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Dec. 27, 1999 SportsLine wire reports |
PONTIAC, Mich. -- Heisman finalist Chad Pennington led Marshall into the Motor City Bowl. On Monday, the Thundering Herd's punishing defense carried
them to a perfect finish.
No. 11 Marshall got eight quarterback sacks -- knocking Brigham Young starter Kevin
Feterik out of the game in the process -- and turned one of Rogers Beckett's two
interceptions into a score in a 21-3 victory at the Pontiac Silverdome.
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Marshall completes perfect season with 21-3 victory over BYU T O P N E W S
The Thundering Herd (13-0), ranked seventh in the nation in total defense, held BYU scoreless after halftime. The Cougars (8-4) were limited to 204 total yards, 67 in the second half.
"Nothing went wrong for us," Marshall defensive lineman Giradie Mercer said. "Every blitz we ran worked, every stunt we ran up front worked. We were in a zone today."
Marshall held BYU running backs to minus-16 yards and got the best of Feterik and two backups. After one sack, Feterik went into a rage, slapping one of his linemen in the helmet for allowing freshman cornerback Terrence Tarpley through the line.
On the first series of the second half, a sack by backup safety Michael Owens forced Feterik from the game for good with a broken collarbone. Brigham Young never recovered.
Feterik's replacement, freshman Bret Engemann, drove BYU to the Marshall 39 on his second series. But defensive end Paul Toviessi got consecutive sacks that forced a punt.
Beckett, a safety, returned an interception 16 yards to the BYU 1 on the first play of the fourth quarter, setting up Doug Chapman's third touchdown of the game for a 21-3 lead.
"We had to come out and be sharp because we knew we were playing a smart team," Beckett said.
Marshall threw in a couple of furious hits down the stretch. Linebacker Andre O'Neal's hit on Donny Atuaia knocked the fullback's helmet off and brought a roar from the crowd. A few plays later, linebacker John Grace put a shot on wide receiver Margin Hooks, drawing more oohs and aahs.
Pennington, who threw for 3,799 yards and 37 touchdowns during the regular season, didn't care about an average performance.
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| Kevin Feterik was under pressure from the Marshall defense the entire game. (AP) |
He went 17-of-28 for 207 yards, including a 30-yard TD toss in the second quarter to Chapman, who put the game away on an 87-yard scoring run in the third quarter and finished with 133 yards rushing.
"A win is never frustrating. I don't care who you play or what you do," Pennington said. "When you get a W, it's always gratifying. We did what we needed to do on offense. The defense was playing real well. All we needed to do is not turn the ball over and, be patient. Yeah, we didn't put up great numbers, but a win's a win."
Pennington noted that three of his starting linemen -- center Jason Starkey, right guard Jimmy Cabellos and right tackle Steven Sciullo -- were suffering from stomach viruses.
"They couldn't get out of bed. It was tough," Pennington said. "In the first half, they looked like zombies out there. They were so dehydrated. That just shows the character of our team."
Now, it's up to the poll voters to determine where Marshall stands among the nation's elite.
"Wherever they put us, that's fine with me, because we're undefeated, and nobody can argue," Pennington said.
AP NEWSThe Associated Press News Service
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