6 / THE INSIDER /
January 2019
Marshall’s “Bad Boys” beat the Bulls The Marshall Football bowl win streak grows to seven straight with a Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl victory. compiled by Bill Cornwell THE INSIDER Editor
Rainy weather and an opponent playing on its home field couldn’t stop the Marshall football team from winning yet another postseason bowl game. Marshall used balanced offense and opportunistic defense in defeating the South Florida Bulls 38-20 on December 20th in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl at Tampa, Florida’s Raymond James Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s also USF’s home field. The win extended Marshall’s bowl win streak to seven games, extending back to the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit. Herd Coach Doc Holliday is 6-0 at Marshall in bowl contests and the Herd’s been able to pick up those wins in bowls in Florida, Maryland and New Mexico. It seems like Holliday, his coaching staff and teams have a knack to be able to beat anyone if you give them three weeks to prepare a postseason contest. Marshall came into the Gasparilla Bowl with plenty of momentum, winning three of its last four regular season games, while the Bulls were headed in the other direction, losers of five straight. The early portion of the game showed that momentum would stay on the Marshall side of the field, as the Herd scored the game’s first two touchdowns in the first quarter on a ten-yard run by redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Green, followed by a one yard run by senior back Anthony Anderson. South Florida was able to dent the scoreboard late in the first quarter with a gadget play in which receiver Tyre McCants threw a 38-yard pass to fellow receiver Randall St.
photos by Adam Gue
Felix which completed fooled the MU defensive backs. The Herd quickly recaptured momentum with two second quarter touchdowns, an eight-yard run by freshman Brenden Knox and five yard touchdown scamper by senior back Keion Davis. USF was only able to answer in the quarter with a 22-yard Coby Weiss field goal, setting the Marshall halftime lead at 28-10. The Bulls tried to rally in the third quarter as Weiss kicked a 31-yard field goal and Randall St. Felix grabbed his second touchdown pass, a 33-yarder toss from Blake Barnett. Marshall limited the damage in the quarter as Justin Rohrwasser kicked a 28-yard field goal. The Herd showed that it would be “the closer” in the contest as Keion Davis capped off an 11-play, 64-yard drive with a 16yard touchdown run. Davis, who had been battling injuries throughout his senior season which limited his playing time, ended his MU career on a strong note as he rumbled for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He earned the Gasparilla Bowl Most Valuable Player award for his efforts. Knox, who didn’t play in the second half due to a hand fractured, chipped in with 93 yards and a touchdown. Anderson ended his Marshall career with 43 yards and a score. The performance by Green may have been his most complete of the season as he ran for 36 yards and a touchdown and threw for 221 yards with no interceptions.
