OXFORD, Ohio –
Gus Ragland tossed three touchdown passes and amassed 357 yards through the air to spur a valiant comeback bid, but the Miami football team fell just short in a 35-28 setback to Marshall at Yager Stadium on Saturday night.
The contest suffered a two-and-a half-hour weather delay as Miami dropped to 0-1 on the season.
Marshall (1-0) jumped on the scoreboard on an eight-play, 75-yard opening drive that saw Keion Davis finish it off with a two-yard rush to make it a 7-0 contest. After a RedHawk punt, the Thunder Herd again drove the field and went up 14-0 with 3:28 left in the first quarter after Anthony Anderson scored on the ground from a yard out.
Two possessions later, Miami put together a promising drive from out of the shadow of its goal line. Starting at the four, Ragland completed a pair of passes to
James Gardner for first downs and an 18-yard rush by
Alonzo Smith got things moving for the Red & White. The RedHawks got to the Marshall 29, but were stopped on a 4th-and-2 try to give the Thundering Herd the ball back with 8:44 left in the half.
Following another sack, the RedHawks cut the deficit in half thanks to a 76-yard touchdown drive. Facing 3rd-and-16 in Marshall territory, Miami used an 11-yard
Kenny Young catch and a 10-yard strike from Ragland to
Luke Mayock to keep the drive going. The Red & White converted another fourth down to get on the board with Ragland finding
Jack Sorenson open in the middle for a 19-yard touchdown reception to cut the gap to 14-7 with 2:32 left in the half.
Marshall snuck in another score before the break, driving 75 yards and scoring on another Anderson one-yard rush to regain a two-score lead (21-7) at halftime.
The Thundering Herd went ahead 28-7 on a 30-yard touchdown pass by Isaiah Green to Tyre Brady with 6:32 left in the third. However, the Red & White responded in kind with a touchdown drive of their own with a Ragland to Sorenson 54-yard connection with a Marshall penalty following set it up with a 1st-and-goal situation from the one.
Alonzo Smith then took it in from a yard out to cut the deficit to 28-14 with 4:32 to go in the third.
After forcing a punt, Miami went right back to work on offense. Ragland hit passes to Mayock for 13 yards and
Nate Becker for 16 yards with a pass interference penalty sandwiched between.
Maurice Thomas then raced 19 yards to the right side to set up first and goal from the four at the end of the third quarter. However, Marshall held Miami to two total yards on the next two rushes before forcing a pair of incomplete passes to hold MU out of the end zone and force a turnover on downs.
Undeterred, Miami got another stop and pulled within a touchdown with a 49-second, 61-yard drive as Ragland completed three-straight passes, one to Sorenson for 33 yards and consecutive passes to
Andrew Homer for 22 yards and a six-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-21 with 9:20 to go. Those receptions put Sorenson over 100 yards and constituted Homer's first two career catches.
A
Brad Koenig sack started a dominant defensive stand for the RedHawks as they forced a Thundering Herd three and out to get the ball back with a chance to tie and 7:39 showing on the clock. However, an offensive pass interference call wiped out a first down catch and led to a punt, with a big return from Tyler King setting Marshall up at the Miami 11. After a holding penalty, Green connected with Brady from 21 yards out to up the lead back to 14 at 35-21 with 5:27 to play.
Miami roared right back within a score once again as Ragland went 5-for-6 for 58 yards. He ultimately found
Kenny Young from three yards out to make it 35-28 with 3:31 left.
After a big bounce of a kickoff, Miami hemmed Marshall at its two-yard line on the ensuing kickoff, the RedHawks forced a three-and-out to get another chance to tie It up with 3:02 on the clock. However, a penalty put Miami in a long yardage situation and it ultimately turned the ball over on downs, after which Marshall ran out the clock.
Ragland finished with 357 yards through the air on 25-of-46 passing to lead the Red & White with Sorenson amassing 106 yards through the air and Young hauling in a team-high six passes. Final yardage had Miami with 444 yards to Marshall's 443 and neither team turned the ball over for the evening.
The RedHawks are back on the field at Paul Brown Stadium against Cincinnati in the annual Battle for the Victory Bell on Sept. 8. Opening kick for that game is 8 p.m.
