HUNTINGTON, W. Va. --East Carolina topped off Marshall Saturday with a 37-10 victory over the Herd. What began as hopes of the Herd going toe to toe with the Pirates, slipped away in the second half when the East Carolina offense put on a showcase in front of its homecoming crowd.
Marshall (1-6, 0-3 CUSA) came into the matchup with one goal, upset. A win would have boosted the Thundering Herd confidence for the remainder of the season. The Marshall defense limited a high-powered East Carolina offense during the first half on Saturday. East Carolina was held to a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter due to three Brian Anderson interceptions at the end of the first half. The Pirates took advantage of Marshall turnovers. East Carolina scored twice quickly with 2 1/2 minutes remaining to give the Pirates a 20-10 heading into the locker room.
East Carolina (5-2, 4-0 CUSA) torched the Thundering Herd to begin the second half. The pirates scored on three straight drives to start the second half, killing any Marshall hopes of staying in the game. Running Back, Jonathan Williams carried the ball 11 times for 111 yards, averaging 10.1 yards per carry. His final run in the fourth quarter sealed the victory for the Pirates from 29 yards out. The Thundering Herd defense limited Quarterback Dominque Davis and receiver Dwayne Harris during the majority of the game. Davis finished with a season low, completing 23 of 39 passes with 208 yards through the air. East Carolina head coach Ruffin Mcneil said, it was a grinding win for the Pirates according to The Herald Dispatch.
Marshall receiver Troy Evans stood out for the Herd Saturday hauling in 6 receptions for 50 yards while scoring his first touchdown of the season.
Cornerback Monterius Lovett played his role on defense for the Herd with 9 tackles (4 Solo).
With 3 interceptions, the Herd couldn’t rack up the points. Kicker Kase Whitehead added the first points of the afternoon for the herd with a 22-yard field goal with 2:24 remaining in the first quarter.
Later quarterback Brian Anderson would find receiver Troy Evans in the end zone from nine yards out to not up the contest 10-10.
East Carolina capitalized on Marshall turnovers early. An interception by Bradley Jacobs put East Carolina in Marshall territory. A 39-yard filed goal by Michael Barbour gave East Carolina a 10-3 lead with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter. Two more Anderson interceptions resulted in Pirate scores. Then to begin the second half, the Pirates scored three straight times. Two of which were Davis touchdown passes. A 29-yard run buy Williams gave East Carolina a 34-10 lead. With time expiring, Barbour added on three more points with a 40-yard field goal.
Marshall comes home to face the UTEP Minors in an anticipated homecoming matchup next Saturday.
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