Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 19, 1993 TAG: 9312190084
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HUNTINGTON, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium
The Penguins got off to a quick start this time, scoring 17 points in the first quarter and leaving no doubt about this year's championship with a 17-5 win Saturday.
"I told the people Thursday we'd come out early," Youngstown State coach Jim Tressel said. "Those 17 points so quick were the difference. We had to come out quick."
On the second play from scrimmage, Darnell Clark ran through Tuan Reynolds' tackle and went 50 yards for a score, putting the Penguins ahead 7-0.
Youngstown State's special teams set up the next score. Jermaine Hopkins tackled punter Travis Colquitt, a Salem High School graduate, at the Marshall 6 after the Penguins' defense stopped the Herd on three plays.
Tamron Smith, the Penguins' career rushing leader, burst through the middle on the next play, making it 14-0.
"Tamron had a nice play and Darnell hit the home run," Tressel said.
The Penguins scored again in the first quarter, on a sustained drive. Although they did most of their first-quarter damage with 150 yards rushing, a pass from Mark Brungard to Trent Boykin was the biggest play on this series.
The 5-foot-5, 151-pound Boykin took the pass just beyond the line of scrimmage and ran through 6-1, 194-pound defensive back Roger Johnson to gain 9 yards on third-and-seven from Marshall's 34.
Jeff Wilkins' 19-yard field goal capped the 17-play drive and put the Penguins ahead 17-0 with 1:53 left in the quarter, a big start for a team that managed just three first-half points in the previous two title games.
"They jumped out over us for a 14-0 lead and we were shell shocked," Marshall coach Jim Donnan said. "They did a good job."
Youngstown State's defense dominated in the first half, holding the Herd to minus-21 yards rushing and to 42 yards of offense.
The Herd's Chris Parker, who gained 1,703 yards this season, had only 5 yards in the first two quarters and finished with 47 yards on 17 carries.
"We felt we could stop them on defense," Youngstown State safety Andre Mason said. "Our goal in the secondary was to [contain] the pass. It was the job of the guys up front to stop the run."
The strategy worked, Donnan said.
"We couldn't establish a running game," Donnan said. "That was the difference."
Marshall (11-4) scored with 3:34 left in the third quarter on David Merrick's 27-yard field goal. But the Penguins snuffed the Herd's hopes with a goal-line stand with less than five minutes left.
Defensive lineman Paul Conn pulled back Parker just before he could dive over for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
"We were a little [angry] that they'd gotten the 3," Youngstown State defensive end David Burch said.
"We have been doing that all year and gone over the top," Donnan said. "They just out-executed us. They came over the top and made the tackle."
Youngstown State gave up a safety late in the game rather than give Marshall a chance for a touchdown by blocking a punt in the end zone.
Smith finished with 109 yards on 24 carries and Clark had 88 yards on 11 carries. Brungard was 7 of 8 passing for 75 yards, and his scrambling 24-yard completion to Don Zwisler at the end of the third quarter on third-and-15 helped slow Marshall's momentum.
Marshall quarterback Todd Donnan, the coach's son, was 19-of-29 for 207 yards with two interceptions. The Herd's Will Brown caught seven passes for 94 yards. Marshall linebacker Shannon King had 21 tackles.
The loss snapped a 15-game home winning streak by the Herd, which is 29-2 since James C. Edwards Field opened in 1991. Marshall was trying to tie the 16-game home winning streak of the 1939, 1940 and 1941 Herd teams.
by CNB