Tuesday, December 28 Defense makes Marshall's ending perfect
Associated Press
PONTIAC, Mich. -- Heisman finalist Chad Pennington led
Marshall into the Motor City Bowl. On Monday, the Thundering Herd's
punishing defense carried them to a perfect finish.
No. 11 Marshall got eight quarterback sacks -- knocking Brigham
Young's Kevin Feterik out of the game in the process -- and turned
one of Rogers Beckett's two interceptions into scores in a 21-3
victory at the Pontiac Silverdome.
The Thundering Herd (13-0), ranked seventh in the nation in
total defense, held BYU scoreless after halftime. The Cougars (8-4)
were limited to 204 total yards, 67 in the second half.
"Nothing went wrong for us," Marshall defensive lineman
Giradie Mercer said. "Every blitz we ran worked, every stunt we
ran up front worked. We were in a zone today."
Marshall held BYU running backs to minus-16 yards and got the
best of Feterik and two backups. After one sack, Feterik went into
a rage, slapping one of his linemen in the helmet for allowing
freshman cornerback Terrence Tarpley through the line.
On the first series of the second half, a sack by backup safety
Michael Owens forced Feterik from the game for good with a bruised
throwing shoulder. Brigham Young never recovered.
Feterik's replacement, freshman Bret Engemann, drove BYU to the
Marshall 39 on his second series. But defensive end Paul Toviessi
got consecutive sacks that forced a punt.
Beckett, a safety, returned an interception 16 yards to the BYU
1 on the first play of the fourth quarter, setting up Doug
Chapman's third touchdown of the game for a 21-3 lead.
"We had to come out and be sharp because we knew we were
playing a smart team," Beckett said.
Marshall threw in a couple of furious hits down the stretch.
Linebacker Andre O'Neal's hit on Donny Atuaia knocked off the
fullback's helmet and brought a roar from the crowd. A few plays
later, linebacker John Grace put a shot on wide receiver Margin
Hooks, drawing more oohs and aahs.
Pennington, who threw for 3,799 yards and 37 touchdowns during
the regular season, didn't care about an average performance.
He went 17-of-28 for 207 yards, including a 30-yard TD toss in
the second quarter to Chapman, who put the game away on an 87-yard
scoring run in the third quarter and finished with 133 yards
rushing.
"A win is never frustrating. I don't care who you play or what
you do," Pennington said. "When you get a W, it's always
gratifying. We did what we needed to do on offense. The defense was
playing real well. All we needed to do is not turn the ball over
and, be patient. Yeah, we didn't put up great numbers, but a win's
a win."
Pennington noted that three of his starting linemen -- center
Jason Starkey, right guard Jimmy Cabellos and right tackle Steven
Sciullo -- were suffering from stomach viruses.
"They couldn't get out of bed. It was tough," Pennington said.
"In the first half, they looked like zombies out there. They were
so dehydrated. That just shows the character of our team."
Now, it's up to the poll voters to determine where Marshall
stands among the nation's elite.
"Wherever they put us, that's fine with me, because we're
undefeated, and nobody can argue," Pennington said.
