Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
6-0 , 3-0
UMass
0-2
MCGILL: Herd follows winning formula, routs UMass to stay perfect
11/7/2020 6:46:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Marshall dominated statistically in Saturday's win at home
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall football program is undefeated and nationally ranked in 2020, and the formula has essentially been the same each and every week.
Yes, during the coronavirus pandemic, the most important aspect is keeping players and staff safe and healthy.
On the field, however, it is about establishing the run behind the reigning Conference USA Most Valuable Player, Brenden Knox, and the most experience offensive line in college football. It is about stopping the run defensively. And it is about playing pristine special teams and minimizing turnovers.
Most of those elements were part of the Thundering Herd's 51-10 win against Massachusetts here Saturday afternoon, which protects the program's perfect season and place inside the Top 25. Marshall (6-0, 3-0 Conference USA) ran the ball effectively with 267 yards and four touchdowns, threw for three scores and played turnover-free football. The defense – other than a couple of big plays on trick plays – suffocated the visitors from Amherst. The Herd more than doubled the Minutemen in yardage and nearly tripled the guests in first downs.
The end result was a 41-point win, Marshall's sixth consecutive double-digit victory. That's enough to make MU head coach Doc Holliday to get over a few special teams miscues.
"Our players challenged each other at halftime and wanted to come out in the second half and shut that team out," Holliday said. "That's what they did. I'm proud of the way the defense responded in the second half. The important thing on offense is we had zero turnovers and Knox had over 100 yards.
"Obviously, I told those kids is what a great football team will do is take care of business and that's what they did."
An early November non-conference game is unusual enough, but UMass added to the quirkiness in order to find creative ways to score points against one of the nation's best defenses. The Minutemen became the first team to score double-digit points against the Herd in a first half this season, gaining 62 of the team's 135 yards in the first two quarters on a pair of plays that befuddled the Herd defense.
First, a flea flicker with a pair of laterals resulted in a 37-yard pass on a drive that ended in a touchdown. Later, UMass connected on a halfback pass for 25 yards and then booted a field goal.
Still, there was little drama as Marshall won for the eighth consecutive time at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Knox scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first half and sailed past 100 rushing yards for the fifth consecutive game, the second-longest such streak in major college football. The junior running back scored on a 45-yard run on the fourth play of the game to give the Herd a 7-0 lead. Knox later added a 14-yard rushing touchdown to give Marshall the lead for good, 14-7, with 2:02 left of the first quarter.
The touchdowns pushed Knox into a tie with Mickey Jackson and Erik Thomas on the career rushing touchdowns list (24, tied for 13th). Knox has scored nine rushing touchdowns this season, has three multi-TD efforts and scored at least once rushing or receiving in all six games.
Others contributed on offense, though. Freshman quarterback Grant Wells connected with sophomore receiver Corey Gammage for a 19-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Wells whipped the ball to his left on a bubble screen, and Gammage followed the blocking of offensive linemen Josh Ball and Will Ulmer for his second receiving TD this season.
Junior running back Sheldon Evans scored on an 11-yard run to make the Herd lead 31-10 with 38 seconds left of the second quarter.
Defensively, it was another lights-out performance … aside from those quirky plays.
The Marshall defense has still not allowed an opposing team to gain 100 rushing yards in six games this season, and the Herd's streak of not allowing an individual 100-yard rusher stretched to seven games overall.
After allowing 10 points in the first half, Marshall blanked UMass after intermission. Overall, the Minutemen managed 190 yards of offense on 55 plays – an average of 3.5 yards per play – and gained 12 first downs to the Herd's 33.
Wells finished 21 of 30 passing for 228 yards and three touchdowns against zero interceptions, twice connecting with senior tight end Xavier Gaines for third quarter scores. Gaines, who played a more prominent role in the passing game with the receiving corps beset by absences, finished with a career-best seven receptions for 66 yards and his first multi-touchdown game.
Wells spread the ball around, however, completing passes six others, including senior receiver Artie Henry, who had five receptions for a game-high 71 yards. Seven different players logged carries, including Knox (118 yards), sophomore Knowledge McDaniel (43 yards, one touchdown), backup quarterback Luke Zban (30 yards) and Wells (29 yards).
McDaniel concluded the scoring with a 14-yard burst in the fourth quarter that brought the game to its final score.
Defensively, senior linebacker Tavante Beckett finished with a game-high 11 tackles. Five different players contributed to the team's four sacks, and three players finished with a forced fumble as the Herd won the turnover battle.
Next up for Marshall: Middle Tennessee on Saturday, November 14 – the 50th anniversary of the plane crash tragedy that claimed the lives of 75 people. The significance of this game was already on the minds of players and coaches after the win against UMass.
"(Our team) got that message after the game," Holliday said. "This is the most important game we play all year. It's not even close. They understand that next Saturday, it's a game that you better prepare harder than you've ever prepared. This game means more to our community, fan base and school than any game we'll play all year.
"When you put that '75' on your helmet and put on that black jersey and black pants, you better be ready to go play. It means so, so much. Our kids embrace that."
Team Stats
UMASS 0, MAR 7
MAR - KNOX, Brenden 45 yd run (CIUCCI, Shane kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:32
UMASS 7, MAR 7
UMASS - Emilus, Samuel 2 yd pass from Koch, Will (Martin, Jeremy kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:48
UMASS 7, MAR 14
MAR - KNOX, Brenden 14 yd run (CIUCCI, Shane kick), 11 plays, 82 yards, TOP 4:59
UMASS 7, MAR 21
MAR - GAMMAGE, Corey 19 yd pass from WELLS, Grant (CIUCCI, Shane kick) 8 plays, 49 yards, TOP 3:00
UMASS 7, MAR 24
MAR - CIUCCI, Shane 43 yd field goal 5 plays, 17 yards, TOP 2:13
UMASS 10, MAR 24
UMASS - Martin, Jeremy 46 yd field goal 8 plays, 46 yards, TOP 3:26
UMASS 10, MAR 31
MAR - EVANS, Sheldon 11 yd run (CIUCCI, Shane kick), 6 plays, 74 yards, TOP 2:00
UMASS 10, MAR 37
MAR - GAINES, Xavier 13 yd pass from WELLS, Grant (CIUCCI, Shane rushfailed) 11 plays, 80 yards, TOP 5:12
UMASS 10, MAR 44
MAR - GAINES, Xavier 16 yd pass from WELLS, Grant (CIUCCI, Shane kick) 2 plays, 16 yards, TOP 0:44
UMASS 10, MAR 51
MAR - MCDANIEL, K. 14 yd run (CIUCCI, Shane kick), 5 plays, 61 yards, TOP 2:37
