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MARSHALL SPORTS
Herd defense steps up
Marshall linebacker Maurice Kitchens tries to run an interception past Houston quarterback Blake Joseph during the first half of the C-USA matchup on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
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HUNTINGTON -- The Marshall defense figured to be a topic of discussion Tuesday night.
Defenders would have to explain how Houston ran up the yards and points in their Conference USA matchup in front of 20,716 chilly fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, including commissioner Britton Banowsky, and those watching on ESPN2.
The Thundering Herd defense did handle the explaining, but the post-game response was a 180-degree turn from the pregame expectations. The players gladly gave accounts on how they bottled up one of the most prolific offenses in C-USA. Four sacks of Houston quarterback Case Keenum, two interceptions and a fumble recovery inside the Herd 5 when the Cougars could've scored and cut the deficit to 16-10.
Marshall held Houston to season lows in passing yards (317) and points, and combined with a balanced attack on offense, the underdog Herd rolled to a 37-23 victory to end a three-game losing streak and move back to the top in the C-USA East Division (4-4, 3-1).
"Preparation," said Maurice Kitchens, middle linebacker who had one of the two interceptions and returned that costly fumble 80 yards to the Houston 17. "We didn't want to lay down for anybody. We didn't want to let those three losses get us into a slump."
Houston (4-4, 3-1 C-USA West) started the night ranked No. 1 in the league in pass offense, No. 2 in total offense and No. 3 in scoring.
"We made a statement for us," said Kitchens, aware of the negativity surrounding the program following the 23-21 loss at UAB on Oct. 11. "It's a confidence builder. It sends a message to others we're ready to play. We pulled out of the slump."
Defensive end Michael Janac finished with nine tackles and 1.5 sacks. The front four kept the pressure on Keenum all night.
"Coach told us to go play, have fun," Janac said. "We knew what we had to do, get after the passer. We kept them out of their rhythm. If we gave them time, they'd tear us apart."
On Green-Out night, the Herd wore green from head to toe, literally. They had their white helmets on for pregame, but switched to green ones prior to kickoff.
"It was a surprise," Kitchens said. "Coach (Mark Snyder) told us to sit down and look in our locker. It was like Christmas."
About being caught from behind on the fumble return, Kitchens said, "Everybody was on me. I was tired."
Janac said the Herd had the necessary focus at kickoff.
"It's all about pride," he said. "Keep the eyes on the prize. We lost to UAB and it hurt, but we had 10 days to focus and bounce back. We knew they had a powerful offense like Tulsa. We ran a lot (in practice) to get in condition. We had to make plays. We all did and that helped us win the game."
Houston scored twice in the fourth quarter, but by that time the game was out of reach as Marshall racked up a season-high point total.
"We didn't let up," Kitchens said. "We're not going to let someone come in and chuck the ball all around and do what they normally do. We dictate. They're explosive on offense, but we held on and carried out our assignments."
