By Gary Strohm
Publisher
The Marshall Lions hosted Oblong for Homecoming Friday. Marshall racked up a 34-0 lead by the end of the
first quarter and went on to a 54-0 victory. Five Lions scored touchdowns.
The Panthers started with the ball but were kept to minimal gains by Andre Strohm and were forced to punt.
Taylor Sanders received the punt and brought it to the 32 yard line.
No sooner had the Lions started their drive when Strohm got loose and sped downfield for a 68-yard touchdown
run. Daniel Littlejohn’s extra point kick was good and the Lions were up 7-0 with barely two minutes off the clock.
The Panthers’ next attempt was even less fruitful, thanks to tackles by Jared Boyll and Dalton McNeely
and several incomplete passes forced by Shaun Ahlers. Again forced to punt, Sanders returned the punt to the 44.
The Big Red Machine rolled toward the goal line as quarterback Jacob Duncan connected with Sanders for a
13-yard gain, Rodney Troutman for 14 yards and ran the final 16 yards for a TD. The extra point was unsuccessful, and the
Lions led 13-0 with 7:32 to go.
Oblong had a net gain of only two yards in the next series, thanks to tackles by McNeely and John Kuhn.
The Lions rolled down the field with pass completions to Ahlers, Sanders, and Strohm for a TD. The Littlejohn
kick was good and Marshall led 20-0 with 3:42.
The Panthers finally gained some traction on a 30-yard pass from quarterback 11 - O to Richardson.
Peterson sacked the quarterback and the game slowed down with penalties on both sides. Pressure from Troutman
and Strohm forced the quarterback to throw away the ball and receive an intentional grounding call.
11 -O connected again with Richardson, but the Lions soon took possession on the 20 yard line.
Duncan kept the ball for a 21 yard gain, passed to Troutman for 15 and Ahlers for 40. Duncan carried the
ball in with 24 seconds to go in the first period. The extra point was good and Marshall led 27-0.
Just when it looked like the scoring was over for the quarter, Sanders intercepted the ball and the Lions
took over on the 28 yeard line. Duncan connected with Sanders, who burst into the end zone to score for the Lions with only
4 seconds on the clock. The extra point was good, and Marshall ended the first quarter with a whopping 34-0 lead.
To start the second quarter, Oblong’s #53 received the kickoff to the 23 yard line.
The Lion defensive pressure was more intense than ever as the Oblong quarterback was sacked by Peterson
and Strohm and forced to punt.
Austin Osborn came in to relieve Duncan , and the Lions barreled toward the goal line. Osborn completed
a pass to Troutman for a gain of 15 and passed off the ball to Strohm for a carry of 27 yards to the 6 yard line.
A bad snap and two incomplete passes later, the Lions attempted a field goal without success, and Oblong
took posssesson on the 20.
Again the Lion defense was too much for the Panthers as Strohm, Peterson and Boyll prevented quarterback
connecting with a teammate.
The Lions moved swiftly downfield with carries by Cole Rice and Osborn pass completions from Osborn to Troutman
and Paul Wieland. The Lion ran into diffculty with a fumble and several incomplete passes and turned over control to Oblong.
The Panthers gained momentum with a first down on carries by Johnson and Richardson and a penalty on Marshall.
The quarterback continued to try to pass but the Lions pressure was too great and tackles by Kuhn and Troutman and others.
More penalties were called on Oblong, and Marshall took possession on the 21.
Strohm broke loose and sprinted 79 yards for another Lion TD. The extra point was good and Marshall led
41-0. The continuous clock was triggered by the 40-point lead.
The Lion defense hammered Oblong in the remaining seconds and prevented a Panthers score.
The Lions started with the ball in the third quarter. Duncan bolted down field for two carries and 27 yards.
Ahlers ran 34 yards for a TD. The Littlejohn kick went through the uprights for a 48-0 score.
The Panthers picked up a first down on an 18-yard pass play, but hit a wall against the Lion defensive line,
and McNeely foiled the next pass attempt, and Peterson sacked the quarterback for a loss of five yards.
The Lions boomed downfield with a string of 4 big carries and 70 yards by Brock Hook, who ran in for a TD
and score of 54-0. Oblong tried in vain to score and was repeatedly held to no gains on the ground or in the air by Kuhn,
Wieland, Taylor Maurer and others.
Marshall Stats
Rushing (carries/yards)
Andre Strohm - 3/173, 2TDs; Jacob Duncan - 6/71, 2TDs; Cole Rice - 1/13; Brock Hook - 5/60, 1TD.
Receiving (rec/yards)
Andre Strohm - 1/36, 1TD; Shaun Ahlers - 3/83, 1TD; Brock Hook - 1/12; Paul Wieland - 1/8; Taylor Sanders
- 3/53, 1TD; Rod Troutman - 4/50.
Passing (comp/att)
Austin Osborn - 3/10, 28 yds; Jacob Duncan - 8/12, 214 yds, 3TDs.
Tackles
Jacob Duncan - 1; Shaun Ahlers - 3; Zack Bartnick - 1; Andre Strohm - 9, 1 sack, 1 forced fum; John Kuhn
- 6, 1 sack; Dalton McNeely - 1; Jared Boyll - 5; Justin Lewis - 5, 1 sack; Brock Hook - 2; Adam Kendall - 2; McQuaid Peterson
- 5, 2 sacks; Taylor Sanders - 1, 1 pass break, 1 int; Cole Rice - 3, Rod Troutman - 2; Logan Godsberry - 1; Kody Kile - 1;
Taylor Maurer - 2, 2 sacks; Heath Ray - 1; Paul Wieland - 1; Zach Tharp - 1.
Kicking
Daniel Littlejohn - 6/8, 9 kick-offs; Shaun Ahlers - 1 kick return, 25 yds.
SUMMARY
Score: Marshall - 54, Oblong - 0; First Downs: M - 22, O - 5; Rushing Yards: M - 302, O - 12; Passing Completions/Atempts:
M - 11/22, O - 7/24; Passing Yards: M - 242, O - 95; Passing TD/INT: M - 3/0, O - 0/1; Punts/Average: M - 0/0, O - 5/34; Fumbles/Lost:
M - 3/0, O - 0/0; Penalties/Yards: M - 5/45, O - 5/25; Total Yards (offense): M - 544, O - 153.
