Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
7-1 , 4-1
Rice
2-2 , 2-2
MCGILL: Herd loses perfect season, set to host Charlotte this Friday
12/5/2020 4:36:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Turnovers plague offense, put defense in tough spots
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A consistent lesson in 2020: Nothing is ever easy.
The Marshall football team, playing its first regular season December home game in program history, had everything on the line against Rice on Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The Thundering Herd entered the game nationally ranked and undefeated, in position for the Conference USA East Division crown, and with a nine-game home winning streak.
Instead, Marshall struggled after a three-week absence from the field, losing the game, its undefeated season and likely its place in the Top 25. Rice, 2-2 overall and in Conference USA, took the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it, winning 20-0.
"Obviously, I'm very disappointed in the way we played," Marshall head coach Doc Holliday said. "Anytime you turn the ball over five times you're going to have a hard time winning any game. They played better than we did and won the football game."
Marshall (7-1, overall, 4-1 C-USA) may have had its perfect season spoiled and foothold in the national rankings eliminated, but the Herd can still with the East Division and play for a conference championship. Conference USA announced Saturday after the game that Marshall would host Charlotte this coming Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network). The 49ers host Western Kentucky on Sunday in hopes of clinging to its division title hopes.
"Everything is still in front of us," Holliday said. "It's just like 2014 when we won the championship. We lost one there at the end that we shouldn't have, but came back and won the championship."
Marshall, which had trailed only once this season, fell behind with 1:06 left of the first quarter when Jordan Myers bullied his way into the end zone from 1 yard out to make it 7-0, Rice. The Owls, playing without starting quarterback Mike Collins, navigated down the field for a 10-play, 47-yard drive that included nine rushing attempts. The predictability didn't help the Herd, which entered Saturday with the nation's No. 1 rushing defense.
Rice's only other scoring drive of the first half came with a bit of controversy. On fourth-and-1 at MU's 42, the Owls brought out the punt team and then split out receiver Jake Bailey to the left side. Punter Charlie Mendes took a step back, then heaved the ball down the field toward Mendes for an incomplete pass. After a vehement plea from Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren, the officiating crew threw a flag for pass interference and the Owls were awarded a first down at MU's 27. Collin Riccitelli settled for a 39-yard field goal a few plays later to make it 10-0 with 5:21 left of the first half.
Rice missed a chip shot field goal from 23 yards out as time expired in the second quarter to keep the score at 10-0 at intermission. That was a small win for a team that had outscored its opponent 149-33 in the first two quarters through the first seven games of the season.
The third quarter went from bad to worse. The Owls' offense managed only 43 yards in the third, but doubled its lead from 10-0 to 20-0. Riccitelli booted a 40-yard field goal to make the lead 13-0 with 9:24 left of the third, and then Naeem Smith returned an interception 36 yards for another score with 7:50 left.
That concluded the scoring.
Marshall entered Saturday's game plus-six in turnover margin for the season, and had won the turnover battle in five of seven games. Redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells tossed five interceptions after having four in his first seven collegiate games.
"Nothing really worked for us today, as you can see," said Wells, who was 18 of 35 passing for 165 yards. "I don't know if we had a different mentality or what, but nothing seemed to work for us today."
The Herd offense managed 245 yards, more than 100 shy of its previous season-low output at Western Kentucky. Knox (20 carries) and Wells (eight attempts) were the only two ball carriers, combining for 80 yards.
"We didn't block them very well and we didn't make plays," Holliday said. "Rice had 213 yards, but we gave them short fields and put our defense in a lot of bad situations."
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Eli Neal recorded a career-high 15 tackles, and junior defensive end Darius Hodge added a career-high 14 tackles.
Rice's 213 yards of total offense is the program's fewest since Nov. 2, 2019, when Marshall defeated the Owls in Houston, Texas, 20-7. Rice is now 5-2 since that game, while Saturday's loss by Marshall is the program's first in 348 days.
"It's our fault," said senior offensive lineman Alex Mollette. "We never got in a rhythm. Our defense played their butts off. They gave up one touchdown and two field goals on plays that us as an offense put them in a bad situation. We were flat."
Team Stats
RICE 7, MAR 0
RICE - MYERS, Jordan 1 yd run (RICCITELLI, C. kick), 10 plays, 47 yards, TOP 6:48
RICE 10, MAR 0
RICE - RICCITELLI, C. 39 yd field goal 10 plays, 66 yards, TOP 5:21
RICE 13, MAR 0
RICE - RICCITELLI, C. 40 yd field goal 4 plays, 5 yards, TOP 2:21
RICE 20, MAR 0
RICE - SMITH, Naeem 36 yd interception (RICCITELLI, C. kick)
