HUNTINGTON, W.Va.— For the first time in school history, three rushers eclipsed the 100-yard mark as The Herd rolled over UAB 56-14. With the win, Marshall becomes bowl eligible and still controls its own destiny in the race for the C-USA East Division crown.
Essray Taliaferro, Kevin Grooms and Steward Butler each ran for 100+ yards on the afternoon. Butler ran for 139 yards, Taliaferro 118 and Grooms 108 yards as Marshall’s offense could not be slowed down.
Rakeem Cato added another 276 yards passing, completing 14-of-20 and three touchdowns as Marshall improved 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA.
“I thought our football team went out there and executed the way we need to,” said coach Doc Holliday. “I thought we got off to fast start and the defense forced a turnover for a score which was critical.”
Marshall was again off and running to start the ball game setting the tone with the defense. On the third play of the game Neville Hewitt blew through the UAB line, sacked Jonathan Perry and forced a fumble. Brandon Sparrow was there to pounce on the ball for The Herd at the Blazer 12-yard line. Two plays later Essray Taliaferro ran the ball in from seven yards out for Marshall’s first score of the day.
On the ensuing drive, UAB put together what would be its best offensive series of the day. The Blazers drove the ball 75 yards on seven plays for a touchdown. The score was set up thanks to a 58-yard pass and catch from Perry to Jamarcus Nelson that moved the ball down to the Marshall five-yard line. UAB would need four tries to get the ball in the endzone, but Darrin Reaves eventually tied the game on a two-yard run.
That was as close as the Blazers would get.
Marshall drive the football into the endzone on three of its next four drives of the first half. The Herd struck quickly and often. Marshall had scoring drives of 7, 1, 4, and 5 plays as it imposed its will on the UAB defense.
Cato hit tight end Eric Frohnapfel for a 39-yard touchdown pass. Then Kevin Grooms broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown run. On the next series Tommy Shuler got in the act with a 6-yard touchdown catch and suddenly Marshall was up 28-7.
UAB tried to mount a comeback in the second quarter with a six-play 88 yard drive. With The Herd loading the box to defend against the run, Perry hit Darrin Reaves in the flat and Reaves did the rest, taking the ball 32 yards for the touchdown to cut the deficit to 28-14.
Cato and company went back to work in and kept their foot on the gas. Cato, with all kinds of time to throw, lofted a 50-yard pass to Gator Hoskins to move the ball down to the UAB nine. On the next snap, Cato used his feet to avoid two Blazer defenders and tossed to Kevin Grooms for a 9-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 35-14.
“We felt like we wanted to put up points and come back out in the second half and score again,” said Cato.
The started to drive the nails into the coffin in the third quarter and needed just 2:17 to virtually put the game out of reach. Essray Taliaferro picked up his second touchdown run of the game on a 16-yard sprint to the goal line. The touchdown run put Taliaferro over the 100-yard mark for the second straight game.
After forcing a UAB punt, The Herd put together its longest drive of the day. Starting at its own 4-yard line, Marshall moved down the field in chunks, including a 23-yard pass play to Tommy Shuler. Cato capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. Marshall went up 42-14 and the starters’ days were done.
Steward Butler got in on the scoring onslaught in the fourth quarter with a 49-yard touchdown run. The run put Bulter over 100 yards rushing for the day.
Marshall doesn’t have much time to enjoy the win. The Herd is back on the road for a Thursday night matchup at Tulsa in four days.
“We have to put this game behind us now and start to go to work on Tulsa.”