Herd stays perfect with 20-9 over FAU

By David Walsh

HUNTINGTON – Marshall did something Saturday it hadn’t done yet this season. Come from behind to win.
The Thundering Herd trailed for the first time when Florida Atlantic’s Valadimir Rivas connected on a 43-yard field goal with 8:12 left in the third period gave the Owls a 9-7 lead.

That deficit didn’t last too long. The next possession the Thundering Herd drove 81 yards in just four plays, the clincher a 41-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells to wide receiver Artie Henry to put the home team back on top, 14-9.

Marshall ruled from that point and made Homecoming a success with a 20-9 victory in front of 12,002 fans on cool, overcast Saturday afternoon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The Herd, ranked 22nd nationally, is now 3-0 in Conference USA and 5-0 overall and maintains first place in the East Division.

“Sometime in the season you have to grind one out,” Marshall coach Doc Holliday said. “More proud of that than anything else. Saw a bunch of guys with fire in their eyes. They want to go out and win.”

On the go-ahead drive, Wells tried to go deep on first down and the Owls got called for pass interference for a first down at its 34. Brenden Knox would later run for 17 yards to set up the TD strike from Wells to Henry.

“Glad to see this. He’s had a hard time staying healthy,” Holliday said of Henry.

Henry said the go-ahead TD was nothing special.

“It unfolded the same way,” he said. “Just wanted to make sure there was no dropoff.”

After that, the Herd got some insurance on two field goals by Shane Ciucci. The first came from 35 yards with 3:13 left in the third period for a 17-9 lead. In the fourth, the Owls appeared to pick off a pass in the end zone, but got flagged for a late hit to allow Marshall to keep possession. Ciucci would come on to boot a 26-yard field goal for a 20-9 lead.

“No panic. Stay the course,” Knox said. “How you respond is about you.”

FAU did get a late chance to close the gap. The Owls had a 4th-and-4 at the Herd 16, only to see Tronti get sacked. However, the play really was a third down, giving the visitors one final try. Tronti took a shot into the end zone, but the ball was too high for B.J. Alexander and Marshall got the ball on downs with 3:42 left.

Wells completed 18 of 31 passes for 251 yards and two scores and Knox ran 25 times for 101 yards, the fourth consecutive game Knox has rushed for 100 yards.

“Did a lot of mid-game planning,” Wells said, pointing out the Herd had not seen much film on the Owls plus they had several new faces in the lineup. “Adjustments on the fly. Been taking shots (deep) all year. That’s been our mentality. It worked out for us.”

“Not many freshmen go in and accomplish what he has in five games,” Holliday said of Wells.

Marshall’s stingy defense limited the Owls to 86 yards rushing for the day. The Herd has yet to allow 100 yards rushing in a game.

“Defense has been playing lights out,” Holliday said. “Our leadership is as good as any time I’ve been around.”

Linebacker Tavante Beckett led the Herd in tackles with 12, had a half sack and 11.5 tackles for loss.

“Figure things out quick,” Beckett said. “Coach (Brad) Lambert (defensive coordinator) makes the right calls and it’s us executing. Had some new people, but it’s next man up.”

Knox entered game with one catch and got his second in the first quarter on a safety valve when Wells under pressure, found him in the flat and he sped 58 yards for the score.

Later in the second period, the Herd lost defensive back Derrek Pitts on a targeting call. It was reviewed and got confirmed.

Willie Taggart is the first-year head coach for FAU, replacing Lane Kiffin. The Owls had their winning streak halted at eight. Their last loss had come against Marshall last season.

FAU, which had played just once prior to Saturday, is 1-1 in the league and overall. The Owls had been idle for three weeks. They also have had two games postponed and two canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 protocols were in place Saturday and kept the crowd limited to 12,002.

Marshall’s next game is this Friday at Florida International. CBS SportsNetwork will air the game live at 6 p.m. Saturday’s game for Marshall was its first at home in five weeks.





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