Marshall knocked off Virginia Tech for the first time since 1940 with a score of 24-17 on Saturday, Sept. 24. A sold-out Joan C. Edwards Stadium watched this game that improved the Herd’s record to 3-0 this season.
Running back Rasheen Ali led the offensive charge for the Herd. Ali accounted for two touchdowns and 174 rushing yards. His performance on Saturday pushed him to over 2,000 rushing yards in his collegiate career with the Herd.
Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones put the Hokies on the board early after he found a hole in the Marshall defense, allowing him to run 31 yards into the endzone and put the Hokies up 7-0 after the extra point.
The Herd answered back in the second quarter, tying the game at 7-7 after a 12-yard pitch and catch from Cam Fancher to DeMarcus Harris.
On the Hokies’ first drive of the second quarter, running back Bhayshul Tuten scampered for a gain of 49 yards. Charleston native Kerion Martin chased Tuten down to stop him at the Marshall five-yard line; the Herd’s defense held the Hokies to a field goal on that possession.
“Obviously, you want to not have those big plays but find a way to get the guy on the ground,”Marshall head coach Charles Huff said, “Give us a chance to set our cleats and make them snap it one more time—good things happen.”
Martin set a career-high of nine tackles in the win over Virginia Tech.
“I think that was a turning point in the game, you know? They got a field goal without it instead of a touchdown, so the last touchdown would have tied it up,” Huff said. “It’s those types of in-game chess matches where it doesn’t seem like it was a big deal, but it was a big deal.”
Defensive back Josh Moten had two crucial pass breakups on the Hokies’ final drive, including a fourth down attempt to send the Hokies offense off the field.
“Our guys battled and found a way to win,” Huff said. “I think our process helped us out toward the end there. We talked about discipline being really big and execution being really big. It showed up today in crucial moments.”
The Herd’s 17-point second quarter pushed the game out of reach for the Hokies, despite scoring the only points of the second half.
The win over Virginia Tech is Marshall’s first win at home against a power five team since 2015, when the Purdue Boilermakers came to town.
Huff is now 2-0 against power five teams in his career at Marshall after Saturday’s win.
Marshall plays its first in-conference game of the season against the Old Dominion Monarchs at home on Saturday, Sept. 30.
