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Cougars Fall to No.11 Marshall in Motor City Bowl, 21-3
PONTIAC, MICHIGAN -- Marshall's perfect season is complete.
Doug Chapman scored three touchdowns and ran for 134 yards and the defense nearly halted No. 25 Brigham Young's NCAA record scoring streak in 11th-ranked Marshall's dominating 21-3 victory in the Motor City Bowl.
The Thundering Herd finished the season 13-0 and extended the nation's longest winning streak to 17 games, but long ago realized they had no shot at winning the national championship. That did not deter them from winning the Mid-American Conference championship for the third time in as many seasons at the Division I-A level and reaching this game for the third straight time.
In the inaugural Motor City Bowl in 1997, Marshall was a 34-31 loser to Mississippi, but rebounded to win the game in the Silverdome over Louisville, 48-29, last season.
BYU (8-4) scored first, as Owen Pochman hit a 28-yard field goal with 1:58 left in the first quarter. But Marshall methodically took over from there, with Chapman scoring one touchdown in each quarter thereafter.
The Thundering Herd went 8-0 in 1919 and 15-0 in 1996, the only other years they navigated their schedule without a blemish. They did go 9-0-1 in 1937 and were 2-0-1 in 1901 and 4-0-1 in 1906.
Marshall became the 10th team, and eighth school, to go undefeated this decade, joining Tulane (1998), Nebraska (1994, '95, '97), Michigan (1997), Penn State (1994), Alabama (1992), Miami (1991) and Washington (1991). The winner of the January 4 Sugar Bowl between Florida State and Virginia Tech in New Orleans will join that group and win the national title.
Before making the jump to Division I-A in 1997, Marshall won I-AA championships in 1992 and 1996.
BYU was in an unfavorable bowl spot for the second time in as many years. The Cougars were forced to play unbeaten Tulane in the Liberty Bowl last season and suffered a 41-27 loss to Shaun King and the Green Wave.
The Cougars were stifled early in the third quarter when Marshall defensive back Michael Owens hit quarterback Kevin Feterik hard off a blitz. Feterik suffered a bruised collarbone and did not return.
Thanks to Pochman's field goal, BYU got on the board for the 312th consecutive time, extending their NCAA record.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th f
byu 3 0 0 0 3
mar 0 7 7 7 21
1st quarter
byu - Pochman 28-yard field goal
2nd quarter
mar - Chapman 30-yard catch from Pennington
(Malashevich kick)
3rd quarter
mar - Chapman 87-yard run (Malashevich kick)
4th quarter
mar - Chapman 1-yard run (Malashevich kick)
Byu Marshall
First downs 12 14
Rushed-yards 30-M16 31-147
Passing yards 220 207
Sacked-yards lost 8-53 3-16
Return yards 18 90
Passes 16-29-2 17-28-1
Punts 5-48.3 4-42.8
Fumbles-lost 2-2 0-0
Penalties-yards 8-81 11-84
Time of possession 30:31 29:29
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING: Byu-Atuaia 2-19, C Peterson 3-7, Hooks 1-7, P Peterson
1-4, L Staley 7-3, Stearns 1-minus 1, Tahi 4-minus 4, Engemann
3-minus 24, Feterik 8-minus 27. Marshall-Chapman 14-133, Turner
7-15, Poole 1-5, Greenleaf 1-4, Pennington 8-minus 10.
PASSING: Byu-Feterik 6-11-0-125, Engemann 6-11-1-45, C Peterson
4-7-1-50. Marshall-Pennington 17-28-1-207.
RECEIVING: Byu-Hooks 4-108, Atuaia 4-35, Pittman 3-24,
Ofahengaue 2-19, Horton 1-24, Nuno 1-8, Tahi 1-2.
Marshall-Williams 5-95, Chapman 4-40, Cooper 3-30, L Washington
2-25, Poole 2-13, Kellett 1-4.
Att: 52,449
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