Print |
E-mail to a friend
MARSHALL SPORTS
Redbirds played MU tougher than score shows
HUNTINGTON -- Illinois State's football team walked off the Joan C. Edwards Stadium turf disappointed after falling 35-10 to Marshall, but the Redbirds had nothing to be ashamed of.
On Illinois State's second play from scrimmage, quarterback Kevin Brockway took a blistering shot from the Thundering Herd and went out of the game. He suffered a gash on his chin that he said exposed the muscle and took eight stitches to seal.
Brockway showed courage by coming back into the game at the 13:09 mark of the second quarter. He breathed a sigh of relief when he glanced at the scoreboard to see the game was tied 7-7.
"I bootlegged into pressure and I got hit underneath the chin strap," Brockway said. "I think we played really well and the score doesn't reflect how close this game was."
"I only have one more year left and I don't want to come out of the game unless my leg is broke or my shoulder is dislocated."
Freshman Drew Kiel showed poise in the minutes he filled in for Brockway. Kiel finished 4-for-5 with 33 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the setback, Brockway was solid when he returned to the field. He threw for 196 yards on 20 of 38 passing with one interception. He went down firing, heaving passes all the way to the bitter end.
Illinois State's confidence took a severe blow during two series that had a huge impact on the outcome. The Redbirds appeared to have scored a touchdown with 4:12 remaining in the second period on a screen pass to Geno Blow that carried 33 yards. But, the touchdown was called back on a blocking below the waste penalty.
Marshall took advantage of the break on its next possession when Mark Cann fired a perfectly thrown 88-yard bomb to Darius Passmore with only 35 seconds remaining in the first half to take a 14-7 lead.
"The score right before the half was an emotional swing," Illinois State coach Denver Johnson said. "But great players (Passmore) make great plays."
Marshall fed off the big play and increased its lead to 28-10 by the end of the third quarter. Illinois State hung tough for the longest time, but Marshall's size and depth began to take a toll on the Redbirds.
"The depth that Marshall has was an advantage," Johnson said. "That is a big football team and there was a noticeable difference in the sheer physical size."
Illinois State and Brockway took a big time shot to the chin from the bigger and stronger Thundering Herd, but the Redbirds never stopped moving forward.
