Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
4-3 , 1-2
James Madison
7-0 , 4-0
Marshall Football Drops Defensive Affair to JMU, 20-9
10/20/2023 12:50:00 AM | Football
Harrison returns kickoff 94 yards for touchdown in defensive battle
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football's defense stayed tough throughout, but the Thundering Herd could not knock James Madison from the ranks of the unbeatens, falling 20-9 in front of 22,109 fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Thursday night.
With the loss, Marshall falls to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt play.
Despite the loss, Marshall head coach Charles Huff praised his team, which played without several starters, including starting running back Rasheen Ali.
"What we did see is when we - as a team – grit, grind and play to the level we've been accustomed to around here, we've got a chance," Huff said. "That's a really good football team. I told them that if we bottle what we did this week and get guys healthy, we'll be fine."
Field position played a huge part in a defensive affair as James Madison forced Marshall into a long field throughout the contest.
Of Marshall's 13 drives in the game, seven of them started inside the team's own 10-yard line.
Huff was pleased with Marshall's special teams, which bounced back from the Georgia State game with its best effort of the season.
Wide receiver Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and punter John McConnell had averaged 48.9 yards on eight punts, including a career-long 74-yard punt in the first quarter.
"I thought John battled his tail off to give us as much as he could from a punting perspective," Huff said. "I thought our defense battled, I thought our special teams, this week showed up. Last week, we were all over their tails, but they made plays this week. It just wasn't enough to beat a good team."
Marshall defensive back Dyoni Hill set a career-high with 10 tackles and added two pass breakups while defensive tackle TyQaze Leggs accounted for the Herd's first points of the game with a tackle for loss that resulted in a safety in the third quarter.
Leggs finished with two tackles for loss and defensive end Owen Porter added 1.5, including a half-sack that moved him into the top-10 in Marshall history with 19, tying Gary Thompson and Koby Cumberlander for 10th in the record books.
Quarterback Cam Fancher finished the game 17 of 30 for 173 yards with an interception.
Running back Ethan Payne ended the game with 62 yards on 20 carries and caught another four passes for 29 yards.
After playing three games in 12 days, Marshall takes a few days off before getting back to work in preparation for its Oct. 29 matchup at Coastal Carolina.
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Team Stats
JMU 3, MAR 0
JMU - Wise,Camden 27 yd field goal 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:53
JMU 3, MAR 2
MAR - Leggs,TyQaze 0 yd safety
JMU 6, MAR 2
JMU - Wise,Camden 38 yd field goal 6 plays, 79 yards, TOP 03:00
JMU 13, MAR 2
JMU - McCloud,Jordan 6 yd run (Wise,Camden kick), 10 plays, 62 yards, TOP 04:55
JMU 20, MAR 2
JMU - Brown,Reggie 28 yd pass from McCloud,Jordan (Wise,Camden kick) 5 plays, 37 yards, TOP 01:17
JMU 20, MAR 9
MAR - Harrison,Jayden 94 yd kickoff return (Verhoff,Rece kick)
