No. 2 seed in the SBC tournament, they'd have taken it no questions asked.
Tom Bragg: Thoughts on Marshall swim and dive, Region 3 boys voting controversy
We won't know the result of Friday's wild final day of the Sun Belt Conference men's basketball regular season — with seven teams, including Marshall, either tied or one game back of a tie for first place — until late Friday, so more on that next time, but while we have a moment in this space we need to talk about the situation with the MU swim and dive team. The team's season concluded this week, and with the end of the season came the sad end of the program.
Tom Bragg: Thundering Herd is playing with house money
It sure looked like another slow start was going to doom the Marshall men's basketball team on Thursday. The Thundering Herd found itself down by as many as 16 points in the first half at Appalachian State, trailing by 11 at the break. kAm(6VG6 E2=<65 23@FE E9:D :? E9:D DA246 :? C646?E H66<D] s@H?[ 3FE ?@E @FE]k^Am kAm|2CD92== C@2C65 324< :? E96 D64@?5 92=7[ AC@A6==65 7@CH2C5 3J 2?@E96C 8C62E y2=6? $A66C A6C7@C>2?46 2?5 2 42C66C\?:89E 7C@> 7C6D9>2? {2?5@?
Tom Bragg: Thundering Herd men respond to adversity again
The Sun Belt schools flexed their muscles last week against a mostly inferior batch of opposition to win 10 games in the MAC-SBC Challenge. Unfortunately for Marshall, it was not one of those 10 teams. The Thundering Herd started slow and could never catch up as unbeaten and nationally ranked Miami (Ohio) came into Huntington last Saturday and thoroughly beat MU on its home court. kAm&?7@CEF?2E6n p3D@=FE6=J] !FEE:?8 2? 6?5 E@ 2 {:EE=6 |:2>: F?362E6? DEC62< H@F=5 92G6 366? E96 >2CBF66 H:?
Tom Bragg: Thundering Herd has chance to ruin rival RedHawks' unbeaten run
There are two Division I men's college basketball teams that have not yet lost a game this season. One is the Arizona Wildcats — the No. 1 team in the national polls and one of the favorites to cut down the nets at the end of the campaign as national champions. The other is Miami (Ohio). kAm%92E |:2>:n u@C C62=nk^Am kAmxEVD C62=] %96 #6592H<D 2C6 E96 }@] ab E62> :? E96 4@F?ECJ C:89E ?@H[ 244@C5:?8 E@ E96 pDD@4:2E65 !C6DD A@==[ 2?5 :E ;FDE D@ 92AA6?D E96JV== G:D:E E96 r2> w6?56CD@? r6?E6C :? wF?E:?8E@?
Tom Bragg: CFP continues to distance itself from Group of 6
They really don't like the little guys having any fun. We saw both James Madison and Tulane crash the College Football Playoff party this season, and it took the CFP committee just a few weeks following the conclusion of the tournament to make sure that sort of thing likely never happens again. kAm&?56C E96 ?6H CF=6D[ !@H6C c 4@?76C6?46 492>A:@?D Wq:8 %6?[ q:8 `a[ $tr 2?5 prrX 2C6 8:G6? 2FE@\3:5D E@ E96 `a\E62> 3C24<6E] }@EC6 s2>6 :D 2=D@ ?@H 8F2C2?E665 2 DA@E :?
Tom Bragg: Corny puts players in position to make history; Saturday's game postponed
Marshall hosted Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday in a game that saw its start time moved up to noon in an effort to help the road team's travel logistics with the impending winter weather predicted to hit a large portion of the country this weekend. Turns out, it was a game that will go down in history for more than just the odd tip-off time. kAm%96 %9F?56C:?8 w6C5 4@??64E65 @? 2 AC@8C2>\ 2?5 $F? q6=E r@?76C6?46\C64@C5 ae b\A@:?E6CD :? 2 ``d\e_ @3=:E6C2E:@?
Tom Bragg: Marshall men need to break trend; JMU sends Herd women a message
When the Marshall men's basketball team has looked good this season, the Thundering Herd appears to be a team that could contend for one of the top seeds in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. When MU hasn't looked so good this season the results have been poor. Rarely, however, Marshall has looked pretty good but let small mistakes pile up to get something like the result Wednesday in front of the home crowd in Huntington. kAmr@2DE2= r2C@=:?2 =65 3J 2D >2?J 2D `b 2?5 9F?8 @? 7@C 2?
Tom Bragg: Herd women join men in successful season
It hasn't always been pretty — in fact, oftentimes it has been close to ugly — but Marshall keeps finding ways to win games down the stretch. Take Wednesday's game at James Madison, for example. Marshall led by as many as 13 points but saw that large lead shrivel down to just two in the final minutes. Noah Otshudi's bucket with 6:56 to play gave MU a 63-55 lead and turned out to be the Herd's final field goal of the contest.
Tom Bragg: Fixing college football; Thundering Herd men need a win on Saturday
Need more evidence that college football is broken? Look no further than this year's round of bowl games. It has taken a few years for me to come around on this. The bowls have always (for the most part) been a cash grab for sponsors but at least it used to feel like the people involved — the players, the coaches, the fans — cared. That's gone. kAmx7 2 E62> :D?VE :?4=F565 :? E96 r@==686 u@@E32== !=2J@77 7:6=5[ 92=7 @7 E9@D6 A=2J6CD 2C6 8@:?8 E@ ;F>A :?E@ E96 EC2?D76C A@CE2=] r@2496D 2C6 2=C625J @?
Mycoplasma bovis in North American bison (Bison bison): history, advances, and challenges
1 Introduction North American plains bison (Bison bison) are keystone herbivores that shaped the ecology and evolution of North American prairies and peoples alike (Olson and Janelle, 2022; Feir et al., 2022), and bison in some form have occupied North America for at least 300 thousand years (Shapiro et al., 2004; Froese et al., 2017).
Tom Bragg: Lambert hire reason for cautious optimism
I have a really hard time working up much energy to get excited about Marshall football hiring assistant coaches who have already been assistant coaches at Marshall in the past — it happens a lot with varying degrees of success, but my point is it happens a lot. Brad Lambert coming back to Huntington to take over the Thundering Herd's defense has my attention.
Tom Bragg: Resiliency continues to define Corny's Herd
Cornelius Jackson has not been the head coach of the Marshall men's basketball team for very long, but in that short time in charge his Thundering Herd teams have been resilient. They haven't always been great, or even good, but when Jackson's teams take one on the chin and find themselves on the mat, they have been able to pick themselves up and land some shots of their own. kAm!C:@C E@ (65?6D52J[ |2CD92== H2D C:5:?8 2 E9C66\82>6 =@D:?8 DEC62< 2?5 925 ?@E =@@<65 8C62E :?
Climate and translocations drive spatiotemporal variation in growth and body size of North American bison (Bison bison)
1 Introduction The decline of megaherbivore abundance and body size diminishes their roles as ecosystem engineers on a mass-specific basis (Doughty et al., 2015; Peters, 1983a; Owen-Smith, 1988; Hardesty et al., 1988). The last remaining large native herbivores in North America since the end of the Pleistocene are bison (Bison bison).
Tom Bragg: Marshall needs bowl eligibility for successful season
After all of the offseason drama last winter, with the mass exodus of players into the transfer portal and the wave of new faces that arrived via the same transfer portal. New coaches, new staff ... new everything, really. Through all of that, I think collectively we, as Marshall football fans, have had a hard time establishing where the bar of expectations is for Tony Gibson’s first season as head coach of the Thundering Herd.
Marshall basketball is fun to watch
It hasn't always been pretty – and you could certainly classify Wednesday's first half against Arkansas-Pine Bluff as ugly at times – but this Marshall men's basketball team keeps finding ways to win games they probably would have lost in the not so distant past. The Thundering Herd trailed by as many as seven points against the winless Lions in the first half Wednesday, and found itself down by two at the break.
Tom Bragg: Another memorable chapter to Herd-WVU soccer rivalry
Mark down Wednesday, November 12, 2025, as an all-timer in the history of competition between Marshall University and West Virginia University. The Thundering Herd and Mountaineers met at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown to decide which team moved on to the Sun Belt Conference men’s soccer championship game, and the latest installment of the Mountain State Derby did not disappoint. kAm%@ AFE :E A=2:?=J[ |2CD92== 92D ?@E 72C65 H6== :? C646?E D@446C EC:AD E@ |@C82?E@H?] |@DE C646?E=J @?
Tom Bragg: Marshall takes itself out of East contention
Marshall got the football to open the second half Thursday at Coastal Carolina after grabbing a 20-17 lead going into the locker room, and the Thundering Herd promptly went right down the field to score a touchdown, increasing the lead to 27-17 with 12:46 to play in the third quarter. It was all downhill from there. kAmr@2DE2= H2DE65 =:EE=6 E:>6 D4@C:?8 E@ >2<6 :E af\ac[ 2?5 E96 D:EF2E:@? H6?E 7C@> 325 E@ H@CD6 H96? w6C5 BF2CE6C324< r2C=@D s6= #:@\(:=D@? E9C6H 2 D4C66?
Tom Bragg: Marshall goes into bye week watching things play out; things looking up for men's soccer
With the Sun Belt Conference contenders making the final turn for the home stretch of the 2025 college football season, Marshall has traveled a sometimes bumpy path around the track but finds itself neck and neck with the competition.
Tom Bragg: Herd turned in complete performance vs. ODU
Last week in this space, I wrote that Marshall would have to be at its best to take down Old Dominion. Mission accomplished. kAm%96 %9F?56C:?8 w6C5 AFE E@86E96C[ 3J 72C[ :ED >@DE 4@>A=6E6 A6C7@C>2?46 @7 E96 a_ad 4@==686 7@@E32== D62D@? :? 2 cg\ac 362E5@H? @7 E96 G:D:E:?8 |@?2C49D[ A@H6C65 3J 2?@E96C 4@?D:DE6?E A6C7@C>2?46 7C@> E96 @776?D6 2?5 2 DF556?=J C6DFC86?E — 2?5 @AA@CEF?:DE:4 — 5676?D6]k^Am kAm"F2CE6C324< r2C=@D s6= #:@\(:=D@?
Tom Bragg: Thundering Herd has tall task in Old Dominion
The last time we saw the Marshall football team, the Thundering Herd was sulking off the field after its defense let Louisiana storm back in the second half and steal an overtime win. MU has had its off week and now gets the chance to bounce back — trouble is, the Herd has a date with the (so far) best team in the Sun Belt Conference on Saturday. kAm|2CD92== Wa\b[ _\` $qrX H6=4@>6D ~=5 s@>:?:@? Wc\`[ `\_ $qrX E@ y@2? r] t5H2C5D $E25:F> H:E9 2 E2== E2D< @? :ED 92?5D — D=@H 5@H?
Tom Bragg: Defense leaves Marshall with question marks
We may need to have a talk about Marshall's defense. The Thundering Herd, mercifully, is off this week with time to lick its wounds after blowing a 17-point second-half lead and losing 54-51 in double overtime last week at Louisiana. kAm%96 #28:?V r2;F?D H6C6 @? E96:C E9:C5 BF2CE6C324< — E96 2AE=J ?2>65 {F?49 (:?7:6=5 — H9@ D?24<65 @? |&VD 5676?D6 E@ E96 EF?6 @7 7@FC 4@>3:?65 E@F495@H?D :?
Tom Bragg: Seeing positive signs heading to conference play
With four games in the books, we're finally starting to learn what this Marshall team is made of. Marshall has a first-year, first-time head coach in Tony Gibson, an almost entirely new coaching staff and a totally remade roster — so it has taken us a month of games to start to get a feel for this version of the Thundering Herd, with that picture really starting to come into focus last time out on the road at Middle Tennessee. kAm(6 4@G6C65 |&VD 6IE6?D:G6 9:DE@CJ @7 492@D :? |FC7C66D3@C@ :?
Tom Bragg: Trip to MTSU conjures unpleasant memories
Marshall football did what it was supposed to do and pounded FCS Eastern Kentucky last week to get its first win of the 2025 season, quieting some of the early criticism first-year head coach Tony Gibson and his staff received after an 0-2 start. Now the Thundering Herd has to prove it can look like a competent football team against FBS opposition with a trip to take on Middle Tennessee on Saturday. kAm&89] p?JH96C6 3FE E96C6 W@C q@H=:?8 vC66?X]k^Am kAm|FC7C66D3@C@ :D 7:?6[ :E 92D ;FDE 366?
Tom Bragg: Big glaring problem on the football field; men's soccer stuck in neutral
Two weeks into the 2025 college football season and it doesn't feel like Marshall's campaign is already off the tracks — the Herd hasn't made it on the tracks yet.
Tom Bragg: Looking back at first-year Herd coaches' home debuts
The trip to Georgia was ugly, so let's just forget it and move on. OK? Good. Tony Gibson makes his Huntington debut as the head coach of the Marshall football team on Saturday when the Thundering Herd hosts Missouri State. The occasion got me thinking about how MU has fared historically when new head coaches hit the home turf for the first time. kAmw6C5 9625 4@2496D 92G6 9:DE@C:42==J 72C65 H6== :? E96:C 7:CDE 9@>6 82>6D] {6EVD E2<6 2 EC:A 5@H? >6>@CJ =2?6 2?5 =@@< 2E 9@H E9:?8D H@C<65 @FE 7@C E96> :?
Tom Bragg: Uncertainty at quarterback is unsettling
It was refreshing when over the summer new Marshall football head coach Tony Gibson said at Sun Belt Conference Media Days that if the season were to start then, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson would be the Thundering Herd's starting quarterback. I wrote about it in this space. After all of the unnecessary cloak and dagger nonsense of the previous regime, Gibson coming out and saying anything remotely definitive about the starting quarterback position was a monumental step in the right direction. kAmqFE E96?
Tom Bragg: Predicting Del Rio-Wilson to start at QB for Herd
When Tony Gibson was asked about his quarterbacks earlier this summer during the Sun Belt Conference media days, the first-year Marshall football head coach said that if the season started right then, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson would be the guy for the Thundering Herd.
Tom Bragg: Hard to get a true gauge on the 2025 Thundering Herd
Most years I do a football season prediction column in this space, but if you've been following along since pretty much the moment Marshall's offseason began, this isn't most years for the Thundering Herd. Marshall turned over almost its entire coaching staff and had to replace a huge chunk of its roster after being gutted by outgoing transfers.
Tom Bragg: Future doesn't look bright for ULM; Herd soccer No. 2 in preseason
What in the world is happening at Louisiana-Monroe? In case you haven't been paying attention to the drama going down in the athletic department in Monroe, let's get caught up. kAm&{| 2E9=6E:4 5:C64E@C y@9? w2CEH6== C6D:8?65 @? |@?52J[ 2?5 E96 :>>65:2E6 CF>@C 7=@2E:?8 2C@F?5 H2D E92E w2CEH6== H2D 9625:?8 E@ %C@J] k2 9C67lQ9EEAi^^p{]4@>Qmp{]4@>k^2m E96? C6A@CE65 E92E H2D?VE E96 42D6[ E92E w2CEH6== H2D =62G:?8 |@?C@6 5F6 E@ 3F586E2CJ 4@?46C?D]k^Am kAm&{|VD 3F586E 7@C 2E9=6E:4D H2D 2=C625J E96 =@H6DE :?
Tom Bragg: Marshall strikes gold with Harrison hire
Cash is still, and will probably always be, king in the world of college athletics. That's why it makes sense that Marshall would go get a guy like Gerald Harrison to run its athletic department. kAmw2CC:D@?[ H9@ H2D :?EC@5F465 (65?6D52J @? 42>AFD :? wF?E:?8E@?[ H:== 8@ 3J E96 @77:4:2= E:E=6 @7 ':46 !C6D:56?E 2?5 s:C64E@C @7 pE9=6E:4D[ 3FE H:E9 2A@=@8:6D E@ $92H? z6>A 2?5 sFDE:? w@77>2?[ 96 D9@F=5 8@ 3J Q#2:?>2?Q — 3642FD6 2D 96 92D AC@G6? 2E pFDE:? !62J 2?5 sF<6 367@C6 E92E[ 96 42? >2<6 :E C2:? @? 2?
Tom Bragg: Herd seems to have a frontrunner at QB and AD; Braxton has loose lips
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Tom Bragg: Sun Belt does the state of Louisiana a favor; Herd alumni getting NBA minutes
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Tom Bragg: Sun Belt should take its time replacing Texas State; Herd releases soccer schedule
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Tom Bragg: TBT returns to Charleston; Herd football offers Morgantown QB
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Tom Bragg: WKU would be strong replacement for Texas State
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Tom Bragg: Another casualty of the modern era of college football
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Tom Bragg: It was an eventful year for Marshall sports
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Tom Bragg: Has Marshall baseball turned the corner?
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Tom Bragg: Marshall baseball has something to play for on final weekend
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Tom Bragg: Spears era was successful, but his exit seems a welcomed move
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Mingo’s case with Marshall is an example of a bigger problem
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Tom Bragg: Now is the right time to bring back the Capital Classic
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Tom Bragg: Unique spring about to come to close for Herd
The 2025 Marshall Spring Game is set for this Saturday, and it won't be just any other mid-April scrimmage to get the guys some reps and the fans an opportunity to dust off the tailgate equipment. It will be those things, but this one is much more than that for the Thundering Herd with the sideline debut of new head coach Tony Gibson and his new staff of assistants, and with them the on-field debuts of pretty much everyone else.
Tom Bragg: Return of Speer, Mingo a good building block for Marshall
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Tom Bragg: NIT, Sun Belt have left South Alabama hanging; Big weekend for Herd softball
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