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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM
Marshall Collapses in First Loss of 2021 By ANDREW ROGERS R EPORTER Marshall football played three good quarters of football last saturday, but not four. East Carolina scored 21 unanswered points in the final 7:31 of action to earn a 42-38 comeback victory over the Herd. “We weren’t able to come up with some plays in the second half,” head coach Charles Huff said. “I’m proud of the way the guys fought, proud of the attitude they had. It hurts, but we’ve got to move on.” It was a seesaw affair to start the game, as both teams kept trading punches. It wasn’t until the middle of the second quarter that Marshall gained the first two-possession lead of the contest. Rasheen Ali scored on back-to-back touchdown runs to put Marshall up 24-14. ECU answered with a late touchdown scoring drive, to cut Marshall’s lead back to 3 at halftime The third quarter was all Marshall, outscoring ECU 14-0 on an Ali touchdown run and Wells touchdown run to take a commanding 38-21 lead. The fourth quarter belonged to the Pirates, who scored
on its final three possessions. The Herd’s fourth quarter drives ended on downs, with a missed field goal and a Wells’ interception that sealed an ECU win. Missed opportunities to seal a win and turnovers were the story of Marshall’s first loss of the year. Marshall had three turnovers against ECU: two interceptions and a lost fumble. The second interception of Wells’ final throw of the day picked off at the ECU 1 with fewer than 10 seconds on the clock. The fumble also came near the goal line after Wells connected with Corey Gammage, but the ball popped free from Gammage’s hands and into the end zone where ECU recovered it for a touchback. “We have to find a way to protect the football,” Huff said. “It’s becoming a habit and we have got to get it fixed.” ECU also recovered an onside kick late in the fourth quarter to ignite the comeback victory. Ultimately, Marshall’s 38 points and 647 yards of total offense were for naught.
Wells finished 24 for 39 passing for a career-high 433 yards and one touchdown. He also added a touchdown on the ground. Ali, already one of the nation’s top scorers, ran for a career-high 189 yards and scored three times on the ground. Gammage had a career-best 180 yards on eight receptions. “I think we played good,” Ali said. “We were all disappointed because we didn’t finish the way we wanted too. We will bounce back.” Marshall football will have to put this one behind them quickly, as it travels to Boone, North Carolina for a Thursday night matchup with Applachian State. The game may be heard on Marshall’s student radio station, WMUL 88.1 FM.
Top: Rasheen Ali breaks past ECU Defender - Courtesy of Richard Crank Bottom: The Young Thundering Herd - Courtesy of Sandy Johnson
Andrew Rogers, rogers217@marshall.edu
Cross Country Places 7th At Virginia Invitational By JAYDEN TAYLOR REPORTER
Marshall’s cross-country team placed seventh at the Virginia Invitational. This meet at Panorama Farms in Earlysville was hosted by the University of Virginia. The women’s race was 5 k.m., while the men ran 8 k.m. The women’s team finished with 159 points and were led by Abby Herring placing team high 15th with a time of 18 minutes and 13 seconds. Sydney Smith was the Herd’s second-highest placement
at 38th with a time of 19:10. Rounding out the scoring was Kyleigh Edwards placing 44th, with a time of 19:19.8. Meagan Ward finished 48th at 19:21.9 and Julia Muller finished 61st at 20:17.1. The men’s team finished with 211 points. Evan White was Marshall’s highest finisher for the men in 52nd place at 27 minutes and 19.1 seconds. The Herd’s other scorers were Paul Sepulveda who placed 58th, at 27:34.9, Jacob Birurakis placing 60th at 27:44.9, Brett Armbruster who placed 62nd at 27:57.2 and Brendan Wood, who placed 64th, with a time of 28:07.3.
Caleb Bowen, Marshall’s assistant coach for cross-country, said there are mixed emotions about the contest, but the group performed better than at their last invitational at Virginia Tech. “The stats don’t show it because it was a really tough meet against traditional cross-country powerhouses,” Bowen said. “I wish we faced against less teams because I believe we would have done well, but where we were going up against such a stacked field, it made it seem like we didn’t do well.” The weather reached the 80s at the event, but Bowen said, “I’d rather the worse
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weather be early in the season. That way when we are gearing up for championship season, we will be running our fastest.” Coach Bowen said that the team needs to improve upon health and ramping up training as the team looks ahead to the next meet. The Thundering Herd will be back to running on Saturday, Oct. 2 at the Live in Lou Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.
Jayden Taylor, taylor838@marshall.edu
