Marshall Espcapes W&M Upset Bid with 36-24 Victory

Brooks Runs for Career-high 149 Yards

09/01/05 11:08PM

Huntington, WV - Marshall University sophomore quarterback Bernie Morris threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns, and the Thundering Herd used a game-breaking, third-quarter defensive play to rally for a 36-24 victory over the College of William and Mary Thursday night.

In the season-opener for both teams, the Tribe once again put a serious scare into a Division I-A opponent on the legs of junior tailback Elijah Brooks (Largo, Md.), who rushed for a career-high 149 yards on 28 attempts.

With the Tribe leading 24-23 late in the third quarter, the Herd, however, capitalized on what would be the turning point of the contest, as junior linebacker Matt Couch picked up a Tribe fumble and raced 70 yards for a touchdown, giving MU a 29-24 advantage at the 1:08 mark of the third. The Herd went for the two-point conversion, but junior linebacker Ryan Nickell (Yorktown, Va.) broke up Morris’ pass at the goal line, leaving the margin at 29-24.

On the Tribe’s pivotal ensuing possession, the Herd defense, which surrendered 359 total yards of W&M offense, came up big when it had to, forcing the Tribe to punt.

MU regained control at its 16-yard line early in the fourth quarter and kept its momentum rolling with an 11-play, 84 yard drive that ate up 4:13 off the clock and was capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Morris, his third, to Hiram Moore with 9:46 remaining, that set what would be the final margin.

The Tribe had two more possessions to mount a comeback, but could not advance past its 32-yard line in two series in the final nine minutes.

Facing a 23-10 halftime deficit, the Tribe stormed back in the third quarter with sophomore quarterback Mike Potts (Middletown, Del.) at the controls. In his first-career start, Potts led the Tribe on an 80-yard scoring drive on the first series of the second half.

Brooks ran for 32 yards on four tries on the drive, but it was a 19-yard swing pass from Potts to Brooks on third-and-10 that brought the Tribe within 23-17 4:31 into the second half.

With the momentum beginning to shift in W&M’s favor, the defense made a statement of its own, forcing the Herd three-and-out on the next series. After a 42-yard MU punt, the Tribe was on the move again, starting at its 38-yard line.

Brooks started the drive with a tough 2-yard plunge, and Potts connected with senior tight end Adam Bratton (Montoursville, Pa.) for a first down two plays later to reach the 48. Brooks ran three more times on the drive for 16 more yards, and Potts found redshirt freshman fullback Tony Viola (Broadway, Va.) wide-open down the left side of the field for a 18-yard scoring pass with 3:03 remaining in the third. Viola’s first-career touchdown reception gave the Tribe its first lead of the contest, 24-23.

With MU reeling, the Tribe had a chance to take control of the game, as senior defensive end Jonas Watson (Hampton, Va.) forced a Morris fumble on the Herd’s next possession that was recovered by Nickell at the MU 34.

Brooks ripped off a 16-yard run on first down and followed with another positive yard to 17, but Potts’ sack and fumble on the next play led to the 70-yard return by Couch.

In its first-ever game as a member of Conference-USA, the Herd wasted no time establishing its big-play ability, as junior quarterback Jimmy Skinner connected with senior wide receiver Wilbur Hargrove for a 66-yard strike on MU’s first snap. Already with its back against the wall at the 12-yard line, the Tribe defense responded with a key early stand, limiting the MU offense to a single rushing yard and two incomplete passes following the big pass play to set up fourth-and-nine from the 11. MU kicker Ian O’Connor came on and drilled a 28-yard chip shot to give the Herd a 3-0 advantage just 1:23 into the contest.

Unfazed by the ominous start, the Tribe offense made the most of its first opportunity of the young season, taking over possession at the 28-yard line after a 22-yard kickoff return by senior Stephen Cason (Richmond, Va.). Potts found Bratton down the right side for a 34-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage, quickly moving into Herd territory.

Brooks carried for eight yards on first down to the 26, but Potts was stopped for no gain on second down and an incomplete pass on third down set up fourth-and-two, leading to a 47-yard field goal by senior All-American kicker Greg Kuehn (Potomac Falls, Va.). With 12:27 remaining in the first, W&M answered the Herd’s initial blow and knotted the score 3-3 on the foot of Kuehn.

After the teams exchanged punts, MU regained control at the Tribe 43 and took advantage of the short field, marching to the end zone on seven plays, capped by a five-yard scoring run by sophomore Ahmad Bradshaw. The score gave MU a 10-3 lead at the 5:38 mark of the opening period.

The Herd threatened again in the early moments of the second quarter, again taking advantage of favorable starting field position at its 39. MU moved 26 yards on seven plays, but O’Connor came up short on a 52-yard field-goal attempt leaving the margin at 10-3.

The next Tribe series started extremely promising, as Brooks rushed for 15 yards on three consecutive plays to move the ball to the 50-yard line. Two plays later, Brooks gained 16 more yards on third-and-14 to give the Tribe a first down at the MU 40, but on the next play, Potts was intercepted in the end zone turning it over to the Herd.

On MU’s ensuing possession, sophomore quarterback Bernie Morris, who replaced Skinner after the opening drive, was stopped for a loss of one yard on first down by senior Jon Shaw (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) and redshirt freshman Josh Rutter (Union Bridge, Md.). Facing second-and-11, Morris dropped back to pass and threw to the left, where Tribe redshirt freshman safety Kevin Allen (Richmond, Va.) dove in front of the intended target and registered his first-career interception, giving it back to the Tribe at the MU 27.

After an incomplete pass, Potts connected with senior wide receiver Josh Lustig (Erie, Pa.) to the 14-yard line, and three Brooks’ carries later the Tribe had a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. The Tribe caught a huge break on first down, as Potts scrambled to the right pylon and fumbled into the end zone, where sophomore fullback Matt Otey (Hershey, Pa.) fell on the loose ball for the touchdown. After the extra point, the score was even again, 10-10, with 7:30 left in the first half.

MU, however, quickly answered with a five-play, 80-yard drive in just less than two minutes with the big play coming on a 52-yard scoring screen pass to Bradshaw.

With the Tribe now down a score, redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Phillips (Warm Springs, Va.) entered the contest and completed his first-career pass attempt for 22 yards to Bratton, giving W&M a first down at the Herd 37. Phillips scrambled for six yards on first down, and Brooks gained another set of downs with a six-yard jaunt, but a fumble at the 23 gave it back to MU.

Taking advantage of another costly Tribe miscue, the Herd covered 71 yards on seven plays, taking a 23-10 lead into the break on a 25-yard scoring pass from Morris to Shawn Luzon with 1:32 left on the clock.

Brooks ran for 71 yards on 14 carries in the first half alone en route to his career-high total, keeping the Tribe within striking distance as the Herd gained 306 total yards in the opening half to W&M’s 174.

Potts finished the evening 16-for-30 through the air for 164 yards and two scores and was intercepted once, while Phillips completed two of his five attempts for 40 yards.

Lustig paced the Tribe receiving corps with four catches for 44 yards, while Bratton finished with three grabs for 64 yards. Brooks also contributed three catches, including the 19-yard TD reception from Potts, for 27 yards.

Rutter led the defense with 16 total tackles in his first-career start, while Shaw chipped in with 10.

Box Score

Game Notes: Sophomore quarterback Mike Potts made his first career start … Greg Kuehn’s 47-yard FG in the first quarter eclipsed his season-long from 2004 (46) … The FG brought Kuehn’s career total to 47, one shy of Brian Shallcross (1994-97) on the W&M career list … Redshirt freshman Tony Viola scored the first touchdown of his career on a 18-yard reception from Potts in the third quarter … Redshirt freshman Kevin Allen’s interception was the first of his career … Two true freshmen saw playing time for the Tribe, wide receiver D.J. McAulay and linebacker Michael Pigram … Junior RB Elijah Brooks set a career-high with 149 rushing yards, surpassing his previous career-best of 120 set last season at Towson .

Head Coach Jimmye Laycock Quotes

"I really liked the way we compete tonight. The biggest positive I’ll take away from this game is how well we competed in the third quarter.”

“I was very pleased with Elijah Brooks and the offensive line. I was pleasantly surprised with how well we were able to run the ball tonight.”

“We expected they would make some big plays, but I thought we fought back pretty well.”