It wasn’t pretty and in fact it was another downright ugly win over Memphis but a win is a win and Marshall will take them anyway it can get them right now.
The general feeling prior to kickoff was Marshall should be able to handle the Tigers and put them away by a sizeable margin. After all, Memphis was just 1- 7 coming into the game and early in the third quarter that looked to be the case. Marshall built a 31-7 lead and it seemed The Herd was just another score from routing the Tigers.
That’s when the game veered off script and the Tigers came roaring back. In the third quarter Memphis possessed the ball for 12:27. In the fourth quarter the Tigers held the ball for 9:15 and ended the game with more than a 15-minute advantage in time of possession.
Memphis was able to score 21 consecutive points against a Marshall defense that couldn’t seem to get off the field.
“Not really fatiguing, but frustrating because we got them to third and fourth down a couple of times and things weren’t going our way,” explained linebacker Billy Mitchell.
Things certainly weren’t going Marshall’s way but in the end The Herd was able to figure out someway to win the game. The offense answered with a Rakeem Cato to Davonte Allen 28-yard touchdown pass then on defense Cortez Carter’s sack sealed the win for The Herd.
No. Marshall allowed an onside kick, a fake punt, and the Tigers were 6-for-6 at one point on fourth downs.
A win is a win though and no matter how ugly the game was you can’t take that away from The Herd.
However, if The Herd wants to find itself bowl eligible at the end of the season it must perform better than it did Saturday night against Memphis. Marshall had a chance to burry the Tigers and let Memphis gain confidence and claw back into the game and nearly put itself in position to pick up its second win of the season.
UAB and Houston will both be hungry for wins and Marshall must come out ready to fight against both teams or it could very well find itself sitting at home over the holidays.
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