— By David Walsh
Marshall’s bid to reach bowl eligibility is on hold for at least another week and the goal to contend for a Sun Belt Conference East divisional title is all but an afterthought now.
Georgia Southern saw to that Saturday and took another step toward both by thumping the Thundering Herd, 49-13, on homecoming for the Eagles.
“We beat ourselves early in the game,” Marshall coach Tony Gibson said on postgame radio. “Early in the game we’re down there, have a fourth-and-1 and can’t get a yard. That gave them a little momentum.
“We keep doing to it to ourselves. You can’t beat a good football team doing that. They’re a great football team. They’re playing as well as anybody in our league. We got punched in the face and couldn’t respond in the second half.”
Quarterback Max Johnson, in his seventh year, sparked the rout with a big day through the air. He completed 19-of-26 passes for 271 yards, four scores and ran for a TD as Georgia Southern excited the crowd of 24,023 fans at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga. Jeremiah Ware caught five passes for 94 yards and two scores and Alex Taylor hauled in four for 94 and a TD.
“He played like a seventh-year guy,” Gibson said. “Hats off to them. We got beat up. We got ourselves in a hole early we couldn’t get out of. Way too many momentum swings early.”
Georgia Southern’s three remaining league games are at Georgia State, at Troy and then home in the finale against Louisiana Tech. The Eagles (5-4, 4-1 Sun Belt) are a game up on James Madison in the loss column, but James Madison owns the tiebreaker thanks to its win over the Eagles.
Marshall falls to 5-4 and 2-3 in the Sun Belt. Its next try to get a sixth win for bowl eligibility is Saturday in the annual Memorial Game against Appalachian State at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
This is Georgia Southern’s third straight win in the series. Marshall’s series lead is now 6-5.
Georgia Southern opened a 14-0 lead in the first period. Johnson found Ware for a 23-yard TD and then Herd quarterback Zion Turner saw his first pass attempt picked off by Chace Calicut and returned 24 yards for the score.
The Herd came right back as Jo’Shon Barbie sprinted 45 yards for a TD. In the second period, Johnson found Taylor open for a 70-yard TD strike to make it 21-7 at halftime.
The Eagles outscored the Herd, 28-6, in the second half. Johnson threw two more TD passes and ran 16 yards for a TD to make it 42-7. Their last score came on a 16-yard run by Ty Cummings. On defense, the Eagles came in allowing 20 points per game.
Khalil Wilkins, the backup Saturday, closed out the scoring with a 66-yard TD sprint late in the fourth period.
Turner completed 11-of-26 passes for 141 yards and had two picked off. Marshall had 412 total yards to 454 for the Eagles.
“They hit our quarterback way too much,” Gibson said. “Anytime you have to throw off your back foot is tough. Good to see Khalil come in. He’s a little banged up. He made an explosive play and that’s kind of a common theme for him. We have to look at everything, block out the noise, all the negativity and get back to work.”
Georgia State knocked off Appalachian State, 39-23, Saturday in Boone, N.C. That makes both teams 5-4, 2-3 in the SBC.
The Herd and Mountaineers are long-time rivals. They used to compete in the FCS (I-AA) Southern Conference. Georgia Southern’s homecoming record is now 34-8.
The Memorial Game honors the 75 people who died in the Marshall plane crash on Nov. 14, 1970. The Southern Airways jet crashed short of the runway in Kenova, W.Va. There were 37 players/coaches among the passengers.
“It’s a special day — a special week,” Gibson said. “It’s a lot bigger than any one of us. A lot to play for, against a rival, at home, Remember the 75. There’s a lot of emotion around this game. We have to do a great job of preparing these guys.”