Marshall University crossed the New River ready to take on the Virginia Tech Hoakies on Saturday. They were more than ready, fought hard and held a commanding lead early in the game. It was late in the second quarter, 4th and long, when the snap was bobbled. A.J. Hughes, a barely known place kicker for Tech, took the snap and ran. He sprinted for 12 yards, the longest offensive drive of the first half for Virginia Tech and picked up the first down. From there, the Hoakies played strong and stayed alive through 4 quarters.
Marshall’s defense held on through almost three overtime periods and finally fell to the Virginia Tech Hoakies. The Herd continues to struggle with the finish, allowing strong leads to dwindle in the closing minutes of this football game. Marshall moves to 2-2 overall and starts their Conference USA schedule against San Antonio in October after a bye in week 5. Virginia Tech improved to 3-1 and will go to Georgia Tech, an ACC rival, next weekend.
Around the Conference USA, both Middle Tennessee and Alabama-Birmingham found wins in the East Division. The University of Texas-San Antonio was the only winner for C-USA in the West Division, beating division rival Texas El Paso in their conference opener.
Look for the Week 5 Game of the Week here on Thursday. This week’s match-up pairs Conference USA against the Sun Belt for a real R+L Bowl preview.
