Ray Ferguson races down the sideline against the Florida Gators Saturday

Scrimmage #3: Marshall Thundering Herd @ Florida Gators

W 19-3

The Marshall University football program left Huntington on Saturday morning determined to show what they were capable of after 2 straight losses to begin the preseason. Up to this point the team was plagued with penalties, turn-overs and lackadaisical effort and the team was looking for answers after giving last weeks game away on a needless penalty.

The Herd looked like a new team and was driving the ball at-will much to the chagrin of the Florida faithful. It was a coming out party for Ray Ferguson as he was given an opportunity with the first team offense and he didn't leave anything to chance racking up 181yards on 20 carries. QB Larry Ricketts was in a supportive role and was sharp when called upon throwing for another 2TDs, taking his scrimmage totals to 5.

The Herd defense played with a ferocity not-yet-seen this season as they forced Florida into 5 three-and-outs, 2 Fumbles, and a punt in their 8 drives. RS Sophmore Clinton Canterbury also added a Safety late in the 4th quarter, to the delight of Coach Martinez. CB Larry Anderson had a team-high 6 tackles in the victory.

Quite a number of players picked up small injuries late in the contest and there is wide speculation that the Herd will be fielding a skeleton squad in their final game when they host the Oklahoma Sooners at the Joan C. Edwards stadium this weekend. It will be the teams last chance to work out the kinks and for the players fighting it out for the final roster spots, their last opportunity to show the coaches what they're capable of.

We Are..... MARSHALL!

The New-Look Thundering Herd Welcomes The Fans To The 2017 Football Season

Thundering Herd Overthrow The Trojans

W 16-14

[Huntington, WV] Marshall University hosted the (25) University of Southern California and their traveling fans on Saturday afternoon in Week 1 action. Both teams had a very different look to them with the much-discussed new rules that were inacted just prior to the Recruiting Season.

The sell-out crowd was raucous during the warm-ups and everyone knew we were going to be in for an outstanding game. The 25th-ranked Trojans were starting their season on the road but they certainly came to play. After going 4-and-out on their first possession, the visitors found the end-zone on a 25-yard run by senior RB Garrett Parkinson and they were up quickly 7-0.

Surviving an early interception, the home squad pulled even early in the second period when QB Larry Ricketts fled the pocket and found star TE John Amaya who had abandoned his pattern and found a soft spot in the coverage to pull in a 15-yard score. The kick was up, and GOOD and the game was dead-locked at 7's.

Again Marshall drove the ball deep into Trojan territory but they were unable to punch the ball across for the go-ahead score as WLB George Keller came on a blitz and sack-fumbled the stunned Herd pivot and the ball was recovered by USC. They were unable to mount anything offensively again and they punted the ball back to Marshall with just over 2 minutes on the clock. As the punt was fielded on the Marshall 40-yard line the coaches were already thinking about their next play selection when PR Ronald Stewart coughed up the ball for the 3rd turnover of the half. Again USC squandered the opportunity with 3 straight incomplete passes and the danger was averted. The teams would jog into their respective locker rooms tied 7-7.

Defense was the order of the day and The Thundering Herd special team and defensive units would combine to put the next points on the board. Opening the second half the sun was starting to fade in the sky as the home side took the ball. After stalling their drive on the Trojan 37-yard line, Coach Doc Holliday played a hunch and sent out his punting unit and he was rewarded with a high kick, allowing the gunners to get underneath the ball and downing it on the 3-yard line. On the ensuing play defensive captain MLB Richard Davis sniffed out the running back and the whole defense had their hands up in the air signaling a SAFETY! 9-7 Marshall.

Marshall would put together another long drive (one of many on the day) which led to a failed 49-yard FG attempt - WIDE LEFT. There would be no more scoring in the quarter and we would go to the finish in a tight ball game.

Once more, The Herd would lean on the Game Star RB Ron Ferguson as he gouged the Trojan defenses. Marshall would fumble once more but ultimately recover the ball and they kept turning the screws until RB Graham Gonzalez plunged across the line for a 16-7 score.

The teams would trade possessions until the two minute warning where USC forced a Marshall punt, and took over on their 35-yard line, down by 9, with 1:45 to play. USC was again unable to mount much of an offense and staring at a 4th-and-1 QB Christopher Christiansen stood in the pocket as he was absolutely CRUSHED by WLB Morton Perez but not before he had dumped the ball off to a wide-open RB George Finn who scampered 55 yards for the score and USC had pulled themselves back from the brink of death. Video Hilight: https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/75#13732

This set up a wild finish as USC gathered for the onside kick, which they recovered right at mid-field. Needing only a field goal to win the game, the pressure was all on Marshall and the student section came alive! It definitely lit a fire under the defense and WLB Morton Perez was determined to make up for the touchdown moments earlier as he dragged the USC signal-caller down for a costly 7 yard loss. USC was able to successfully convert on a second 4th-and-the-ball game which set up an all-or-nothing 50 yard FG attempt with 0:06 on the clock. K Jerry Molloy lined up for the kick, and he got a good spot..

the kick is up...


it has the distance..

but it sails WIDE RIGHT!

MARSHALL WINS!
Despite giving up 4 turnovers and an onside-kick, the Thundering Herd were very fortunate to escape with a win. Speaking to reporters following the game Doc Holliday praised his teams' resiliency, "We had a lot of chances to feel sorry for ourselves and to fold up our tents and go home; but the team held together and made just enough plays to pull out the W. They aren't all going to be oil paintings and we're fortunate that Ferguson made it to the stadium today. We wouldn't have stood a chance if it wasn't for him. We obviously have a lot to clean up but at the beginning of spring practice you set a number of goals for yourself and the first of which was to win here tonight. We look forward to the opportunity to get better at practice as we prepare for Stanford next week."

NCAA Offensive Player Of The Week WR Ronald Stewart Celebrates His Fourth Touchdown Of The Game

Marshall Clear-Cuts Cardinal

W 50-20

[Huntington, WV] For the second straight week, Marshall University held serve in the young football season by defending it's home turf and coming away with a blow-out victory to the delight of the home crowd.

The upstart Herd would get off to a slow start, but they found their rhythm towards the end of the First Quarter and never looked back. They scored on touchdowns on 5 straight possession and scored on 6 of it's first 7.

The defense was in rare form, chopping down the Cardinal ball carriers at will as they held Stanford to 23 Offensive yards in the first half, 14 coming on their final play. MLB Richard Davis led the team with 10 Tackles, 1 Sack as he was responsible for keeping RB Ivan Thibodaux bottled up and beat down for the whole game. Too bad Davis wasn't playing on special teams on this day as the talented Cardinal playmaker took it out on the opposition by racking up an NCAA Record 397 kick return yards and 2 touchdowns. It would have been 3 if not for the game effort of K Ronald Osborne who sacrificed his body to drag down 'Crazy Ivan' and in the process knocked the ball loose.

Heisman frontrunner RB Ron Ferguson had another strong game as he lit the Cardinal a-blaze with 275 yards rushing, 2 catches for 32 yards and 1 rushing TD. He forces the opposing defense to stack the box with 8 and sometimes 9 defenders which open the door for WR Ronald Stewart and the rest of the Herd arial attack to charge to the goal. Stewart was chosen the NCAA Top Offensive Player for the week with his 9 catches for 227 yards and 4 TDs, and he also added 36 yards on 4 punt returns. Teams will have to pick their poison and the alternative won't be an enticing prospect for them.

Up next the Herd travels to visit the Hog Pen in Arkansas as they tangle with the Razorbacks who come off a 44-33 victory over Ole' Miss.

Herd Hammers Hogs

(9) Marshall 31 - Arkansas 9

[Fayetteville, AR] When the Marshall University football program touched down at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, there were a number of signs still up announcing the teams annual hunting camp (see below); but the Thundering Herd defense must have gotten confused about the meaning.



DE Maurice Hill and the rest of the Herd thought it was OPEN SEASON on the Razorbacks as they tee'ed off time and again racking up 12 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions. Razorback QB Jay Jones was harassed all game long and the Arkansas offense never got out of neutral save for 2 drives in the first half that stalled just over the midfield stripe.

Once again Marshall served up a heaping dose of Heisman Trophy hopeful RB Ray Ferguson to the turn of 33 rushes for 180 yards and 2 scores. The blockers up front have largely kept him clean, and the coaches just keep feeding him the ball even when he hits a dry spell as they know he's capable of breaking a big play on every down.

This win moves Marshall to 3-0 and has vaulted them into the national spotlight at #9 in the Coaches Poll. We all know the polls no longer determine the Bowl bids, but its fair to say that this team is being talked about as one of the better squads in all of college football. This week presents a tough test as Marshall will host the second-ranked 3-0 Notre Dame Fighting Irish with top spot in the division up for grabs. There are no must-wins this early in the season, but Marshall will want to put in a good effort against a premier team so they can gauge how close they might be to contending this season.

CD Bradley Abron celebrates one of his team-high 9 pass deflections on the day

Howard Curses Irish; Marshall Lead Independent Division At 4-0

(9) Marshall 35 - (2) Notre Dame 13

[Huntington, WV] The first-ever meeting between the Thundering Herd and the historic Notre Dame Fighting Irish lived up to the billing of one of the most highly-anticipated college football games of this young season. Adding to the drama, Heisman-hopeful RB Ron Ferguson was pulled from the line-ups after suffering a dislocated finger late in Marshall's victory over Arkansas last week. This match, pitting two of the nation's undefeated teams against one another would cry out for a a player to step into the void left by the loss of the talented red-shirt Freshman, cue Marshall's DT Gregory Howard.


Gregory Howard recovers a fumble that he had knocked loose from Fighting Irish FB Casey Carter in the first quarter of play

The first recruit to commit to Marshall University this season has been something of a disappointment to this point in the season, but they say the best players can usually find another level to their play during the biggest games and that's exactly what happened this weekend. Gregory Howard was a 1-man wrecking crew as he tallied a team-high 9 Tackles (6 TFL), 4 Sacks, 14 QB hurries, 2 Forced Fumbles, and 1 Fumble Recovery. Other notable defensive performances came from DE Maurice Hill (3 Sacks, 4 Tackles, 2 QB Hurries, 2 Forced Fumbles (on consecutive plays), 1 Fumble Revocery), and CB Bradley Abron who was tasked with shutting down Notre Dame's explosive WR Quincy Brown (5 Tackles, 9 Passes Deflected, 1 INT).

Despite the Thundering Herd defense keeping Irish pivot Brandon Wimbush under constant pressure all night long, the offense wasn't able to get much separation due to the stingy Irish defense who picked off QB Larry Ricketts twice and creating 2 Forced Fumbles (1 lost).

Special teams is where this game was won as Irish K Justin Yoon was 0-for-1 on Field Goal attempts and 50% (1-of-2) on PAT attempts. The play of the game was the free kick that followed a DT Clinton Canterbury's second sack/second Safety of the season which broke the 13-13 tie in the middle of the Third Quarter. Yoon kicked a high, deep, returnable ball to the Marshall 3-yard line, and KR Graham Gonzalez broke free from 3 would-be Irish tacklers, angled to the sideline where he shook off the kicker and raced the rest of the way unmolested for the tide-turning score. Hilight: https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/116#21179

Gonzalez also added the dagger in the 4th Quarter as, starting in place of RB Ron Ferguson, he broke the will of the visitors rumbling for a 39-yard score to ice the game at the 2-minute warning. Hilight: https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/116#21248

The game would end, fittingly, on Gregory Howard's 4th sack of the game and the student body rushed the field in jubilation.

Coach Doc Holliday was drenched with Gatorade as he made his way to mid-field to shake hands with Notre Dame Coach John Nickell. In the post-game interview with College Football Gameday's Molly McGrath, Coach Holliday declared, "I just can't say enough about the performance that the boys put together tonight against just a quality, quality opponent. They have a VERY good team over there and I'm sure they will be a force to be reckoned with this season; we haven't heard the last of them. It was a real test, especially without our best player."

Holly McGrath: "Coach, do you have an update on Ferguson's injury and his status for next weeks game against Navy?"

Doc Holliday: "I'll have to get with the training staff this week and see what they say. We are more concerned about the young man's long-term development, and it wouldn't make sense to bring him back to potentially win a game, only to lose him for an extended period of time. But if I can, I want to just give a shout-out to Herbstreit for his kind words this week; we appreciate his support and hope we can make believers out of the rest of the panel."

Holly McGrath: "Thanks Coach!"

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2e/1d/09/2e1d09f41bec1139efb8c3927a14dd71--go-irish-irish-baby.jpg

Guess who Lee Corso picked?

That guy is TROLLING me!

I'm not going to lie......I freaked out [just a little] when I read that! Thought I missed a sim!! Maybe 4-0? =)

Can barely write, DEF can't count!
Apologies to Navy, we aren't looking past you.

KR Graham Gonzalez escapes a would-be Navy tackler and would go on to rumble 106-yards for a TOUCHDOWN

Ricketts Torpedos Navy As Marshall Remain Undefeated

(5) Marshall 44 - Navy 35

[Huntington, WV] The Marshall University family has caught a case of Herd-Fever! Opening the season at 5-0 for the first time in school history; the demand for tickets has been insatiable. The thunderous cheers have spurred the Herd on to thrilling performances and this weeks matchup was no different.

Once again this week there was another first-ever meeting between two new divisional rivals: the Thundering Herd and the Naval Academy. Although Navy has had a challenging start to their year; they proved to be as mean as an old goat - they just would not stay down.

NCAA leading rusher RB Ron Ferguson returned to the starting line-up after missing last weeks big win over Notre Dame; and he put in another workhorse performance racking up 177 yards on 25 total touches. His understudy KR Graham Gonzalez stole Ferguson's thunder by breaking Ray Crisp's 40-year old record when he returned a second quarter kick-off 106 yards to paydirt - his second straight game with a kick return touchdown.

QB Larry Ricketts was on his game early, throwing 3 first-quarter touchdowns (and 1 interception) but he was dormant for the balance of the match. The two teams combined for 65points as neither defense seemed prepared for the early kickoff. Navy SR QB James Sherwood showed off the poise of a veteran, unflappable among the live bullets, keeping the Middies in the game with 5TD passes and over 400yards.

Last weeks hero, DT Gregory Howard was able to get to the Navy signal-caller as he flashed past RS Freshman RG Douglas Murray and put a hurt on Sherwood jarring the ball free at the Navy 10-yard line. DE Ray Rumfelt was johnny-on-the-spot and he scooped the ball up and trotted into the end zone for a defensive score. Hilight: https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/135#24717
WLB Morton Perez, Howard and MLB Richard Davis each chipped in with 2 sacks.

Navy was able to close the gap to 9 with just over 5 minutes left in the game; but were unable to convert a key 3rd-and-long deep in their own territory. They would never get the ball back as the Marshall ground game put away all doubt as they drained the clock to 0:00.

The schedule-maker has been kind to the Herd thus far this season; as they prepare for their 5th home game of the season in week 6. Marshall will play host to the Rebels of Ole' Miss who will be hopping-mad for a win after suffering a demoralizing division loss at the hands of LSU last week. Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm Saturday afternoon.