By Gary Strohm - Publisher

The Lions continued their winning streak Saturday at Indiana State’s Memorial Stadium with a big 48-8 win over the Cumberland Pirates. There was a big contingent of Marshall fans.

The Lions held Cumberland to one successful drive, and dominated the rest of the game with overpowering force.

Logan Goldsberry received the opening kick off from Cumberland, and the Lions were on their way down the field, with a series of first downs on carries by quarterback Jacob Duncan and running back Andre Strohm and a pass completion from Duncan to Brock Hook. Duncan burst over the goal line for first Lion TD. Daniel Littlejohn’s extra point kick was on the mark, and Marshall led 7-0 with 7:37 to go in the first quarter.

The tough Lion line, led by Jared Boyll, made life miserable for the Pirates, holding them to the line of scrimmage in their first series. Pirate quarterback Kendal Butler punted out-of-bounds and the Lions took over on the 34 yard line.

Andre Strohm carried the pigskin 22 yards to the 8 yard line and burst over the goal on the next play through a hole created by Dalton McNeely. The extra point attempt was unsuccessful, but the Lions led 13-0 with 5:23 to go.

Hook took down the Pirate ball kickoff receiver on the Cumberland 34 yard line. Butler tried unsuccessfully to make several passes and was sacked by Strohm and Zach Bartnick and forced to punt again.

The Lions took control on the Cumberland 40 yard line. Duncan handed off to  Strohm, who alluded his Pirate attackers en-route to the goal line for yet another Lion TD. Littlejohn’s kick was good and Marshall led 20-0 with 4:14 left in the quarter. 

Taylor Sanders made a big tackle of kickoff receiver Nathan Day  on the Cumberland 25 yard line.

The Pirates gained momentum, rolling down the field with gains by Butler and Adamson. But they soon ran into a wall by Cole Rice and Jared Boyll and lost possession on downs.

The Pirates soon regained possession when Butler intercepted a Duncan pass. But not for long, due to a tackle by Sanders, fumble and incomplete pass and were forced to punt.

Duncan completed a long pass to Rodney Troutman for a big 50-yard gain. The Lions recovered a fumble and Cumberland’s Repp knocked down another Lion pass, forcing a punt by Strohm.

The Pirates took over control on the 9 yard line, were held to no gain by the tough Lion defense and were forced to punt. Sanders received the punt and carried it to the 30 yard line.

No sooner had the Lions begun their drive, when Cumberland’s Butler pulled down an interception to shift possession. The Pirates were held to losses, thanks to tackles, by Troutman, John Kuhn and other Lions and forced to punt.

They didn’t waste any time scoring on the next possession as Strohm glided through several holes and  crashed through a series of tackles to the 10 yard line. Duncan ran to the end zone on the next play. The Littlejohn kick went through the uprights, and Marshall led 27-0 at halftime.

The Marching Lions and Marshallettes and Cumberland Dance Team performed during the intermission.

The Pirates had possession at the beginning of the third quarter, and thanks to tackles by Goldsberry, Sanders, Duncan and others, were held to minimal gains. A quarterback sack by Cole Rice prompted Cumberland to punt.

Duncan handed off to Strohm for several plays and soon Strohm found a hole and was off on a 60-yard sprint to the endzone for a touchdown. The Littlejohn kick was good and Marshall led 34-8 with 6:49 to go in the third.

In the next series, Duncan connected with Sanders for a 20-yard gain and first down. Strohm gained 8, but lost 10 on the next play with a fumble which he recovered,

The Pirates soon took over on downs, but were held at bay by Bartnick and Boyll and the tough Lion offense. The Pirates lost possession on a fumble recovered by Boyll.

Duncan handed off  to Strohm, who zigzagged across the field 25 yards to the three yard line.

Duncan ran up the middle for a TD. The extra point kick was good and Marshall led 41-8.

Troutman sacked the quarterback for a five yard loss, and the Pirates were soon forced to punt in spite of a pass completion from Butler to Smith.

McQuaid Peterson blocked the punt, and Marshall recovered the ball. Duncan completed a pass to Maurer to put the Lions on the 10 yard line. The Lions   assaulted the middle and on the second down, Strohm ran in for the score.

Another great Littlejohn kick, and Marshall led 48-8.

Tackles by Brett Hook, Chad Leitch, Zach Tharp and Taylor Padgett and other Lion defenders prevented another Pirate score and sealed the win for Marshall.

MARSHALL STATS

Rushing (carries/yards)

Andre Strohm - 17/207, 4TDs; Jacob Duncan - 12/68, 3TDs.

Receiving (rec/yards)

Andre Strohm - 1/34; Taylor Maurer - 1/10; Brock Hook - 1/10; Taylor Sanders - 1/27; Rod Troutman - 1/47; Zach Claypool - 1/4.

Passing (comp/att)

Austin Osborn - 1/1, 4 yds; Jacob Duncan - 5/11, 132 yds.

Tackles

Andre Strohm - 8, 1 sack; Shaun Ahlers - 2; Taylor Maurer - 1; Logan Goldsberry - 3; Jacob Duncan - 3, 1 pass brk; Cole Rice - 8, 1 F-cause; Brock Hook - 2; Brett Hook - 1; Taylor Padgett - 2; Taylor Sanders - 7; McQuaid Peterson - 6, 1 F-recov; Zach Bartnick - 2; Jared Boyll - 11, 1 F-recov; Dalton McNeely - 3; Zack Tharp - 1; John Kuhn - 1; Justin Lewis - 1; Rod Troutman - 7, 2 sacks, 1 blk punt; Wyatt Taylor - 1.

Kicking/ Punt

Daniel Littlejohn - 6/7, 8 kickoffs; Andre Strohm - 1 punt, 28 yds; Taylor Sanders - 1 punt return, 12 yds.

SUMMARY

Score: Marshall - 48, Cumberland - 8; First Downs: M - 14, C - 7; Rushing yards: M - 274, C - 49; Passing Completions/Attempts: M - 6/12, C - 5/14; Passing yards: M - 132, C - 44; Passing TD/INT: M - 0/2, C - 0/0; Punts/Average: M - 1/28; C - 8/21; Fumbles/Lost: M - 7/1, C - 2/1; Penalties/Yards: M - 4/25, C - 4/25; Total yards Offense: M - 406, C - 93.