An old Conference USA rivalry with plenty of lore and signature moments returns to the light.
The “Moonshine Throwdown” was a victim of conference realignment, but the rivalry will now be renewed in a non-conference setting. On Monday, Mar. 30, Marshall and Western Kentucky announced a home-and-home series for 2031 and 2032. The first meeting of the series is slated for Sept. 13, 2031 in Bowling Green, KY. The return trip is scheduled for Sept. 18, 2032 in Huntington, WV.
Marshall and WKU have 13 games
of history, ranging from first blood in 1941 to the most recent matchup in 2021. The Thundering Herd and Hilltoppers shared membership in Conference USA from WKU’s debut year in 2014 through Marshall’s swan song season in 2021.
The rivalry essentially ignited in the 2014 season with an unforgettable Black Friday classic — perhaps the most memorable regular season Conference USA matchup in the league’s history.
Marshall entered this Nov. 28 contest clinging onto a spotless 11-0 record, with a ticket to the New Year’s Six in balance as one of two unbeaten FBS teams. Led by star quarterback Rakeem Cato, the Thundering Herd had faced little adversity all year, winning 10 of its first 11 contests by 15 points or greater. But WKU, with gunslinger Brandon Doughty and an army of receiving talent in the lineup, stormed out to a 14-0 lead in Huntington to put the Thundering Herd on notice. That sparked a high-flying afternoon of points, yards, yards, and more points. The high-octane offensive battle was 49-42 at halftime with the underdog Hilltoppers never trailing throughout the entirety of regulation.
Marshall finally drew its first lead at 66-59 in overtime, but WKU’s offense seamlessly matched with a quick touchdown. Then, head coach Jeff Brohm went for the jugular on the game-deciding 2-point conversion and the gamble paid off. The Hilltoppers unseated the Thundering Herd’s perfect season in 67-66 fashion in a game that set the record for most combined passing touchdowns in an FBS game at 15 (a record was later broken by SMU and Houston in 2022).
That iconic afternoon set the stage for the “Moonshine Throwdown” rivalry, where WKU claimed the 2015 and 2016 meetings in dominant fashion, but Marshall roared back with four-straight wins from 2017 through 2020. And right before Marshall fled for the Sun Belt, the Hilltoppers prevailed in the final meeting in 2021 to clinch a spot in the CUSA Championship Game.
Both teams won four games apiece during the eight-consecutive contests from 2014-21, but Marshall claims the bragging rights 8-5 in the all-time series. That series will be updated in five years as the Moonshine Throwdown officially returns in Bowling Green, KY in 2031.
