Marshall University Athletics
Herd Splashes Way Past Troy State, 24-7
10/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Herd Splashes Way Past Troy State, 24-7
10/19/2002
HUNTINGTON, WV -- Soggy weather and the loss of a senior receiver on the first play of the game put a damper on Marshall's 24-7 homecoming victory over Troy State at Marshall Stadium Saturday evening.
The Herd (5-1) held Troy State to just 164 yards of total offense in the game while quarterback Byron Leftwich put together a workmanlike performance, passing for a season-low 275 yards on 23 of 35 passes.
"I'm tickled to death," Marshall coach Bob Pruett said of the victory. "I was really surprised we handled them that easily. We handled them real easily on both sides of the ball."
The game started on a sour note for Marshall when senior receiver Curtis Jones (Okeechobee, Fla.) went down on the Marshall sideline with what appeared to be a serious leg injury. Jones is expected to have surgery Sunday morning and is lost for the remainder of the season.
The Herd overcame the loss of Jones to score on two of their first three possessions. Curtis Head connected on a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead and Leftwich connected with tight end Jason Rader for a 13-yard score and a 10-0 lead.
Marshall stretched the lead to 17-0 late in the second quarter when Leftwich hit Darius Watts for a 21-yard score. The TD pass moved the Herd quarterback past Andre Ware for 16th on the NCAA Division I-A TD passes list.
"We were doing what we had to do with the ball to win the game," Leftwich said. "Weather forces you to change everything. When I was back there, I didn't know if I wanted to try something or not due to the rain."
The rain severly hampered Troy State's offensive ability. The Trojans (2-6) had only 59 total yards in the first half and, on one second quarter possession, faced a fourth and 57 situation after a fumble squirted from near midfield all the way inside the 10.
"We had a chance, but being ineffective on offense was overbearing on our defense," TSU coach Larry Blakeney said. "Leftwich is a tremendous player and their offensive line is pretty good, but I was proud of our effort against both."
After a scoreless third quarter, Marshall pushed it's lead to 24-0 early in the fourth when Leftwich snuck into the end zone from 1-yard out.
Troy State spoiled the shutout late in the quarter when Heyward Skipper hauled in a 40-yard pass from Hansell Bearden for a touchdown.