10 minute read
Marshall Collapses in First Loss of 2021
from September 22
By ANDREW ROGERS
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REPORTER
Marshall football played three good quarters of football last saturday, but not four.
East Carolina scored 21 unanswered points in the final 7:31 of action to earn a 42-38 comeback victory over the Herd. “We weren’t able to come up with some plays in the second half,” head coach Charles Huff said. “I’m proud of the way the guys fought, proud of the attitude they had. It hurts, but we’ve got to move on.”
It was a seesaw affair to start the game, as both teams kept trading punches. It wasn’t until the middle of the second quarter that Marshall gained the first two-possession lead of the contest. Rasheen Ali scored on back-to-back touchdown runs to put Marshall up 24-14. ECU answered with a late touchdown scoring drive, to cut Marshall’s lead back to 3 at halftime
The third quarter was all Marshall, outscoring ECU 14-0 on an Ali touchdown run and Wells touchdown run to take a commanding 38-21 lead.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Pirates, who scored on its final three possessions. The Herd’s fourth quarter drives ended on downs, with a missed field goal and a Wells’ interception that sealed an ECU win.
Missed opportunities to seal a win and turnovers were the story of Marshall’s first loss of the year.
Marshall had three turnovers against ECU: two interceptions and a lost fumble. The second interception of Wells’ final throw of the day picked off at the ECU 1 with fewer than 10 seconds on the clock. The fumble also came near the goal line after Wells connected with Corey Gammage, but the ball popped free from Gammage’s hands and into the end zone where ECU recovered it for a touchback.
“We have to find a way to protect the football,” Huff said. “It’s becoming a habit and we have got to get it fixed.”
ECU also recovered an onside kick late in the fourth quarter to ignite the comeback victory.
Ultimately, Marshall’s 38 points and 647 yards of total offense were for naught.
Wells finished 24 for 39 passing for a career-high 433 yards and one touchdown. He also added a touchdown on the ground. Ali, already one of the nation’s top scorers, ran for a career-high 189 yards and scored three times on the ground. Gammage had a career-best 180 yards on eight receptions. “I think we played good,” Ali said. “We were all disappointed because we didn’t finish the way we wanted too. We will bounce back.”
Marshall football will have to put this one behind them quickly, as it travels to Boone, North Carolina for a Thursday night matchup with Applachian State.
The game may be heard on Marshall’s student radio station, WMUL 88.1 FM.
Andrew Rogers, rogers217@marshall.edu
Top: Rasheen Ali breaks past ECU Defender - Courtesy of Richard Crank Bottom: The Young Thundering Herd - Courtesy of Sandy Johnson
Cross Country Places 7th At Virginia Invitational
By JAYDEN TAYLOR
REPORTER
Marshall’s cross-country team placed seventh at the Virginia Invitational.
This meet at Panorama Farms in Earlysville was hosted by the University of Virginia.
The women’s race was 5 k.m., while the men ran 8 k.m.
The women’s team finished with 159 points and were led by Abby Herring placing team high 15th with a time of 18 minutes and 13 seconds. Sydney Smith was the Herd’s second-highest placement at 38th with a time of 19:10. Rounding out the scoring was Kyleigh Edwards placing 44th, with a time of 19:19.8. Meagan Ward finished 48th at 19:21.9 and Julia Muller finished 61st at 20:17.1.
The men’s team finished with 211 points. Evan White was Marshall’s highest finisher for the men in 52nd place at 27 minutes and 19.1 seconds. The Herd’s other scorers were Paul Sepulveda who placed 58th, at 27:34.9, Jacob Birurakis placing 60th at 27:44.9, Brett Armbruster who placed 62nd at 27:57.2 and Brendan Wood, who placed 64th, with a time of 28:07.3.
Caleb Bowen, Marshall’s assistant coach for cross-country, said there are mixed emotions about the contest, but the group performed better than at their last invitational at Virginia Tech. “The stats don’t show it because it was a really tough meet against traditional cross-country powerhouses,” Bowen said. “I wish we faced against less teams because I believe we would have done well, but where we were going up against such a stacked field, it made it seem like we didn’t do well.”
The weather reached the 80s at the event, but Bowen said, “I’d rather the worse weather be early in the season. That way when we are gearing up for championship season, we will be running our fastest.”
Coach Bowen said that the team needs to improve upon health and ramping up training as the team looks ahead to the next meet.
The Thundering Herd will be back to running on Saturday, Oct. 2 at the Live in Lou Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.
Jayden Taylor, taylor838@marshall.edu
7
Q&A with Taevion Kinsey
By NOAH HICKMAN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Q: What do you think is the number one reason as to why you came back? A: On the maturity side I think that’s why I came back — you know — I just wanted to mature and be mentally prepared and physically prepared to be at a level of — you know — playing with the best grown men in the world and I felt like coming back for another year was going to allow me to be more prepared than I was last year. Q: You came from Columbus, Ohio to Huntington, W. Va. Did you ever have a problem with adapting to a new environment? A: I wouldn’t say (so). On the basketball side, probably adapting to it being college now — you know — high school you can get away with a lot of things in basketball and then college you really can’t get away with a lot; the room for error is very small and the time that you work on your game is going to help you a lot in college. It wasn’t really hard for me to get comfortable around here. Q: Marshall lost some veteran leadership in Jarrod West and Jannson Williams; they decided to transfer for their extra year of eligibility. What was your experience with both of them? A: Those guys were definitely two great players, two great players we’re going to miss. Jarrod, you just really can’t get that leadership back, you can’t get that defensive presence back; I don’t know a person that works harder than him. And then you have Jannson Williams who can just shoot the lights out and he saved us a lot of games — you know — he was our protector at the rim, he played great at the five (center) and he really wasn’t a five — you know — so for him to step up and take that role speaks highly of him. The locker room presence with those two is definitely going to be missed. Q: As for Marshall, Marshall basketball has always had high expectations ever since they made a run to March Madness and won a game against Wichita State. How (does the team) get back to that point, especially when you consider you lost a couple of veteran guys in Jarrod West and Jannson Williams; what does it take? A: I say that us losing them, us losing those guys are definitely big hits to our program and I know us losing last year (to Rice) left a bad taste in our mouths and a lot of other peoples, but for the simple fact, every year is a new year. Every year is a new opportunity to start off good. Every year is a new year to have a new story written about you, a new chapter in the book. Q: What has been your favorite memory here at Marshall University? A: I remember beating WKU — definitely — my freshman year I had 23 points and eight rebounds — we won. Jannson (Williams) hit the best shot ever in basketball that I’ve ever seen. When you come to Marshall and you play sports for Marshall you are kind of like born into that (rivalry), you kind of have to adapt to it and you have to kind of have to hate that team.
The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Wednesdays during the regular semester and every other week during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for news and editorial content.
CONTACT The Parthenon: 109 Communications Bldg Marshall University|One John Marshall Drive Huntington, West Virginia 25755|parthenon@ marshall.edu
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ISABELLA ROBINSON FEATTURES EDITOR robinson436@marshall.edu
CARTER TRUMAN NEWS EDITOR truman18@marrshall.edu
MADISON PERDUE COPY EDITOR perdue118@marshall.edu
ZACH HISER PHOTO EDITOR hiser1@marshall.edu
TYLER KENNETT SPORTS EDITOR kennett@marshall.edu
ABBY AYES ONLINE EDITOR ayes@marshall.edu
CHARLIE BOWEN FACULTY ADVISER bowench@marshall.edu
THE PARTHENON’S CORRECTIONS POLICY
BOOK REVIEW The Seven Husbands - Taylor Jenkins Reid
By ABBY HANLON SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
GENRE: Romance, Historical Fiction
I saw this book all across my TikTok “For You“ page and knew that I had to go out and get it. It did live up to the hype, and I read this book in two days. That is how addicting it was. I simply could not put it down.“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” follows Monique Grant, a small writer for a magazine, is chosen by Evelyn Hugo, an old Hollywood movie actress who had her fair share of scandals as she made her way through the film industry, to write a feature story on her after years of not speaking to the press. The book takes you on a journey as Hugo tells her life story to Grant, all about her seven husbands, her daughter, her coworkers, and past friendships. The book is separated by Hugo’s recounting of her life during each husband. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an incredible writer. She knows how to leave you on the edge of your seat, just waiting for another plot twist or shocking revelation. I can promise that you will not see that ending coming. I read this book on the beach, and I remember just sitting there shocked listening to the waves and staring off into ocean. I will admit that I did shed a few tears at the end. Then, I bought two more of her books. Reid’s writing is so specific, and her words hold such intensity that you cannot help but feel like you are in the room with Evelyn Hugo and Monique Grant. Every single plot point had a bigger purpose that led into the ending,. Taylor Jenkins Reid has numerous bestsellers, including “Daisy Jones & The Six” and her newest novel, “Malibu Rising” (which was just as good as Evelyn Hugo). She is currently working with Amazon turning one of her novels into a limited series.
