By Danielle Daniels

Charles Huff Marshall head coach 9 21 2024 B Postgame News Conference #3 OSU 49 Marshall 14.mp3

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Marshall’s offense got off to a strong start, but the Thundering Herd couldn’t keep up with a stout attack from No. 3 Ohio State in a 49-14 loss to the Buckeyes in front of 103,871 fans at Ohio Stadium.

With the loss, Marshall falls to 1-2 in the 2024 season.

“I thought our guys battled 60 minutes, but they wore us down a little bit in the second half,” Marshall head coach Charles Huff said. “I thought we showed that when we do what we need to do from the things that we can control, that we can play with anybody in the country.”

The 103,871 fans at Ohio Stadium served as the fifth biggest crowd that Marshall has ever played in and the fifth time that the Herd has played in front of more than 100,000 fans.

Marshall quieted that crowd early after taking a 7-0 lead following Ethan Payne’s 2-yard plunge capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up nearly seven minutes of the first quarter. Ohio State tied the game up at 7 after one quarter.

“They hadn’t given up a touchdown all year and only one team had gotten into the red zone all year,” Huff said. “I thought the biggest play (for us) of the day was we go down there on the goal line and we punched it in. That’s a man’s yard down on the goal line. Offensively, we were a lot more efficient today.”

The game’s biggest momentum change came in the second quarter with the Buckeyes leading 14-7. Marshall recovered a muffed punt by Ohio State inside the 10-yard line, but was called for illegal formation on the punt, negating the recovery. Two plays later, Ohio State scored to push the lead to two scores.

Marshall starting quarterback Stone Earle was in rhythm early, using his legs and the short passing game to keep the Buckeyes off-balance as the Herd ran 49 plays in the first half, which culminated with Earle finding Elijah Metcalf for a 13-yard touchdown with six seconds left before halftime to cut the deficit to 28-14.

“I saw the safety looking at me pre-snap and I thought, ‘Okay, this could come to me,'” Metcalf said of the play. “He tried to shadow me from going inside, so I tried to take it outside, but I looked back and saw Stone throwing me the ball. I just wanted to respond and make a play for him. It was a great play and I’m glad he had the trust in me to make it for him.”

Earle finished the game 16 of 21 for 132 yards and the score while Metcalf caught eight passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.

“Seeing him work this week with his head held high was great,” Earle said of Metcalf. “I told him every day this week, ‘Dude, you’re a dog.’ Just being able to continue to feed these guys – and being able to do that, it’s awesome.”

Defensively, Josh Moten registered an interception for the Herd while Jaden Yates led the team with seven tackles in his return to his hometown.

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—HerdZone.com—

COURTESY MARSHALL ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS