College Football Roundup: Marshall defeats Coastal Carolina
HUNTINGTON (AP) — Jacobie Henderson returned a blocked field goal 65 yards for a touchdown and Braylon Braxton threw three touchdown passes as Marshall maintained a share of the Sun Belt Conference East Division lead with a 31-19 win over Coastal Carolina in the annual “75” game on Saturday afternoon.
The game is the Marshall program’s annual tribute to the 75 persons who died in a plane crash November 14, 1970.
Braydon Bennett scored from the 4-yard line four minutes into the game to give the Chanticleers a 7-0 lead, but Marshall answered with a 39-yard Nathan Totten field goal and a 14-yard touchdown pass from Braxton to Chuck Montgomery to take the lead before Henderson’s return made it 17-7 at the half. Braxton threw 7 yards to Christian Fitzpatrick in the third quarter and 2 yards to Toby Payne early in the fourth quarter.
Marshall came into the game ranked No. 11 in the FBS at 218.9 rushing yards per game but managed just 35 yards on 32 carries against the Chanticleers. Braxton completed 20 of 31 passes for 219 yards without an interception.
Ethan Vasko completed 21 of 39 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown with an interception for Coastal Carolina (5-5, 2-4). Bennett had 19 carries for 67 yards.
The Thundering Herd (7-3, 5-1) entered the game tied with Georgia Southern for the division lead with two games remaining.
Glenville State 42, W.Va. Wesleyan 23
BUCKHANNON — Glenville State shut down West Virginia Wesleyan’s running game while watching Zavione Wood and Markquan Rucker gash the Bobcats on the ground in Saturday’s 42-23 victory.
The Pioneers finished the regular season with a 7-4 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the Mountain East Conference to finish second in the league. Wesleyan went 0-11 and 0-8 in the conference.
Wood carried 26 times for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Glenville while Rucker added 15 attempts for 101 yards and two scores.
Wesleyan quarterback Nathan Payne, who finished 21 for 40 for 323 yards, threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes to Max Rocco and Wesley Sweeney to have the game tied at 14-all at halftime.
Anthony Garrett, who went 13 for 17 for 227 yards for Glenville, gave the Pioneers the lead for good at the 13:42 mark in the third when he fired a 35-yard TD pass to Kordell Lewis.
Wesleyan answered with a 26-yard field goal by Cam Ceccotti, but Wood and Rucker each found the end zone for a second time to extend the G-men’s lead to 35-17.
Payne responded with his third TD pass of the afternoon, a 62-yarder to Joseph Triplett, with 4:54 to go, but Glenville applied the finishing touches via Garrett’s 56-yard scoring strike to Tariq Miller, who ended up with six catches for 120 yards.
The Bobcats had 22 carries in the game but netted just three yards and Glenville allowed them nothing on the ground.
John Carroll 49, Marietta 35
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — Nick Semptimphelter threw six touchdown passes to help lead John Carroll hand Marietta College a 49-35 loss in Saturday’s regular season finale.
Both teams finished 8-2 and will wait to see if they earn at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Pioneers, who started the season 8-0 but fell to Mount Union and the Blue Streaks the last two weeks, found themselves in a 14-0 hole after a quarter.
Vante’ Hodges’ 2-yard touchdown run got MC within seven in the second quarter, but Tyren Montgomery, who caught 10 passes for 145 yards, hauled in a 27-yard TD pass from Semptimphelter to make it 21-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Semptimphelter connected with Kenneth Rawls from 19 yards out to make it 28-7, but Marietta got back within 14 on Taz Morris’ 1-yard touchdown plunge at the 5:51 mark in the third.
The Blue Streaks put the game away in the fourth when Semptimphelter found Jon Tomcukcik and Tyler Mintz on short touchdown passes to make it 42-14.
The Pioneers found the end zone three times in the final 6:51, including touchdown passes from Connor Vierstra to Evan Gandee and Dawson Snyder, but ran out of time.
Vierstra finished 28 for 46 for 307 yards.
Snyder caught 10 passes for 126 yards while Gandee had six receptions for 68 yards. Hodges led the Marietta ground game with 10 carries for 48 yards.
Semptimphelter completed 27 of 32 passes for 288 yards. He was picked off once by Jaelon Quiero-Gordon.