By GARY FAUBER
HUNTINGTON — The shootout everyone expected never materialized.
The game lasted long enough, what with all the coaches’ challenges and official reviews — five to be exact.
But Marshall proved it can win a struggle, beating Memphis 17-16 Saturday in front of 27,349 fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Marshall (2-1, 1-0) won its Conference USA opener for the first time under coach Mark Snyder. It also avenged last year’s 24-21 loss at Memphis.
The Tigers had one last shot at getting within range of a game-winning field goal try on a drive that began at their 13 but had no timeouts. Backup quarterback Will Hudgens’ desperation pass fell incomplete near the goal line to end the game.
The game had the markings of a potential slugfest when Marshall scored on the third play. A 39-yard completion from Mark Cann to Emmanuel Spann was followed by a 40-yard touchdown run by Darius Marshall. The Herd led 7-0 just one minute in.
But scoring came at a premium after that.
The Tigers (0-3, 0-2) pulled to within 7-3 on Matt Reagan’s career-long 44-yard field goal with 5:24 left in the second quarter.
Marshall got those points back on junior Craig Ratanamorn’s first career field goal from 31 yards with 44 seconds to go before halftime.
Memphis got it to 10-6 on Reagan’s 22-yard chip shot, then took the lead on one of the plays that was reviewed. Hudgens hit Earnest Williams for a 4-yard touchdown pass and 13-10 advantage with 5:01 left in the third.
The play was reviewed to see if the ball had hit the turf, but the TD was upheld, giving Williams a score in 10 straight games.
The Herd reclaimed the lead when Cann floated an 18-yard TD pass to Darius Passmore with four seconds to play in the third. Memphis drew the ire of Snyder when it challenged the play just before the PAT kick.
The play was upheld and the Herd led 17-13. Memphis was charged with a timeout.
The challenge of Passmore’s TD, his third of the year, was the fifth review of the game.
Darius Marshall had a 64-yard touchdown called back in the second quarter when it was found he stepped out of bounds after a 6-yard pickup. On Memphis’ next possession, Maurice Kitchens had a fumble recovery taken away when a review showed Tigers receiver Duke Calhoun was down before he lost the ball.
Snyder challenged the first play of the second half and lost, costing his team a timeout.
Marshall, a sophomore, rushed for 140 yards on 27 carries, his second 100-yard game of the year.
Memphis receiver Maurice Jones, who had nine catches for 173 yards and two scores last week against Rice, was quiet against the Herd until a 53-yard reception to the Marshall 8 in the fourth quarter. The Tigers stalled there and settled for Reagan’s 25-yard field goal to pull to within 17-16 with 8:14 to play.
Marshall visits Southern Miss next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff.
— E-mail: gfauber
@register-herald.com
