Marshall University Athletics
Herd Disposes Of Huskies
10/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Herd Disposes Of Huskies
10/7/2001
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) -- Byron Leftwich threw three touchdown passes and Marshall's defense turned two turnovers into scores Saturday as the Thundering Herd routed Northern Illinois 37-15.
Leftwich hit Darius Watts with scoring passes of 5 and 3 yards and also connected with Denero Marriott on a 31-yarder.
Leftwich did have his struggles in the game. High winds and a blow to the head early in the second quarter turned a 7-for-7 passing start into nine straight incomplete passes by halftime.
Fortunately, the oft-maligned Herd defense stepped to the fore.
Orlando Washington returned a fumble 25 yards for a first-quarter touchdown for the Thundering (3-1, 2-0 Mid-American Conference). And Michael Owens picked off a Chris Finlen pass and took it 25 yards for a score in the third quarter to put Marshall up 31-7.
Marshall had not scored a defensive touchdown in almost two years before Saturday. Robers Beckett recorded the last defensive score for the Herd, returning an interception 19 yards for a touchdown against Buffalo on Oct. 23, 1999.
Franklin Wallace rushed 23 times for 109 yards to lead Marshall's ground attack. It was the first 100-yard game of the season for Wallace, who has been slowed all year by a hamstring injury.
Marshall overcame 17 penalties for 132 yards in the game. The school record for penalties in a game is 20, set in 1931. In contrast, NIU was flagged just four times for 30 yards in the game.
In addition to the two scores by the Marshall defense, the Herd recorded three interceptions in a game for the first time since recording three picks against the Huskies in 1999.
Northern Illinois (2-3, 0-2) managed just 127 yards rushing on 46 attempts, and Finlen completed only 9-of-20 passes with three interceptions.
Thre Huskies scored on a 1-yard run by Finlen and a 4-yarder by Thomas Hammock.
