HUNTINGTON -- Finally, Marshall University football cashed in on months of unyielding attitude and work ethic.
Despite seven consecutive losses, the 2007 Thundering Herd was universally praised for remaining upbeat and maintaining tunnel vision. Payoff arrived Saturday afternoon with a resounding 34-21 victory before an enthused Joan C. Edwards Stadium crowd of 31,768 on Homecoming.
Stating the obvious, it was a long time coming.
"It's been eight weeks coming," Thundering Herd head coach Mark Snyder specified.
Consecutive fourth quarter Rice touchdowns caused concern, but Snyder's squad executed the necessary plays late.
With 3:07 remaining, 6-foot-6 senior Shawn Lauzon secured an onside kick. A 26-yard Chubb Small run preceded the knockout score, Kelvin Turner's 8-yard touchdown.
"We made it interesting, but if feels good to get a win," Snyder said. "Wow."
For so many weeks, Marshall has fallen just short of its own comebacks. This time, E.J. Wynn one-handed the onside kick and after a scrum, fellow Marshall wideout Lauzon emerged with the ball.
"It was a good kick. I'm not going to lie," Lauzon said. "E.J. jumped up there and snagged it with one hand and I thought he had it, but when it hit the ground it popped up.
"It was just sitting there on the hip of one of the Rice players and I dug my helmet in there and held on for dear life."
Following a first quarter stalemate, Marshall (1-7, 1-3 Conference USA) gradually overpowered overmatched Rice (1-7, 1-3). Pounding away at C-USA's most generous defense, the Herd rolled to 481 total yards behind Bernard Morris' masterful playmaking.
The senior quarterback threw for 227 yards and added 120 more and two touchdowns on the ground.
"He was the X factor," Snyder said. "There's no question."
Just as important, Marshall coaches read the tale of the tape and went to work. Tailbacks Small and Darius Marshall and Morris combined in a relentless running game against an undersized Owl front seven. The matchup was there to be had, and the Herd pounced with 254 rushing yards.
Morris amassed 120 yards on just 13 rushes, and Small complemented with 74 on nine handoffs in his most physical performance of the season.
"They are a very good offensive line," Rice coach David Bailiff said. "They are big and physical."
Of all things, a red zone defensive stand set the tone in a battle of two potent attacks. Late in the first quarter, Rice wasted little time driving from its 8-yard line to the Thundering Herd 5. Backup quarterback James Casey was stopped short on a fourth quarter dive, however, sending Marshall off on its initial scoring drive.
"You can't run in the middle of a 300-pound man and think you are going to go through him," Bailiff said.
Marshall added a second fourth and 1 stand and limited the Owls, averaging more than 26 points a game, to seven through three quarters.
"It did set the tone for us," Thundering Herd linebacker Maurice Kitchens said. "It showed everyone else that we can hold our own with our backs to the wall.
"We will fight. We will fight to get out of that corner. That was an important part of the game."
With Morris scrambling and throwing for first downs, the Herd dismissed holding calls en route to a 96-yard march. In a fitting capper, Morris spotted open field and sprinted 9 yards for a 7-0 lead.
Morris' 23-yard hookup to a leaping Lauzon, followed by a brilliant 12-yard impromptu escape from the pocket, preceded the second score. Morris dodged four defenders on the 12-yard scamper (on third and 10), and Turner bulled in from 2 yards six plays later.
An aggressive theme continued late in the second quarter. Leading 14-0 just 85 seconds removed from halftime and taking over inside its own 10, simply shutting it down wouldn't have overly ired the home fans. Instead, Marshall calmly marched 66 yards in 11 plays, setting up Anthony Binswanger's season-best 42-yard field goal.
Marshall entered intermission to resounding applause leading 17-0. Finally, after nearly two months of frustration, players, coaches and fans breathed easy, confident that they were in control.
Morris added a dazzling 26-yard third quarter scoring run -- Marshall's offensive highlight of the season -- extending the advantage to 24-0.
Defensive end John Jacobs continued his impressive return from injury, totaling three tackles for loss for the second time in three games. Safety John Saunders' fourth quarter interception was Marshall's second of the season and the secondary's first.
"I wish I could explain what this feeling is, what the locker room is," said Kitchens, who had one of two Herd sacks. "It's a huge sense of relief. It's a great accomplishment.
"It came late in the season. But at least we have a win under our belt. We finally got the win that we needed.
"Homecoming? We had to get that win."
Throughout the season, Marshall has answered losses with high-effort practices. Now armed with momentum the Thundering Herd begins preparation for East Division rival Central Florida. Saturday's kickoff at Bright House Networks Stadium, UCF's first-year facility, is 3:30 p.m. and CSS will televise the game.
"We're going to go home and enjoy this but it's just like every week," Snyder said. "We have to get ready to go play a very, very good UCF team in Orlando. So I'm going to go savor this for about the next five or six hours and as soon as I get home and start watching those late games my mind's going to go right to Central Florida.
"But I'm going to enjoy this one."
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