Marshall University Athletics
Defense Shines in Green-White Game
4/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Defense Shines in Green-White Game
4/3/2004
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University will return a veteran defensive unit in 2004, and it showed Saturday in the annual Green-White game at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
The Green squad, composed of first-team players and a defensive unit that boasts 11 players with starting experience, defeated the White team, 25-14.
"The defense is a little ahead of the offense, right now, but that is to be expected," Marshall head coach Bob Pruett said. "We have 11 starters back on defense. Its good to be good on defense."
In addition the offensive unit missed several key standouts. Starting running back Earl Charles, starting quarterback Stan Hill, standout wide-receiver Josh Davis, back-up senior quarterback Graham Gochneaur, and starting offensive lineman Toby Bullock did not participate in the game.
A crowd of 4,715 watched, as the first-team defensive unit limited the White squad to -14 rushing yards, and to only 62 yards through the air. The green defense also never allowed the White unit to score (The White team was given 14 points at halftime).
The White team defensive unit also played well, limiting the Green offense to only 33 yards rushing and picked up an impressive 29-yard interception return from Chris Royal in the second half.
Linebacker Donte' Wilson set the tone early by intercepting redshirt-freshman quarterback Bernard Morris's first pass of the game and returning it 47 yards to the white 12-yard line with 12:10 go in the first quarter. The White defense was then able to make a stand, and escape unscathed, as junior Nick Kelly missed a 39-yard field goal attempt.
The Green scored the first points of the game when senior defensive end Jonathan Goddard sacked Morris in the endzone for a safety at the 1:27 mark of the first half.
With 12:35 to go in the second quarter, sophomore kicker Ian O'Connor increased that lead to 5-0 when he connected on a 27-yard field goal to cap off a solid drive. O'Connor finished the day 1-of-2 on field goal attempts (missed from 52 yards out) and punted the ball 10 times for an average of 39.5 yards per punt with a long of 52 yards.
The White squad caught a break at the 9:37 mark when lineman Roger Garrett recovered a fumble on the green 21-yard line and on the very next play Redshirt-freshman quarterback Tim Bessolo connected with Nate Manns on a 20-yard pass to the one yard line.
From there, the first-team defense showed what it could do with an impressive goal-line stand. Three consecutive runs were stopped short of the goal line and on fourth down senior linebacker Kevin Atkins fired through the line and stuffed the White team's Michael West for a loss. Making the score 5-0, Green Squad at the Half.
During Halftime the White squad was awarded 14 points, and the Marshall coaching staff announced the team's Most Improved Player awards. Center Zac Elcess, running back Donte Newsome, tight end Brian Shope, and quarterback Jimmy Skinner were named the team's most improved offensive players, while saftey Moriah Anderson, linebacker Matt Couch, and defensive back Renaldo Williams were selected as Marshall's most improved defensive players.
The first score of the second half came on a blocked punt. With 11:00 to go in the third quarter, an Ian O'Connor punt from deep in his own territory was blocked by sophomore strong safety Curtis Keyes. The ball bounced into the endzone where senior cornerback Roberto Terrell pounced on it for a touchdown. Cutting the score to 14-12.
In the fourth quarter, redshirt-freshman quarterback Bernard Morris moved over to the Green squad and began to click with the first-team unit. Morris found Shawn Lauzon on a 39-yard pass and later finished that drive by connecting with Wilbur Hargrove on a 14-yard touchdown play to put the Green Squad up 19-14. Morris later closed out the game with 14-yard touchdown strike to Hiram Moore with no time remaining to give the Green the 25-14 win.
Morris competed 11 of 21 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the game. However, when running the first unit the Orlando, Fla., native was seven of 11 for 99 yards and both scores.
Sophomore quarterback Jimmy Skinner completed nine of 19 passes for 80 yards and Bessolo ended the day with 29 yards passing (2 of 7).
Sophomore runningback Tank Tunstalle led the Green team with 17 yards rushing, while freshman Marcus Fitzgerald gained 11 rsuhing yards for the white squad.
Redshirt-freshman Shawn Lauzon caught three passes for a game-high 54 yards, and Tremel Guillory caught four passes for 51-yards, while Hiram Moore and Wilbur Hargrove both caught touchdown passes to lead the receivers.
Kevin Atkins, who led MU with 100 tackles as a junior in 2003, led all tacklers with six. Jamaal Whyce, All-MAC defensive end Jamus Martin, Jonathan Goddard, Marcus Hairston, Adam Lee, Carlos Morgan, Matt Couch, and Geremy Rodamer all recorded sacks in the game.
The Green-White game concludes Marshall's spring drills. The Thundering Herd opens the 2004 season at home versus Troy State University on September 4th.
