— By David Walsh
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It was the team picked to win the East Division against the reigning Conference USA East champion.
Middle Tennessee kicked off its division title defense in a big way, knocking off preseason pick Marshall, 24-13, in front of 15,023 fans inside Floyd Stadium in the league opener for both schools. It was the sixth win in seven C-USA openers since the program entered the conference in 2013.
Marshall piled up the yards, but not the points. The Thundering Herd racked up nearly 600 total yards, but it was the Blue Raiders who got the points. Marshall also turned the ball over four times to zero for the home team.
“Get nearly 600 yards (578 actual), but turn the ball over four times you’re not going to win games,” Marshall coach Doc Holliday told the media. “Get in the red zone, you’ve got to score points. We didn’t.”
Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill countered: “I’m really proud of the toughness and the guts that we played with today,” he said “That was our message all week … and the performance out there today was a great testimony to how tough — mentally tough, physically tough — that football team is.”
Leading 17-13 with just under 13 minutes to play, Blue Raiders redshirt sophomore quarterback Asher O’Hara hit sophomore Zack Dobson with a middle screen and the Knoxville native did the rest as he raced up the middle to complete a 36-yard touchdown.
“That’s the momentum everyone needs, the whole team,” O’Hara said. “Zack catches it at the line of scrimmage and takes it all the way, and he makes me look good. … I’m just thankful we have players like that.”
With the lead at 11, Middle Tennessee only had to lean on its stellar defense to secure the win. The Blue Raiders didn’t give up a point in the second half, forcing Marshall into failed fourth down tries on three straight possessions.
Marshall’s only TD came in the first period, a 75-yard from quarterback Isaiah Green to tight end Armani Levias. The Herd’s other two first-half scores were field goals of 25 and 24 yards by Justin Rohrwasser.
In addition to his TD pass, O’Hara ran 4 yards for a score late in the second period to put the lead at 17-10. He passed for 261 yards and led the team in rushing again with 76.
Green had 365 passing and a season-high 95 rushing in executing the ride-read option. Brenden Knox led the Herd ground game with 99 yards.
Marshall (2-3, 0-1 C-USA) returns home next week to play Old Dominion. Game time at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in 2:30 p.m. The Blue Raiders (2-3, 1-0 C-USA) visit Florida Atlantic.
“Armani made a big play. There just wasn’t enough of them,” Holliday said.
Green put it bluntly.
“We’ve got to finish,” he said. “We did a good job of moving the football, but we didn’t put it in the end zone. So it doesn’t matter. Armani had a chance to make a play and did. We’ve got to do more of that.”
The four forced turnovers were the first for Middle Tennessee since Week 2 against Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders did not turn the ball over for the third straight game.
Omari Cobb led the Herd defense with 12 tackles, all solo.
“He (O’Hara) was the difference,” Cobb said. “We’ve got to come together as a team.”
Jovante Moffatt was the defensive catalyst for the Blue Raiders with two picks. His first-quarter pick set up the home team’s first score and he also made 14 tackles, one coming on a fake field goal try late in the fourth period. This makes it two straight wins for Middle Tennessee in this series.
“I feel like guys came out locked in today,” he said. “I guess I kind of have their number the last couple of years.”