Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Herd caps emotional week with convincing win, moves to 7-0
11/14/2020 5:34:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Marshall 42, Middle Tennessee 14
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – In the locker room after Saturday's game, Doc Holliday clutched the facemask of a helmet and held it in the air. He pointed to the side of the helmet – to the number 75 – as the team surrounded him.
"This is what it's all about," Holliday told his team following Marshall's 42-14 win against Middle Tennessee here at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
The win, which came on the 50th anniversary of the Southern Airways Flight 932 crash that claimed the lives of 75 people, was the culmination of an emotional week of ceremonies and remembrances. The 37 players who died in the crash 50 years ago today were awarded posthumous degrees on Friday afternoon. The Thundering Herd coaches and players, on the way to the team hotel Friday night, stopped at Spring Hill Cemetery and visited the Marshall Memorial to pay their respects. The annual fountain ceremony was held Saturday morning.
The milestone anniversary brought national attention, including a segment on ESPN's College Gameday and written pieces from major news organizations. The convergence of the 50th anniversary, national ranking and an undefeated season made Marshall football the most compelling story in college football.
The weight of that showed early. The offense misfired. The defense allowed uncustomary third down conversions. The score was tied deep into the second quarter.
"It's so emotional walking out on that field with those guys, and that scoreboard playing, going to the cemetery last night prior to going to the hotel," Holliday said. "There's so much that goes into this week that the kids are so fired up and excited to play that at times maybe it's too much. We were a little slow getting going."
The momentum shifted late in the second quarter, and by the time the clock hit all zeroes in the fourth quarter, the outcome had long been decided.
Marshall freshman quarterback Grant Wells dazzled, setting career highs for completions (25), attempts (37), passing yards (336) and passing touchdowns (five), while not throwing an interception. The Herd had a turnover, but it came on special teams.
"The no turnovers is the biggest stat," Wells said. "The way our defense is playing right now if we don't turn over the ball we're going to be in good shape."
Wells had the 20th five-touchdown passing game in program history. Only seven of those performances included at least 300 passing yards and zero interceptions, the first such game since 2001 (Byron Leftwich).
Wells found a favorite target in senior Willie Johnson, who likewise had a career day. Johnson caught eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, establishing new career highs in all three categories. The touchdowns were the first and last of the Herd's six scores – a 3-yarder with 7:18 left of the first quarter, and a 23-yard connection with 1:48 left of the third quarter.
"We were trying to get him the ball," Wells said. "We knew we had an advantage having 1 on our side. Having a deep threat like that, we have to take shots with him. When we connect, it starts something special that gets our whole entire offense rolling."
Middle Tennessee (2-6 overall, 2-4 Conference USA) game-planned to stop junior running back Brenden Knox, the reigning Conference USA Most Valuable Player. Knox finished with 70 rushing yards on 16 carries, and saw his five-game 100-yard rushing streak and six-game scoring streak end.
But while Knox was bottled up, others flourished.
Sophomore receiver Corey Gammage scored twice, finishing with five receptions and 62 yards. Senior receiver Artie Henry caught five passes for 63 yards. Senior tight end Xavier Gaines, the team's leading receiver entering Saturday's game, caught three passes for 57 yards. Sophomore tight end Hayden Hagler caught a 1-yard touchdown, becoming the team's fourth tight end with a score this season.
"(Middle Tennessee) went into the game to stop the running game, so you have to make some big plays outside," Holliday said.
The defense would not be out-done.
Marshall (7-0, 4-0 C-USA) recovered three fumbles, and the offense turned each of those takeaways into touchdowns. Middle Tennessee had its running game stuffed, averaging 2.4 yards per rush on 23 attempts. The Herd defense held an opposing team below 100 rushing yards for the seventh consecutive game, and the defense has not allowed an individual 100-yard rusher in eight straight games.
That has been a staple for the Herd this season – Marshall entered Saturday's game ranked No. 3 nationally in rush defense – which allowed the offense to figure out the Blue Raiders and start to click.
In a span of six minutes and 40 seconds from the end of the second quarter to the start of the third, the Herd scored 21 unanswered points on Hagler's short touchdown and two scoring tosses from Wells to Gammage.
Wells had already won Conference USA's Offensive Player of the Week twice in his first six games as a college quarterback, and would seem to have a strong case for the honor yet again.
"I see a young kid who is really growing up," Holliday said of Wells. "He gets better every week. He does such a great job with his preparation."
In the end, it was Wells' passing and a run-stuffing, opportunistic defense that helped Marshall move to 7-0 on a day reserved for honoring those lost in '70.
"There were a lot of emotions, to say the least," Wells said. "We knew going into this week that this game was going to be extremely special for not just us, but the entire community. Having the outcome that we did sure means a lot."
