The game is approaching and with it comes lots of 11th-hour hand-wringing about the freshman who starts at one safety, the freshman who backs up another safety and the two freshmen who are backups at cornerback at WVU.

You are not alone, though, because Marshall has its own green in the defensive backfield.

Thomas, a redshirt junior transfer from Penn State, and LeGrande and Okoroha, senior transfers from Boston College, may be newcomers to the Thundering Herd but they have the task of slowing down quarterback Geno Smith and the Mountaineers’ offense. Yet they’re not newcomers to each other, and that familiarity should help them in their mission at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday (noon, FX).

According to the depth chart Marshall Head Coach Doc Holliday released Tuesday, LeGrande and Okoroha will walk into Morgantown as the Herd’s starting strong safety and free safety, respectively. Thomas will back up redshirt junior Monterius Lovett at corner, but if his participation in Marshall’s open practices are any indication, he’ll see a lot of time on the field and plenty of time there with LeGrande and Okoroha.

There is a difference between freshmen who’ve never played above high school and transfers who haven’t played at their present college, but there are first-time jitters and there is the concern with familiarity. They all have that in common because you just don’t know what you’ll get yet.

Can’t speak for the fellas at Marshall, but you need not worry too much about the freshman starting at safety for WVU. Karl Joseph, who’s been here since January and has been a likely starter since about the middle of the spring, is a pretty cool customer. He’ll at least have that going for him as he’s roaming the secondary Saturday.