OFFENSE: C-

Tyler King had a career night out of the backfield, totaling 165 yards on 27 carries for an average of 6.1 yards per rush. Anthony Anderson added a season-high 77 yards and a touchdown for Marshall, which totaled over 200 rushing yards for the first time this season. Alex Thomson had an average day in his first-career start with 173 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Despite all this, the Herd turned the ball over three times, which Middle Tennessee turned into 14 points. Thomson was also sacked six times, and while some of those sacks can be attributed to holding onto the ball too long, the offensive line and backs also have to do a better job in pass protection on blitzes.

DEFENSE: C-

Marshall’s defense can be described as a tale of two halves. The Herd limited Middle Tennessee to 10 points in the first half, forcing constant pressure on quarterback Brent Stockstill and recovering a fumble that was converted into a field goal. Marshall’s second half defense, on the other hand, was abysmal. Stockstill had plenty of time to throw, the Herd forced no turnovers in the half and Middle Tennessee scored on each of its four second half drives. For those who think it gets easier: the Herd’s next opponent, Old Dominion, raked up 508 yards of offense on defending conference champion Florida Atlantic.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C+

Robert LeFevre averaged 47.3 yards per punt with a long of 60. That’s the good side of the special teams unit. The bad side? LeFevre also shanked a punt in the fourth quarter and Justin Rohrwasser missed a field goal on the Herd’s first drive of the third quarter. Both errors turned into Middle Tennessee touchdowns.