Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Adversity strikes, No. 22 Herd perseveres to stay unbeaten
10/24/2020 7:30:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Marshall snaps FAU's 8-game winning streak
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall football program entered Saturday afternoon with a perfect record. The nationally ranked Thundering Herd hadn't even trailed during the 2020 season. There was barely a flaw to be found offensively, defensively or on special teams through the first four games.
No. 22 Marshall triumphed again here Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, defeating FAU, 20-9, but this time with struggles and adversity.
"Sometimes there's a point in the season where you have to grind one out," Marshall head coach Doc Holliday said. "I'm more proud of our football team than I have in the other four victories because we had some adversity really for the first time, we had a tight ballgame and even lost the lead at one time, we fought our tails off and had some guys who had to step up and play."
The Herd finally faced a deficit, although that lasted all of one minute and 48 seconds. Marshall found a way to stay perfect despite losing the turnover battle, missing a field goal and posting a season-low in rushing yards. The Herd made it five wins in five games – 5-0 overall, 3-0 in Conference USA – despite struggling on third downs on both sides of the ball. The Herd entered Saturday's game ranked No. 2 nationally in third down conversion percentage – 60 percent – but converted only 38.5 percent against the Owls. The MU defense had allowed third down conversions on a meager 17.5 percent of such opportunities, but FAU managed seven in 17 tries (41.2 percent) on Saturday.
A key moment came when FAU kicker Vladimir Rivas made a 43-yard field goal to give the Owls a 9-7 lead with 8:12 left of the third quarter. That ended a stretch of 276 minutes and 48 seconds where the Herd had not trailed during the 2020 season.
Four plays later, redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells orchestrated a four-play, 81-yard drive that culminated with Wells hitting senior receiver Artie Henry on high-arching throw to the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown. That gave Marshall a 14-9 lead with 6:24 left of the third quarter, and the Herd never trailed again.
"We knew it was going to be a fight and we were prepared for it," Henry said. "We buckled down and played Herd football."
Marshall struck first in the opening quarter when Wells found junior running back Brenden Knox in the right flat, and Knox turned and found plenty of running room, rumbling 58 yards before bullying his way into the end zone. That was Knox's first career touchdown reception and the longest reception of his collegiate career.
That play seemed to foreshadow another dominating day at the office for the Herd this season. With Knox's score, Marshall had outscored opponents 56-7 in the first quarter and 107-10 in the first half. But Marshall's next five possessions ended with a punt, interception, punt, missed field goal and another interception, allowing FAU to keep it close, 7-6, at halftime.
"One thing that was different with this game was what you saw out there was in-game game-planning," said Wells, who was 18 for 31 passing with 251 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. "You don't see that very much. We thought they were going to come out in something else and they showed up with new players and somewhat of a new scheme. It took a little while to game plan during the game."
The Marshall defense kept FAU (1-1 overall, 1-1 C-USA) in check while the offense collected itself. The Owls managed only 3 points, on Rivas' field goal, on their final seven drives, gaining 126 total yards on 36 plays (3.5 yards per play).
Overall, the Herd defense held FAU to 86 rushing yards on 37 carries, the fifth consecutive opponent that has failed to exceed 100 rushing yards against Marshall as a team. The last time the Owls were held under 100 rushing yards as a team was Oct. 18, 2019, when Marshall visited Boca Raton, Florida, and defeated FAU. That was also the last time the Owls lost, having had their eight-game winning streak snapped here Saturday.
"It was about being ready and adjusting on the fly," said senior linebacker Tavante Beckett, who had a team-high 13 tackles. "They had a couple of things they were calling and we had to figure it out. We had to get a feel for the game."
Knox, the reigning Conference USA Most Valuable Player, continued his impressive start to the season, carrying 25 times for 101 yards and catching two passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Knox has four consecutive 100-yard rushing performances and has scored at least once – rushing or receiving – in each game this season.
With the receiving corps depleted because of injuries, sophomore Corey Gammage and Henry continued their emergence as go-to weapons for Wells. Gammage set a new career-high with six receptions and had a team-high 79 receiving yards. Henry set a career-high with five catches and had 75 receiving yards.
Beckett combined on a sack and had 1.5 tackles for a loss. Junior defensive back Joshua Bowers, who had seven tackles in the first four games, recorded 11 in significant action.
The defense combined for five sacks, with junior end Darius Hodge, junior end Koby Cumberlander, freshman lineman Immanuel Bush, junior defensive back Steven Gilmore and Beckett combining on that effort. Senior safety Brandon Drayton also recorded an interception.
Marshall has a short turnaround and will travel to play FIU on Friday night. FIU is 0-3 this season, although all three losses are by single digits.
