Sept. 29, 2004
Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
By JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Stan Hill threw three touchdown passes and Marshall held off a late rally to beat Miami University 33-25 Wednesday night.
Marshall (1-3, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) avoided its first 0-4 start in 35 years with the help of its defense, which converted three turnovers into points.
Defensive end Jonathan Goddard sacked Josh Betts four times, recovered a fumble and forced another. Betts, the league's top passer, was intercepted twice and fumbled three times, losing two.
Still, Betts nearly brought Miami back from a 33-14 deficit.
He scored on a 1-yard run midway through the fourth quarter and threw for a 2-point conversion to Ryan Busing to make it 33-25.
Joey Card intercepted Hill on the next play from scrimmage and returned it 26 yards to the Marshall 16. But Mike Smith couldn't handle Betts' pitch and the ball went through the end zone for a touchback.
Betts got another chance with 3 minutes left, marching Miami to the Marshall 33. Jamus Martin sacked Betts on third down and Betts threw an incompletion to end the threat.
Miami (2-3, 1-1) lost to Marshall for the sixth time in seven meetings, the exception a 45-6 home win last year.
Hill sat out that game, missing the second half of the season with a knee injury.
On Wednesday, he beat Miami for the second time in Huntington.
Hill had first-quarter TD passes of 27 yards to Brad Bates and 16 yards to Josh Davis. He also had a 6-yarder to Bates midway through the third quarter to put Marshall ahead 26-14.
Hill finished 23-of-37 for 184 yards.
Betts continued an up-and-down season as the heir to Ben Roethlisberger, now the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback.
Betts, 14-of-23 for 144 yards, was without his favorite target, Martin Nance, who left the game with a leg injury on Miami's second series and did not return.
Goddard, who also caused a fumble and recovered another, pressured Betts into turnovers on Miami's first two series.
Marshall had held Troy and No. 7 Ohio State under 100 yards rushing, but Miami racked up 100 yards in the first quarter.
