ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 13, 1996 TAG: 9610150039
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
THE KEYDETS WIN 58 minutes, but the two they lose seem like an hour.
In a winless season, there was one thing VMI was glad to lose Saturday - its memory.
The Keydets allowed Marshall four touchdowns in 2:03 of clock time and then promptly forgot about it.
Instead of moping and dwelling on the negatives, VMI outscored the Thundering Herd in the remainder of the Southern Conference matchup at Alumni Memorial Field. The fact that the Keydets still lost 45-20 is a testament to Marshall's skill.
It was the Herd's second closest game of the season.
``That's a good football team," said VMI tailback Thomas Haskins. "To be able to do some of the things we were able to do is a plus."
And what did the Keydets do?
They scored the most points of any Herd opponent since Marshall's opener. They passed for a season-best 164 yards. They ran up an amazing 36:14 of possession time to Marshall's 23:46. Fullback Jason White and Haskins had the second- and third-best running performances of any Herd opponent, as well.
So why did VMI lose? Probably because it was playing a Division I-AA football team in name only. Marshall (6-0 overall, 3-0 Southern Conference) caused the Keydets (0-6, 0-4) to make a mistake they hadn't made since their opener at Southeastern Conference member Mississippi.
Namely, as it did twice at Ole Miss, VMI allowed a punt return for a touchdown. Timmy Martin's return with 1:17 to go in the first quarter began Marshall's 28-point run. Martin ended it with 7:04 to go in the second quarter on a 35-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Eric Kresser.
Allowing a season-high 539 yards of offense didn't help VMI's cause, either.
``Speed is dangerous on the highway and on the football field," said VMI coach Bill Stewart. ``They're the No. 1 team in the country. They've got fast people."
The fastest on Saturday was senior running back Erik Thomas. Thomas had 15 carries for 164 yards and a 46-yard touchdown run for which Stewart took total blame. He sent his defense at the quarterback on a play that gave the Herd its final score of the day. It was Marshall's only touchdown of the second half.
``I never doubted these guys one bit until yours truly called that blitz [with 6:01 remaining]," Stewart said. ``I asked my defense for forgiveness."
Mike Harris earned his forgiveness against the Herd as well. The junior kicker last week missed a 48-yard field goal into the wind with nine seconds to play that would have sent the Keydets into overtime at Georgia Southern.
He proved he could suppress bad memories in the second half against Marshall, however, drilling field goals of 47 and a career-high 49 yards. His second field goal drew VMI to 38-20 with 7:25 left to play. It also gave the Keydets their first fourth-quarter points of the season.
``People were making a lot of excuses why I missed last week," said Harris, whose brother, Greg is a senior tight end for the Keydets. ``I said, `Coach, I can make this." I don't know if he heard me. Maybe he wanted to give me the chance."
The Keydets looked like they had a chance in the first quarter when White had 35 yards of bruising runs on a touchdown drive. It appeared VMI would hold the Herd to less than 10 first-quarter points for the first time in 1996. But then came Martin's kick return.
Less than 10 minutes later, VMI trailed 35-7.
``At that point, it caught us off guard," quarterback Al Lester said. ``We made sure not to get down, but to stay up and make the thing a game."
As some of the 9,165 pondered packing up their picnic baskets, Stewart pleaded with his players to put Marshall's points out of their minds. Lester was one player who did, mustering his best performance of the year. He completed a team season-high 14 passes for a season-best 164 yards. Walk-on freshman receiver Eddie Pearson caught five passes for 77 yards, which was 28 yards more than he had accumulated in his career to date.
Their numbers, however, paled in comparison to Marshall's transfer terrors, Kresser and receiver Randy Moss. Kresser was 14-of-31 for 265 yards and three touchdowns, and Moss had four receptions for 135 yards and a score.
That pair and Thomas were chiefly responsible for clinching VMI's 15th straight losing season.
``Right now, we just want to stay together as a team," Lester said. ``Unfortunately, it's been decided we won't have a winning season. I don't think our confidence is down. We've gotten better each week."
That's probably true, even if the team's memory has gotten worse. see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS STAFF Marshall receiver Tysonby CNBHagale (left) tries to elude VMI defender Ron Hill during action
Saturday in Lexington.