Watching this football game, one would be forgiven for thinking they were watching a video game, especially in the first half. The numbers that were put up were unbelievable, and even though the numbers slowed down, the final numbers would be difficult to achieve at times in NCAA ’15.
The Scoring by Quarters:
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT Total
WKY: 28 21 0 10 8 67
Marshall: 21 21 7 10 7 66
Both teams put up more than 700 yards each. Western Kentucky racked up 738 yards while Marshall racked up 704 yards. WKU did more through the air than on the ground, while Marshall was a little more balanced even though their passing game outshined their rushing game from a yardage standpoint.
WKU: 516 yards passing and 222 yards rushing
Marshall: 417 yards passing and 291 yards rushing
Brandon Doughty started the onslaught for the record-setting day, and even though he slowed down a little in the 3rd quarter, you would never know by looking at his final numbers. He finished the game with these gaudy stats:
34 for 50 (68%) for 491 yards and 8 TDs
Those numbers definitely gave him Player of the Game honors. However, his teammate, running back Leon Allen did not disappoint. He had a fantastic day and they made a dynamic duo. He carried the ball enough to keep Marshall on their heels trying to guess whether it was going to be a run or a pass. Not only did he have a lot of carries, he gained a lot of yards to go with it.
Allen finished the game with 33 rushes for 237 yards, good enough for a 7.2 average. He also crossed the goalline one time for a TD.
As mentioned earlier, WKU was not the only one who put up big numbers. Marshall had two players in Rakeem Cato (QB) and Stewart Butler (RB) who tried to keep up with Doughty and Allen. Cato was 29 for 46 for 417 yards and 7 TDs, while Butler ran the ball 24 times for 233 yards (9.7 average yards) and 2 TDs.
The downside for Cato was that he also had 4 interceptions, which may have caused the Thundering Herd their perfect season.
Jeff Brohm deserves big kudos for going for the 2-point conversion in the first OT. WKU decided to go for the win instead of the tie and take it to the second OT. The play call was brilliant, and WKU won to send Marshall’s dreams down the drain. With this loss, Marshall’s hopes of being part of the conversation for major bowl consideration ended, as they needed to maintain their perfect record to even have an outside chance.
(Featured image: AP Photo/Chris Tilley)
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