NORFOLK, Va. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” In many ways, it was a classic Marshall and Old Dominion football matchup, in which the result hangs in the balance for as long as it can until tipping in favor of one team or the other.
The second half provided a single tie and five lead changes before the Thundering Herd landed the final punch on the road on Saturday, defeating the Monarchs 42-35 to stay at the top of the Sun Belt East Division with one regular-season game remaining.
Herd quarterback Braylon Braxton tallied more than 200 yards through the air for the third consecutive game and tossed three touchdowns to as many receivers in the win. He also led Marshall in rushing yards with 140, which included a 13-yard scramble on third-and-long to set up Ethan PayneÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s game-winning touchdown run with just over four minutes to play.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œDiscipline. If all 11 guys ainÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t doing their job, plays donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t work. WeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve got to believe in the plays thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s being called,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Braxton said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThis team is probably the closest-knit group of people IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve ever been around, from the offense and defense to the special teams. We all want to see each other win.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
It was the fifth consecutive win for the Thundering Herd (8-3, 6-1 Sun Belt), which matched its highest regular-season win total under coach Charles Huff. It sets up a win-and-in scenario for the conference championship game entering the regular-season finale at James Madison.
The Herd opened the scoring with a 43-yard first quarter field goal by Rece Verhoff, who returned after missing the past two games, and added to it on the first play of the second frame with a 51-yard flea-flicker pass from Braxton to Christian Fitzpatrick to lead 10-0.
Old DominionÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s answer to trailing by double digits came in the form of an 11-play, 85-yard drive that Aaron Young capped with his fifth rushing touchdown of the season to trim the margin back to three with less than 10 minutes to play in the half.
In the waning minutes of the first half, Jordan Houston broke free for a 30-yard scoring run that pushed MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s lead back to 10 points, and the Herd, behind 241 yards of offense in the first two quarters, took a 17-7 lead to intermission.
But as Marshall knows all too well, rarely does Old Dominion go down without a fight. Saturday night was no different, and after three consecutive touchdown drives in the third quarter, the Monarchs held a one-point advantage, 28-27, entering the fourth quarter after rushing touchdowns from Aaron Young and Colton Joseph, who also threw one in the comeback effort.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œEvery year we play these guys itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a battle, but weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re 4-0 against them and have found a way each year,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Huff said after MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s fourth win in as many tries over the Monarchs under his direction. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe found a way to grind it out. They tested us in a lot of areas. ... Ultimately the players stepped up today in a huge way.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The MonarchsÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ first four drives of the second half each reached the end zone and Joseph nearly mirrored BraxtonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s performance with 158 rushing yards, 227 through the air and three total touchdowns. The Monarchs outgained the Herd offense in total yards, 513-469, by stacking long scoring drives together.
Marshall worked with significantly shorter fields thanks to Ian Foster, who had returns of 55 and 39 yards in the second half to set the Herd offense up past midfield twice.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œSpecial teams has shown up in a big way for us the last few weeks,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Huff said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThat team is known for blocking kicks and you hear how physical they are, and our guys dominated them. They just completely dominated them in the return game, and that made it easier on our offense and that changes how you call the game.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Carl Chester caught a team-high three passes, including a 37-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Fitzpatrick led the Herd in receiving yards with 69. Chuck Montgomery and Bralon Brown had two catches apiece and four other players finished with one.
Herd running back AJ Turner made his return to the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 2 and gained 53 yards on 10 carries. Houston toted the rock nine times for 56 yards in the win.
Linebacker Jaden Yates recorded 13 tackles and Deeve Harris turned in seven stops, including MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s only sack, which occurred on the penultimate play of the game.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI knew someone was going to get it that last drive, it just happened to be me,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ said Harris, who spent two seasons with the Monarchs earlier in his career before transferring to Colorado, then Marshall. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve got a D-line room full of elite guys.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
