C-USA Conference Championship Game
Game Notes
--- It was a hard fought road, but we made it back to the C-USA Conference Championship Game. Unexpectedly, we would not be facing a rematch with Southern Miss, but instead of showdown with Marshall, the first playing the Thundering Herd in Coach Ramius’ career, after Marshall knocked off the Golden Eagles in week 14. Marshall offensively entered the game as a middling team, neither great nor bad in any area on offense. Defensively, they entered with the #8 passing defense in the nation, but also with the #109 rushing defense. Hopefully our boys would be ready to play and avoid getting upset by Marshall like happened to Southern Miss. With a snowstorm a blowing in Huntington, West Virginia, Marshall won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A touchback on the opening kickoff got us off and running, our offense starting from the 25. Roy Smith took the ball on the opening play, picking up 6 yards on the ground, followed by a 5 yard rush to get the first down. Throwing up a pass to Eric Hayden, the ball was nearly intercepted by the safety, leaving second down. Going over the middle on the next play, this time Hayden was able to get to the ball, hauling in the pass for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 49 yard line. A 6 yard rush by Smith was followed with a 9 yard gain by Randy Newman to get the first down at the Marshall 36. Smith took the handoff for a 5 yard gain, before Newman rumbled ahead for 9 yards and a first down at the 23 yard line. We would find the end zone on the next play, as the Brad Stephens kept the ball, all the blocks lining up, allowing him to race down the left sideline for the 23 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 6:21 left in the first quarter.
A 17 yard kickoff return started Marshall at their 21. After an incomplete pass on first down, David Ferguson hit Lance Rose for a 10 yard gain, leaving third and inches. That third and inches would turn into first down for our offense, as Montrell Collins hauled in a pass for a 13 yard gain, but was stripped of the ball, cornerback Allen Moore recovering the fumble to give us possession at the Marshall 43 yard line. A pair of rushes by Smith for gains of four yards each left us looking at third and two. Smith was able to get the ball to the first down marker for two yard gain, moving the chains to the 33. Going into the air on first down, Stephens hit Chad Fisher for a 15 yard gain down to the 17. A 6 yard gain by Smith was followed up with a pickup of one yard by Newman to leave third and three. Smith could only manage one yard on the third down carry to the Marshall 9 yard line, leaving the field goal unit coming out. The 27 yard kick by Alphonso Pratt was good, extending our lead to 10-0 with 2:54 left in the first quarter.
Marshall began their next drive on the 25 after the kickoff. Brian Baker started with a two yard rush, followed by a 7 yard gain by Rose to leave third and inches. Opting to go for the pass instead of the run, the throw from Ferguson to Rose was batted incomplete, leaving fourth and inches. An 8 yard return by Fisher on the 42 yard punt set our offense up at our 31. There wasn’t much going on first down, as Smith was quickly wrapped up for a one yard gain. The defense again gave nothing, Smith only able to get one yard to leave third and 8. Stephens never had a chance on third down, forced to throw the ball into the ground just as the blitzing safety hit him, leaving fourth and 8. A 10 yard return on the 45 yard punt gave Marshall possession at their 33 yard line. An incomplete pass, a two yard rush by Baker and a dropped ball by Nigel Lambert left the drive stalled out and the punt team coming out on fourth and 8. A fair catch gave us back possession at our 22 yard line. A 10 yard rush by Smith out to the 32 yard line picked up the first down, as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the first quarter coming to an end with our lead 10-0.
Opening up the second quarter, another 10 yard rush by Smith gave us a first down at the 42 yard line. Keeping it going on the ground, Smith rumbled ahead for an 11 yard gain and a first down at the Marshall 47. The first down pass to Fisher was initially caught, but a big hit to the back by the cornerback jarred the ball loose and incomplete. A missed interception attempt by the outside linebacker allowed Hayden to haul in a pass from Stephens for a 16 yard gain down to the 31 yard line. Throwing to Nicholas Roberts, Stephens was able to get the ball out just before getting hit, Roberts catching the pass on his way out of bounds for a 13 yard gain down to the 18 yard line. A pass to Max Thompson on an out route gained 9 yards, leaving second and two, followed by a 5 yard run by Smith to set up first and goal at the four yard line. The first play was nothing short of a disaster, as Newman was quickly swarmed by green jerseys, pushing off of one tackle attempt and running for the sideline, but quickly pushed further backwards and tackled for a four yard loss to the 8 yard line. A second down rush by Smith picked up three yards, leaving third and goal at the 5. The drive would crash to an end on the next play, as Stephens was sacked for a 9 yard loss, leaving us attempting a field goal from the 14 yard line. The 31 yard field goal attempt by Pratt was no good, leaving the score 10-0 with 5:13 left to go in the half.
Taking over at the 20 yard line, Baker got Marshall started on offense with a 5 yard rush, before Ferguson was tackled for a loss of three yards to leave third and 8. Ferguson would be forced to scramble on third down, picking up four yards, but not enough as the punt team came out on fourth and four. An 8 yard return by Fisher on the 43 yard punt returned possession to our offense at our 39 yard line. Keeping the ball on first down, Stephens was quickly tackled for a loss of three yards. A failed option play on second down resulted in another three yard loss by Stephens, immediately brought down by both the defensive end and the middle linebacker, leaving us facing third and 16. The third down pass intended for Fisher was broken up, and the punt team came out. A fair catch on the 48 yard punt got Marshall started at their 19 yard line. Baker started the drive with a 6 yard rush out to the 25, before an incomplete pass left third and four. The Thundering Herd would commit their second turnover of the game, as Ferguson was intercepted by cornerback Jonathan Chambers, giving us the ball at the Marshall 34 yard line.
A 7 yard rush by Smith was followed with a 6 yard gain to get the first down at the 21 yard line, 2:18 left in the half. A pitch to Newman resulted in us going backwards, tackled for a loss of three yards. The second down pass intended for Hayden sailed long and incomplete, leaving third and 13. Newman would keep the drive alive, hauling in a short pass from Stephens and then racing the safety and outside linebacker to and up the sideline for a 16 yard gain, leaving first and goal at the 7 yard line. Smith never had a chance on first down, swarmed by the defense for a three yard loss, our first timeout stopping the clock with 1:09 to go. Smith picked up one yard up the middle, leaving third and goal at the 9 yard line. The third down pass to Donny Jordan was broken up by the outside linebacker, leaving fourth and goal with 40 seconds to go. The 26 yard field goal by Pratt was good, giving us a 13-0 lead with 37 seconds remaining.
Marshall started their next drive on the 25 yard line after a touchback on the kickoff. Three straight incomplete passes, two of them dropped, left the Thundering Herd punting the ball with 16 seconds to go. An 18 yard return by Fisher on the 47 yard punt gave us the ball at our 45 yard line with 8 seconds to go. Taking a shot deep for the hell of it, the deep bomb down the right sideline intended for Fisher sailed long and out of bounds, leaving three seconds on the clock. A 5 yard rush up the middle by Smith brought the first half to an end, our lead 13-0.
Opening up the third quarter, the kickoff sailed out of the end zone for a touchback, Marshall taking over at their 25 yard line. It would only keep getting worse for the green and white faithful, as Chambers intercepted his second pass of the day, giving us the ball on the Marshall 30 yard line. Smith was quickly brought down for a one yard gain on the first down carry. Stephens kept the ball himself on the next play, a block taking down the cornerback and opening up the corner, Stephens racing all the way down to the four yard line for a 25 yard rush to set up first and goal. The first down rush by Smith went for a loss of two yards. Keeping the ball on second and goal, Stephens also couldn’t find an opening on the ground, tackled for another loss of two yards, leaving third and goal at the 8 yard line. Stephens tried to hit Hayden in the back of the end zone, but the ball sailed too high and out of the end zone incomplete, leaving fourth and goal. The 25 yard field goal by Pratt was good, extending our lead to 16-0 with 6:55 left in the third quarter.
A touchback on the kickoff gave Marshall the ball at their 25 yard line. Ferguson picked up three yards on first down for Marshall, before the defense would force yet another turnover, cornerback Chad Wheeler causing and then recovering a fumble by Baker to give us possession at the Marshal 35 yard line. Smith picked up 8 yards on the first down carry, before being immediately tackled in the backfield for a one yard loss to leave third and three. Newman took the ball on third down, tripped forward for a three yard gain to leave fourth and inches. The 42 yard field goal by Pratt was good, increasing our lead to 19-0 with 4:31 to play in the third quarter.
No return on the kickoff left Marshall again at their 25 yard line. After a dropped pass by Wesley Anderson, the Thundering Herd finally found some success, as Ferguson hit Albert Jenkins for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 38. Another pass to Jenkins picked up 17 yards to our 45 yard line. Two incomplete passes and a two yard rush by Baker would leave the drive stalled out, Marshall punting on fourth and 8 from our 43 yard line. The punt sailed out of the end zone for a touchback, our offense taking over at our 20 yard line. A pair of rushes by Smith picked up gains of three and 5 yards to give us third and two at the 28 yard line. The toss left to Newman sent us backwards, tackled for a loss of four yards and punting on fourth and 7. A 5 yard return on the 46 yard punt gave Marshall possession at the 36 yard line. It was a rough start, as a holding penalty sent the Herd backwards. Another holding penalty made it even more daunting for Marshall, left with first and 10 at the 16 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, the defense forced its fifth turnover of the game, middle linebacker Jermaine Clark stripping the ball out of the arms of Collins after he received a pass from Ferguson and recovering the fumble at the Marshall 29 yard line.
A pair of rushes by Smith picked up gains of two and four yards to leave third and four. Stephens kept the ball himself on the next play, spinning his way out of two tackles, but ultimately only able to gain one yard, leaving fourth and three. That would be the final play of the third quarter, as the last five seconds ticked off the clock, our lead holding at 19-0.
Opening up the fourth quarter, the 39 yard field goal attempt by Pratt was good, extending our lead now to 22-0 just three seconds into the fourth. A 24 yard kickoff return set Marshall up at their 23 yard line, an uphill climb in front of them, but not impossible. Airing it out, Ferguson completed a 7 yard past to Jenkins before hitting Collins for a gain of 13 yard and a first down at the 43 yard line. A pass to Rose for 5 yards was followed with an 8 yard strike to Anderson and another first down at our 45. Ferguson would find Collins for an 11 yard gain on the next play and a new set of downs at our 34 yard line, before three straight incomplete passes, the last one dropped by Lambert, left Marshall stuck in the mud on fourth and 10. The Herd elected to go for it, the pass intended for Baker sailing incomplete, and we took over on downs at our 34 yard line.
Stephens took the ball on first down, only managing to pick up two yards, followed by a 7 yard rush by Smith to leave third and one at the 42. The Marshall defense again denied us on third down, the middle linebacker blitzing through and blowing up the play, tackling Smith for a two yard loss to leave fourth and three. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt set Marshall up at their 16 yard line with 5:57 to go. After a pair of incomplete passes, Ferguson hit Lambert deep for a 26 yard gain and a first down at the 42 yard line. Three more incomplete passes, including yet another dropped ball by Lambert, left the Herd facing fourth and 10. Marshall would covert the fourth down, as Ferguson hit Rose down the right sideline for a 25 yard gain to set up first down at our 33 yard line. A pair of incomplete passes and a false start penalty left Marshall with third and 15. They would turn the ball over on downs two plays later, Collins dropping two consecutive passes.
With the turnover on downs, we took over on offense at our 38 yard line, 4:44 left to play in the game. The defense continued to shut down our run game, Smith tackled for a three yard loss on the first down carry. An incomplete pass intended for Fisher was nearly intercepted, leaving third and 13. With a heavy blitz coming, Stephens rolled out and tried to scramble, but was tripped up by the outside linebacker for an 11 yard sack, leaving us punting on fourth and 24. A 10 yard return on the 51 yard punt gave Marshall the ball at their 34 yard line. Marshall went right to the air on first down, Ferguson finding Rose for a 10 yard gain and a first down at the 44. After two incomplete passes, a 27 yard throw to Anderson converted the third down and gave Marshall a first down at our 29 yard line. An 8 yard pass to Anderson was followed with two incomplete passes, leaving fourth and two at our 21. A 5 yard toss to Jenkins got the first down for the Herd, moving the chains to our 16 yard line. Two incomplete passes and a loss of four yards by Baker left Marshall looking at fourth and 14 at our 19 yard line, 2:29 left in the game. Our defense would respond, sacking Ferguson for an 8 yard loss and forcing the turnover on downs at our 27 yard line with 2:19 remaining.
Taking over at our 27 yard line after the turnover on downs, Smith took the first down carry for a 6 yard gain to the 33. A 6 yard rush by Newman would get the first down at the 39 yard line, and that would be all she wrote, as Stephens would only need to kneel down the ball twice to run the final 1:34 off the clock, giving us a 22-0 victory and clinching the C-USA Championship for another year.
With the win, we improve to 9-4, 7-2 in C-USA action and win the 2016 C-USA Championship. With the loss, Marshall drops to 8-5, 7-2 in C-USA play. Up next, the wait to find out who we will play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Final Score
22,
0
Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A very quiet day by Stephens, only throwing 6-15 for 81 yard, also had 18 yards rushing and the only touchdown of the game on the ground. Smith led the way on the ground with 126 yard rushing on 32 carries. Receiving, five players caught a ball, Hayden the leader with 29 yards on two receptions.
Tulsa Defense – An insane day defensively, ending with a very much uncharacteristic 5 turnovers to keep Marshall from ever being a threat.
Tulsa Kicking – A busy day for Pratt, going 5-6, making kicks of 27, 26, 25, 42 and 39 yards, while missing from 31 yards out. Also went 1-1 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
| Team |
1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
Final Score |
|
10 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
22 |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Time |
Team |
Result |
Play |
Score |
| First Quarter |
| 6:21 |
|
Touchdown |
B. Stephens, 23 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
7-0 |
| 2:54 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 27 yard field goal |
10-0 |
|
| Second Quarter |
| 0:37 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 26 yard field goal |
13-0 |
|
| Third Quarter |
| 6:55 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 25 yard field goal |
16-0 |
| 4:31 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 42 yard field goal |
19-0 |
|
| Fourth Quarter |
| 8:57 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 39 yard field goal |
22-0 |
| Tulsa |
Stat |
Marshall |
| 22 |
Score |
0 |
| 16 |
First Downs |
10 |
| 241 |
Total Offense |
244 |
| 52 - 160 - 1 |
Rushes - Yards - TD |
11 - 31 - 0 |
| 6 - 15 - 0 |
Comp - Att - TD |
16 - 49 - 0 |
| 81 |
Passing Yards |
213 |
| 2 |
Times Sacked |
1 |
| 2 - 13 (15%) |
3rd Down Conversion |
2 - 13 (14%) |
| 0 - 0 (0%) |
4th Down Conversion |
2 - 5 (40%) |
| 0 - 0 (0%) |
2-Point Conv |
0 - 0 (0%) |
| 6 - 0 - 3 (50%) |
Red Zone - TD - FG |
1 - 0 - 0 (0%) |
| 0 |
Turnovers |
5 |
| 0 |
Fumbles Lost |
3 |
| 0 |
Intercepted |
2 |
| 34 |
Punt Return Yards |
25 |
| 0 |
Kick Return Yards |
41 |
| 275 |
Total Yards |
310 |
| 5 – 47.0 |
Punts - Average |
5 - 44.0 |
| 0 - 0 |
Penalties |
4 - 35 |
| 21:36 |
Time of Possession |
14:24 |
| Fail Impact |
Goal |
Progress |
Pass Impact |
 |
21+ points per game in each season |
26 |
 |
|
Win 10 games in one season |
9 |
|
|
3300+ passing yards each season |
2682 |
 |
|
65% pass completions over the entire contract |
60% |
|
 |
Win 6 games in one season |
 |
|
|
15+ rushing TD in each season |
1/4 Completed |
|
 |
3200+ total offensive yards each season |
1/4 Completed |
 |
|
3400+ total offensive yards each season |
1/4 Completed |
 |
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by JeffHCross
- (6-6)
- (6-6)
- (6-6)
- (6-6)
- (6-6)
- (6-6)
- (8-4)
- (6-6)
- (6-6)
Bookmarks