— By David Walsh
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss relied on its defense and a gutsy performance by a freshman quarterback in his first start to score a 26-24 win over Marshall on Saturday in front of 20,375 fans at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
The Golden Eagles, ranked No. 2 in defense in Conference USA, converted four Thundering Herd turnovers into 17 points allowed the visitors just 249 total yards (49 in the first half, all passing). Tate Whatley threw for 134 yards and a TD and ran 25 times for 40 yards and another score as the home team evened its record at 4-4 and improved to 3-2 in the C-USA West.
Marshall (5-3, 3-2) suffered its first road loss and fell into third place in the C-USA East with Charlotte (4-4, 3-2). The Herd hosts Charlotte next Saturday.
Despite the loss, Marshall still is in the hunt for the C-USA East title thanks to Florida Atlantic rolling to a 49-14 win over Florida International on Saturday in the Shula Bowl in Miami. Middle Tennessee leads at 5-1 followed by FIU at 4-1.
Alex Thomson started at quarterback for the Herd, but redshirt freshman Isaiah Green replaced him late in the second period. It was Green’s first action since suffering a leg injury in the win over Western Kentucky. Thomson connected on 5-of-13 passes for 49 yards and one interception before going out.
Green finished 12-of-25 for 169 with one TD and one pick. He also fumbled the ball away when he came in and the Golden Eagles recovered and scored on the play to take a 17-10 lead right before the half.
“Our defense battled,” Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson said. “I thought the guys did a great job swarming the ball and creating turnovers. Our defense takes a lot of pride in stopping the run and its pass capability. “I’ve been a defensive coach forever, and you can’t just stop one side. You have to stop both.”
Whatley, who replaced Jack Abraham in the fourth period of last week’s 20-17 loss at Charlotte, made his first start memorable. The Golden Eagles finished with 222 total yards and he led the team in rushing with 40 yards on 25 carries.
“What a competitor. He’s a young man that fought, scratched and clawed. The thing about Tate is that he’s a true Southern Miss guy. You saw him get hit a few times and went for an extra yard. He kept playsalive, and for a freshman to come out in his first start and beat Marshall in his first game,I thought itspoke volumes. You’re gonna see young guys like that just get better and better.”
The Golden Eagles now hold an 8-6 edge in the series. The Thundering Herd and Golden Eagles have played 14 consecutive seasons, alternating home venues every fall since Marshall joined the league in 2005. That is the longest streak for a series among the 14 current C-USA teams, although the rotating schedule will push Southern Miss off Marshall’s league slate starting next season when Marshall faces West Division opponents Rice and Louisiana Tech in 2019.
Southern Miss scored nine unanswered points to close the game. The Golden Eagles did it with defense, forcing Thomson from the game and frustrating the Herd’s offense. Leading receiver Tyre Brady did not catch a pass until late in the fourth quarter – that 17-yard reception was on his 11th target of the game, and ended in a fumble that brought the offense’s turnover total to four for the game.
“Turn the ball over four times and you’re not going to win,” Herd coach Doc Holliday told the media after the game. “We’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the football.”
Marshall had been 9-0 the last two seasons when getting at least two takeaways, but that streak ended.
The Herd got its first TD off a USM turnover. On a punt attempt, punter Zac Everett tried to pick up yardage after bobbling the snap. Freshman Brenden Knox scooped up the loose ball and returned it 8 yards for a touchdown to give the Herd a 10-3 lead with 5:04 left of the second quarter.
The Marshall coaching staff decided to make a switch at quarterback following Thomson’s interception – his third of the season.
“He didn’t make some throws and we felt we needed to change things up,” Holliday said.
On Green’s first play, he got hit from the back side, fumbled and Darian Yancey picked up the ball and ran 17 yards for a 17-10 lead 33 seconds before halftime.
The Herd tied the game at 17-17 on Anthony Anderson’s 2-yard TD run with 8:36 left in the third period. The Golden Eagles took the lead for good with 2:58 left in the period for a 20-17 advantage. With 7:13 to play, Whatley scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 94-yard drive. Penalties against the Herd contributed as Southern Miss took advantage of an offsides and two pass interference calls to get first downs.
Marshall created a little late-game drama on Green’s 15-yard TD pass to Artie Henry with 1:11 to go to cut the deficit to 26-24. However, the Golden Eagles recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
Marshall needs to win one of its three final games to become bowl eligible.
“It’s not the effort,” Holliday said. “Execution is the issue. We’ve got to take care of the ball. Three penalties on that (scoring) drive. Way to many mistakes.”
Anthony isn’t about to give up hope.
“We can still reach a lot of goals,” he said. “Can’t let this take us apart. Seniors have to take responsibility and lead the way.”