Sunday, October 03, 1999
Marshall 32, Miami 14
Herd outmuscles RedHawks, keeps Prentice quiet
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Miami QB Mike Bath is sacked by Marshall's Andre O'Neal.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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OXFORD — When the Marshall Thundering Herd came here two years ago and got their helmets handed to them by Miami, the RedHawks fans chanted, “Overrated!” as the Herd left Yager Stadium.
The Miami faithful must think this year's Marshall team is underrated.
Marshall came into Saturday's game ranked No.17 in the nation and looked better than that is dismantling Miami 32-14 before a stadium-record crowd of 30,887.
Marshall turned the Mid-American Conference showdown into a blowout.
“We had a problem today,” Miami coach Terry Hoeppner said. “It was called Marshall University. That's an excellent football team. It's the best team I've seen in this conference since I've been here.”
This is Hoeppner's 14th year at Miami.
“They're the standard in this league,” he said. “There's nothing wrong with saying that. They're new to this league, but they have a great winning tradition.”
This is Marshall's third year in the MAC. The Herd have won the last two titles. Now, Marshall (5-0, 2-0) is the odds-on favorite to win this year. Miami (3-2, 2-1) was picked second in the league.
Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington is considered one of the nation's best. He completed 18 of 35 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns.
But it was the Marshall defense that won the game.
Marshall's team speed was clearly superior to Miami's. As a result, Miami had nowhere to run, nowhere to throw.
“I've said all week I don't know if their defense gets enough credit,” Hoeppner said. “They have the total package. Their "D' line is big and fast. Their linebackers are good, and their defensive backs can cover.”
Miami star Travis Prentice had 16 yards on his first 17 carries. Prentice finished with 131 yards on 27 carries. But most of them came after the game was out of reach.
“I was embarrassed,” Prentice said. “The offense didn't play well. We put our defense in a predicament.”
With its superior quickness up front, Marshall was able to play a straight-up defense and still contain Prentice.
“Their offensive line isn't what it was,” Marshall linebacker John Grace said. “And our defensive front isn't what it was. We're so big, so strong, so fast. We knew we had to stop (Prentice), and we did.”
Because Marshall contained Prentice with seven players, the Herd were able to play a two-deep zone in pass coverage.
Miami quarterbacks Mike Bath and John Schacke often had time but could not find an open receiver. They each were forced to throw away the ball several times, and each was sacked three times.
This is the kind of day it was for Miami: Bath had to go out after getting hit hard on a scramble — “He was knocked silly,” Hoeppner said — then had to return when his backup, Schacke, was injured.
This is the kind of year it is for Miami: Schacke tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and is out for the year. He is the sixth Miami player to be lost for the season, the third in the last week.
The loss to Marshall makes it difficult for Miami to win the MAC. Because Marshall and Miami both play in the MAC East, Marshall must lose twice for Miami to earn a berth in the MAC championship game.
“This loss is not the end of the world,” Hoeppner said. “I've overcome a little adversity in my life. Now, we have to overcome a whole bunch.”
Hoeppner found a little solace in MAC history: Marshall came to Miami in 1997, lost to the RedHawks and still won the East and eventually the league.
“We'll regroup,” Hoeppner said. “We'll come back and play our butts off.”
Marshall ....... 9 10 3 10—32
Miami 0 0 0 14—14
First Quarter
Mar—FG Malashevich 42, 12:21
Mar—Poole 6 pass from Pennington (kick failed), 0:53
Second Quarter
Mar—FG Malashevich 40, 9:25
Mar—Williams 41 pass from Pennington (Malashevich kick), 3:02
Third Quarter
Mar—FG Malashevich 41, 4:06
Fourth Quarter
Mar—Williams 61 pass from Pennington (Malashevich kick), 14:21
Mar—FG Malashevich 31, 6:12.
Mia—Buxton 32 pass from Bath (pass failed), 4:10
Mia—Prentice 12 pass from Bath (Sexton pass from Bath), 1:20
A—30,087.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Marshall, Turner 14-50, Chapman 11-42, Rogers 6-23, Pennington 4-6, Cowan 1-(minus 2), Poole 1-(minus 12). Miami, Prentice 27-131, Bath 7-6, Smith 1-2, Schacke 3-(minus 25), team 1-(minus 16).
PASSING—Marshall, Pennington 18-35-0-294. Miami, Bath 12-22-1-165, Schacke 7-20-2-88, McCullough 0-1-1-0.
RECEIVING—Marshall, Washington 6-33, Poole 5-74, Williams 4-164, Foye 2-11, Cooper 1-12. Miami, Gaylor 6-61, Sexton 4-98, Buxton 4-62, Prentice 3-13, Stegman 2-19.
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