Marshall University's Student Newspaper

The Parthenon

Marshall University's Student Newspaper

The Parthenon

Marshall University's Student Newspaper

The Parthenon

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Marshall Football Dominated by Dukes

Cam+Fancher+is+tackled+by+a+JMU+defender.
Abigail Cutlip
Cam Fancher is tackled by a JMU defender.

Marshall football’s October troubles continued on Thursday, Oct. 19, against the undefeated James Madison University Dukes at home, losing 20-9.

The Herd has lost all three of its games in the month of October. Head coach Charles Huff is now 5-6 in his coaching career at Marshall in the month of October. 

Marshall’s offense put up zero offensive points in the matchup against the Dukes. The Herd was missing several starters on both sides of the ball, including star running back Rasheen Ali.

The Herd’s offense tallied a mere 169 total yards, finishing the contest with negative four rushing yards. Ethan Payne started due to the absence of Ali and amounted 62 yards on 20 rush attempts.

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Quarterback Cam Fancher finished the game with negative 66 rush yards after the Herd’s offensive line could not contain the Dukes’ pass rush. Fancher had 173 passing yards on 17 completions out of 30 attempts and an interception.

Going into halftime, the Dukes led the Herd 3-0 after 30 minutes of defensive battling. On seven occasions throughout the game, James Madison forced the Herd to start its drives inside its own 10-yard line.

Marshall scored its first points of the game in the third quarter after defensive lineman TyQaze Leggs tackled a JMU player in the endzone to give the Herd a safety.

Wide receiver Jayden Harrison would be the only Marshall player to find the endzone; Harrison bobbed and weaved between the James Madison kickoff defenders and returned the ball 94 yards to score and cut the Dukes’ lead to 20-9. 

The Herd’s special teams unit was a bright spot in Thursday’s game, after struggling against Georgia State in the team’s last contest. Punter John McConnell averaged 48.9 yards on eight punts including a 74-yard punt in the first quarter and Harrison’s 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

“I thought John battled his tail off to give us as much as he could from a punting perspective,” Huff said. “I thought our defense battled. I thought our special teams, this week, showed up. Last week, we were all over their tails, but they made plays this week. It just wasn’t enough to beat a good team.”

The Herd will look to get back on track against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Conway, South Carolina, after dropping three straight games. 

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About the Contributors
Joseph DiCristofaro, Sports Editor
Joseph DiCristofaro is the sports editor for The Parthenon. Joseph is a junior broadcast journalism major from Bluefield, West Virginia. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors and watching sports with friends.
Abigail Cutlip, Graphics Editor
Abigail Cutlip is a third-year student from Minford, Ohio who is majoring in public relations with minors in journalism, French and marketing. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in social media marketing in the theatre industry. Abigail is also involved in the Public Relations Student Society of America here at Marshall, and she sits on the executive board of her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, as the Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games and reading.
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