Marshall blows second straight late lead

Marshall Thundering Herd 2009 ... Head Coach: Mark Snyder

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2009 Record: 5-5

9/5 Southern Illinois W 31-28
9/12 at Virginia Tech L 52-10
9/19 BGSU W 17-10
9/26 at Memphis W 27-16
10/3 East Carolina L 21-17
10/10 at Tulane W 31-10
10/17 at West Va L 24-7
10/24 UAB W 27-7
11/1 at UCF L 21-20
11/7 OPEN DATE
11/14 So Miss L 27-20
11/21 SMU
11/28 at UTEP

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2008 Record: 4-8

8/30 Illinois State W 35-10
9/6 at Wisconsin L 51-14
9/13 Memphis W 17-16
9/20 at So Miss W 34-27
9/27 at West Virginia L 27-3
10/3 Cincinnati L 33-10
10/11 OPEN DATE
10/18 at UAB L 23-21
10/28 Houston W 37-23
11/1 OPEN DATE
11/8 at E Carolina L 19-16 OT
11/15 UCF L 30-14
11/22 at Rice L 35-10
11/29 Tulsa L 38-35

Marshall Thundering Herd

Nov. 14
Southern Miss 27 … at Marshall 20
Martevious Young threw two second half touchdown passes connecting with Damion Fletcher from 39 yards out and DeAndre Brown for a 36-yard score as Southern Miss overcame a sluggish start. The Golden Eagles scored first on a one-yard Tory Harrison run, but the offense fell flat for long stretches, getting helped by a 93-yard Tracey Lampley kickoff return for a score following an Aaron Dobson 29-yard touchdown catch to give Marshall a 10-7 lead. Marshall outgained USM 363 yards to 294, but it turned the ball over three times and didn’t come up with any takeaways.
Player of the Game: Southern Miss QB Martevious Young completed 14-of-25 passes for 191 yards and two scores, and he ran seven times for 16 yards.
Southern Miss: Passing: Martevious Young, 14-25, 191 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 13-55, Receiving: DeAndre Brown, 4-58, 1 TD
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 29-52, 337 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 11-22, Receiving: Antavious Wilson, 13-153 
What It All Means: After losing three of its last four games, Marshall keeps on struggling in tight games and it’s struggling to generate enough offense. The Herd outplayed Southern Miss, but three turnovers and only 26 rushing yards allowed the Golden Eagles to stay alive. A bowl bid is still possible with SMU and at UTEP to finish up, but after losing two straight close conference games, the Herd had its chance to be in the mix for the title, and blew it.

Oct. 31
at UCF 21 … Marshall 20
UCF overcame a 20-7 deficit with a 14 point fourth quarter with Brynn Harvey running for a two-yard score and Rocky Ross catching a one-yard touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining for the win. Marshall scored 17 points in the second quarter helped by a four-yard Cody Slate touchdown catch and a Darius Marshall three-yard run, but the offense fizzled in the second half coming up with just a 21-yard Craig Ratanamorn field goal.
Player of the Game: UCF QB Brett Hodges completed 23-of-45 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
UCF: Passing: Brett Hodges, 23-45, 342 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Brynn Harvey, 21-47, 1 TD, Receiving: Rocky Ross, 6-76, 1 TD
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 13-28, 237 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Darius Marshall 28-80, 1 TD, Receiving: Cody Slate, 5-80
What It All Means: Marshall’s offense couldn’t get Darius Marshall going on the ground, and a week after a big game against UAB, QB Brian Anderson sputtered a bit. But the chances were there to come up with the win, being up 20-7 in the fourth quarter, but the defense couldn’t stop the UCF passing game. Now at 5-4, it’ll take a big run of wins to be assured of a bowl game making the home date against Southern Miss the team’s game of the year. 

Oct. 24
at Marshall 27 …. UAB 7
Marshall got up 17-0 in the first half helped by two Brian Anderson touchdown passes hitting Cody Slate for a 30-yarder and Chuck Walker from 15 yards out, and the defense did the rest. UAB came up with a 12-yard Mark Ferrell touchdown catch at the end of the first half, but 15 penalties and an inability to stay on the field, missing third down chance after third down chance, and Marshall took advantage. Darius Marshall ran for a one-yard score for the Herd in the third quarter.
Player of the Game: Marshall RB Darius Marshall ran 32 times for 133 yards and a score.
UAB: Passing: Joseph Webb, 16-27, 200 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Joseph Webb, 18-129, Receiving: Mark Ferrell, 5-60, 1 TD
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 25-38, 315 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 32-133, 1 TD, Receiving: Chuck Walker, 5-108, 1 TD
What It All Means: With a terrific offensive performance, Marshall has thrust itself into the Conference USA race, but a bowl game isn’t assured quite yet. The last four games are all challenging, with the home game against a not-that-bad SMU team the easiest of the bunch. It Brian Anderson and the passing game can continue to roll like it did against UAB, then the offense should have few problems down the stretch. 

Oct. 17
at West Virginia 24 … Marshall 7
Marshall scored first on a 12-yard Brian Anderson run, but that was it for the Herd’s fun. West Virginia scored 24 unanswered points helped by Noel Devine touchdown runs from 14 and nine yards, and Alric Arnett caught a 33-yard touchdown pass. The defense held the Herd to 207 yards, keeping rusher Darius Marshall to 82 yards, and forced four turnovers. West Virginia starting quarterback Jarrett Brown was knocked out of the game on a helmet-to-helmet hit. Backup Geno Smith threw for 147 yards and a score.
Player of the Game: West Virginia RB Noel Devine ran 19 times for 103 yards and two scores, and he caught a pass for 20 yards
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 17-35, 149 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 25-82, Receiving: Cody Slate, 10-102
West Virginia: Passing: Geno Smith, 15-21, 147 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Noel Devine, 19-103, 2 TD, Receiving: Jock Sanders, 4-39
What It All Means: The offense has revolved around Darius Marshall and the running game, West Virginia was able to put the clamps down, and Brian Anderson wasn’t able to make the passing attack go. However, that might have to change next week against UAB’s miserable secondary. The Herd wasn’t bad against the Mountaineer offense, but after the first quarter, the inability for the offense to keep the chains moving and the inability of the attack to crank out yards all but ended the game after halftime. Even so, MU was up going into the locker room and couldn’t capitalize. Still in the Conference USA title hunt, there’s only hope if the offense starts to do more than run Marshall.  

Oct. 10
Marshall 31 … at Tulane 10
Tulane started off the scoring with a 32-yard Jordan Sullen touchdown run in the first five minutes, and then it was all Marshall the rest of the way with Darius Marshall scoring from 11 and five yards out and with Ashton Hall taking a forced fumble caused by Albert McClellan for a 29-yard touchdown. Tulane turned the ball over four times to ruin several decent drives. The Green Wave gave up 31 points before getting back on the board with a 33-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Player of the Game: Marshall RB Darius Marshall ran 20 times for 98 yards and two scores.
Tulane: Passing: Joe Kemp, 14-23, 116 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Andre Anderson, 18-92, Receiving: Jeremy Williams, 8-53
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 18-22, 207 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 20-98, 2 TD, Receiving: Antavious Wilson, 6-65
What It All Means: Marshall might not have been perfect, but QB Brian Anderson was fantastic, completing 18-of-22 passes, and Darius Marshall had a decent game even though he was held under wraps for stretches. The defense hasn’t been sharp, but it made up for the problems by forcing Green Wave mistakes. Next up is West Virginia, and it’s going to take a special day from the linebackers to do something against the run. It has been struggling so far, and now it has to deal with Noel Devine.

Oct. 3
East Carolina 21 … at Marshall 17
Patrick Pinkney ran for a 30-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter and Dominique Lindsay and Brandon Jackson each ran for short scores as ECU won a tough battle. Marshall got Darius Marshall touchdown runs from one and 20 yards away, but the offense couldn’t produce in the fourth quarter with the ECU defense holding firm. The two teams combined for 18 penalties.
Player of the Game: East Carolina LB Nick Johnson 16 tackles and a tackle for loss
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 16-31, 127 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Darius Marshall 28-141, 2 TD, Receiving: Cody Slate, 9-88
East Carolina: Passing: Patrick Pinkney, 14-23, 131 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Dominique Lindsay, 18-76, 1 TD, Receiving: Dwayne Harris, 6-57
What It All Means: Darius Marshall has been phenomenal, and it’s a shame that the rest of the team isn’t producing around him. With so much coming from the running game, Brian Anderson and the passing game should be better and can’t be a detriment. Anderson averaged just 4.1 yards per throw and threw two picks. Up next is a trip to Tulane to start a run of three road trips in the next four. The offense has to find more pop or bowl hopes will likely go poof in a hurry. 

Sept. 26
Marshall 27 … at Memphis 16
Darius Marshall ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns scoring from two, 69, and five yards out, but Memphis stayed in the game helped by three Matt Reagan field goals and a 80-yard Duke Calhoun touchdown pass, but the Herd was able to control the clock and the game, putting it away for good in the final minutes with a 18-yard Craig Ratanamorn field goal. The two teams combined for 18 penalties.
Player of the Game: Marshall RB Darius Marshall ran 25 times for 203 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed a pass for 23 yards.
Memphis: Passing: Tyler Bass, 17-34, 232 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tyler Bass, 14-64, Receiving: Duke Calhoun, 5-141, 1 TD
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 10-18, 97 yds
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 25-203, 3 TD, Receiving: Cody Slate, 3-45
What It All Means: Darius Marshall is carrying the offense. He was everything against the porous Memphis defense, while the offensive line helped the cause with one of its best games of the year. However, it was a struggle to put the game away as the Tigers kept hanging around, but the Herd did what it had to late and forced field goals instead of touchdowns at the end of three good chances. Considering the offense isn’t anything special, and with the way the D is struggling , field position is a plus, and at the moment, the Herd punting is a major weakness. 

Sept. 19
at Marshall 17 … Bowling Green 10
Darius Marshall ran for an 80-yard score and Albert McClellan made 15 tackles as Marshall survived a record-setting day from the Bowling Green passing game. Freddie Barnes caught 17 passes for 109 yards, and Tyler Sheehan threw the ball 62 times with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Chris Wright in the first quarter, but the Falcons didn’t get on the board again until late in the game on a 30-yad field goal. They wouldn’t get a shot to come up with a game-tying score, not getting close again.
Player of the Game: Marshall DE Albert McClellan made 15 tackles with a sack and two tackles for loss.
Bowling Green: Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 43-62, 383 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Willie Geter, 9-30, Receiving: Freddie Barnes, 17-109
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 11-21, 100 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 21-186, 1 TD, Receiving: Antavious Wilson, 4-30, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Albert McClellan was good since his return from injury last year, but he wasn’t a killer. This game showed he’s back to form with an impressive effort making plays all over the field. The offense was fine, saved by a huge run from Darius Marshall and helped out by the defense, but no matter how it happened, this was a nice win for a program that needs them. Now starts the Conference USA slate at Memphis, and if the defense can bend but not break like it did against BGSU, the Herd will be 3-1 before hosting East Carolina.

Sept. 12
at Virginia Tech 52 ... Marshall 10
Virginia Tech destroyed Marshall with 444 rushing yards with Ryan Williams tearing off touchdown runs from 57, four, and 28, while Jayron Hosley added to the excitement with a 64-yard punt return. Marshall tried to stay alive with a 61-yard run from Darius Marshall in the second quarter, but it wasn't nearly enough to slow down the momentum. Virginia Tech finished with 605 yards of total offense to Marshall's 252.
Player of the Game: Virginia Tech RB Ryan Williams ran 16 times for 164 yards and three score
Virginia Tech: Passing: Tyrod Taylor, 9-16, 161 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: David Wilson, 12-165, 1 TD, Receiving: Jarrett Boykin, 2-32
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 15-31, 116 yds
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 17-109, 1 TD, Receiving: Cody Slate, 3-18
What It All Means: After a shaky week one against Southern Illinois, the Herd needed to be decent against Virginia Tech. There goes that. Outside of Darius Marshall and one nice run, the Herd offense was bottled up, while the defense was embarrassed by the Hokie ground game. Bowling Green isn't going to be much of a picnic next week with its dangerous offense, and to get the season started, MU has to be able to keep up in a shootout. QB Brian Anderson has to show the downfield passing ability he displayed in the win over SIU. The ground game simply isn't consistent enough.

Sept. 5
at Marshall 31 ... Southern Illinois 28
Marshall got three touchdown passes from Brian Anderson and two scoring catches from Cody Slate, who caught a ten-yard pass and a 15-yarder on the way to becoming the school's all-time leading receiver for a tight end. Southern Illinois stayed alive helped by two Chris Dieker touchdown runs, the last being a five-yarder with 1:40 to play, and things got interesting when MU couldn't run out the clock. SIU got the ball back, but failed on a last-gasp desperation pass.
Player of the Game: Marshall QB Brian Anderson completed 27-of-36 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
Marshall: Passing: Brian Anderson, 27-36, 316 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Martin Ward, 14-54, Receiving: Chuck Walker, 10-119
Southern Illinois: Passing: Chris Diecker, 22-37, 206 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Deji Karim, 16-67, Receiving: Bryce Morris, 6-69
What It All Means: Southern Illinois is a good FCS team, but it's not a good sign that Marshall struggled so much to get the ground game going with Virginia Tech coming up next. Brian Anderson and the passing game were solid with Chuck Walker and Cody Slate proving to be a solid 1-2 receiving tandem, but to make any noise going forward, Martin Ward and Terrell Maye-Edwards have to do more to balance out the attack.