Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
3-3 , 1-1
Old Dominion
1-5 , 0-2
MCGILL: Offensive, defensive lines star in football's win against ODU
10/12/2019 7:54:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Hodge tied a school record for sacks in a single game, leading charge for defense
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall coaching staff placed an emphasis on the team's offensive performance in the red zone and protecting the football. The Thundering Herd was a perfect 3-for-3 in its trips inside the 20, and there was nary a turnover at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
But in Marshall's 31-17 win against Old Dominion, the boys in the trenches deserve their share of the praise, too. On both sides of the ball, the Herd (3-3 overall, 1-1 C-USA) knocked the Monarchs around in trend-defying, record-breaking ways.
The Marshall offense gained 236 yards on the ground – 105 more yards than the ODU defense had allowed in any game this season, including games against Virginia and Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, the Herd defense recorded eight sacks, tied for the second-most in school history, and defensive end Darius Hodge tied a 33-year-old school record with four-and-a-half sacks.
"That's a defense that nobody all year long, including Virginia and Virginia Tech, ran the ball on that defense like we were able to today," Marshall coach Doc Holliday said. "That offensive line, I've told you all along that I've liked our offensive line. They blocked that team out there better than anybody has all year."
ODU (1-5, 0-2) had held all five of its opponents under 150 rushing yards this season. Virginia Tech rushed for 131 yards on the ground on Sept. 9, and Virginia was held to a measly 69 rushing yards. But the Herd offensive line bullied the Monarchs' defense, and the three-headed sophomore rushing attack of running back Brenden Knox (104 yards), quarterback Isaiah Green (59 yards) and running back Shelden Evans (50 yards) followed their lead.
Old Dominion entered Saturday afternoon's game allowing an average of 2.94 yards per rush attempt, but Marshall averaged 5.1 yards on 46 carries, which included two kneel-downs at the game's end.
"As an offensive line we're starting to gain more and more confidence every week knowing that we're able to go out and do what we do best and move people around from Point A to Point B, and have fun doing it," said Levi Brown, Marshall's starting center along the offensive line. "We've got a fun group of guys on our o-line who love doing what we do."
The defense had its way with the Monarchs, too.
ODU had 206 yards of total offense – 83 on the ground and 123 through the air. The Monarchs played two quarterbacks – Messiah deWeaver and Stone Smartt – and each player was sacked four times by the Marshall defense.
Hodge tied a school record set by Cecil Fletcher on Sept. 13, 1986 at Ohio. He also tied two others for the third-most sacks in Conference USA history, equaling the 4.5 sacks by Louisiana Tech's Houston Bates against Illinois in 2014, and FAU's Martin Wright against FIU in 2013. The league record is six, held by Memphis' Keaton Cromartie (1997 vs. Memphis).
"He's a talented guy," Holliday said. "He's good off the edge … We're going to need that out of him the rest of the season. He's a high motor guy who plays hard."
Hodge started doing is damage early. The 6-foot-2, 238-pound sophomore from Wake Forest, North Carolina, sacked ODU quarterback Stone Smartt on the opening drive for a 3-yard loss to set up a third-and-long situation, and the Monarchs punted one play later. On ODU's third possession, Smartt was again tracked down by Hodge behind the line of scrimmage, this time for a 12-yard loss that turned a third-and-long situation into fourth-and-26 and another punt.
In the second quarter, sacked ODU quarterback Messiah deWeaver for a 6-yard loss on the Monarchs' third drive of the game. That sack forced a fourth down punt.
Hodge teamed with junior linebacker Tavante Beckett for a sack of deWeaver early in the third quarter, and then Hodge tied the record with another sack of deWeaver in the fourth quarter.
The Marshall offense avenged last Saturday's performance of production without points. The Herd scored first on a 1-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Isaiah Green to sophomore tight end Devin Miller that followed a 33-yard connection from junior tight end Xavier Gaines, his first career college completion, to freshman receiver Broc Thompson to the 1.
That lead swelled to 14-0 on a 17-yard run to the right by Green, who faked out the ODU defense and followed his receivers blocking downfield for a touchdown with 8:40 left of the second quarter. That put Marshall up 14-0.
The ODU offense finally broke through with 6:17 left of the second quarter when deWeaver found Aaron Moore down the right sideline for a 44-yard touchdown to make it 14-7. The teams traded field goals in the final 11 seconds, first Marshall and then ODU, to make it 17-10 at halftime.
Even though the Herd held a one-score lead, it dominated the first half statistically. Marshall had 13 first downs to ODU's four, and 233 yards of total offense to the Monarchs' 106.
Marshall dominated time of possession, 36:00 to 24:00, and gained 27 first downs to ODU's 11.
The Herd extended its lead to 14 points, 24-10, when junior receiver Willie Johnson took a pitch and ran 27 yards for a touchdown. Johnson came from the right side of the field and found a crease between the blocking of fellow receiver Tavin Richardson and left tackle Will Ulmer, who had kicked out on the play. It was Johnson's second rushing touchdown of the season.
ODU cut the deficit to 7 points, 24-17, on a 24-yard run by Kesean Strong with 7:01 left of the third quarter, but never threatened again. Knox scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 3:55 left, punctuating a 10-play, 77-yard drive that chewed five minutes and 48 seconds off the clock.
The Herd had the ball for 10 minutes and 22 seconds of the final quarter.
"The offensive line kind of got into a groove," Knox said. "Everything went smoother in the second half."
Thompson led Herd receivers with career-highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (91). Beckett paced the defense with a career-high 14 tackles, and he, safety Brandon Drayton, defensive end Marquis Couch, defensive tackle Channing Hames, linebacker Tyler Brown and defensive lineman Jamare Edwards each contributed to the total of eight sacks.
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
Team Stats
ODU 0, MAR 7
MAR - MILLER, Devin 1 yd pass from GREEN, Isaiah (ROHRWASSER, J. kick) 12 plays, 94 yards, TOP 4:54
ODU 0, MAR 14
MAR - GREEN, Isaiah 17 yd run (ROHRWASSER, J. kick), 9 plays, 77 yards, TOP 4:14
ODU 7, MAR 14
ODU - MOORE, Aaron 44 yd pass from DEWEAVER, M. (RICE, Nick kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:23
ODU 7, MAR 17
MAR - ROHRWASSER, J. 45 yd field goal 10 plays, 35 yards, TOP 1:54
ODU 10, MAR 17
ODU - RICE, Nick 39 yd field goal 1 plays, 0 yards, TOP 0:11
ODU 10, MAR 24
MAR - JOHNSON, Willie 27 yd run (ROHRWASSER, J. kick), 6 plays, 79 yards, TOP 3:05
ODU 17, MAR 24
ODU - STRONG, Kesean 24 yd run (RICE, Nick kick), 3 plays, 34 yards, TOP 1:20
ODU 17, MAR 31
MAR - KNOX, Brenden 6 yd run (ROHRWASSER, J. kick), 10 plays, 77 yards, TOP 5:48
