Marshall beat UConn 28-14 to win the Myrtle Beach Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?
Marshall 28, UConn 14 Myrtle Beach Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means
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Myrtle Beach Bowl What Happened
– In a tale of two halves, Marshall took advantage of big mistakes and got the running game going on the way to a 21-0 halftime lead and a 28-0 advantage. UConn found its groove, scored 14 points on two Victor Rosa runs, and made it interesting in the fourth quarter. UConn drives stalled, Marshall’s D held up, and the was able to grind down the clock to close.
– Marshall QB Cam Fancher threw two short touchdown passes, but again, it was the D that took over early. Damion Barber came up with a pick six, there were four takeaways in all, and the line – outside of the two Rosa touchdowns – held up great against the run.
– This wasn’t pretty. It seemed like every other play was marred by a flag, that’s because that’s basically what happened. The two combined for 21 penalties for 227 yards and six turnovers.
Myrtle Beach Bowl Player of the Game
Eli Neal, LB Marshall
The junior was all over the place tying for a game-high ten tackles with seven solo stops with 1.5 tackles for loss and a broken up pass.
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Myrtle Beach Bowl Fun Stats
– Marshall RBs Rasheen Ali and Khalan Laborn combined for 182 rushing yards and an Ali touchdown on 36 carries.
– UConn QB Zion Turner ran for 25 yards, but he only completed 9-of-27 passes for 166 yards and three interceptions.
– Third down conversions: Marshall 7-of-15 – UConn 3-of-12
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Myrtle Beach Bowl What It All Means
UConn lost, but it played well in the second half, had the effort and energy, and it was okay despite the 14 point loss. But start with this … who cares that it couldn’t pull it off? UConn was in a bowl game for the first time since 2015 and the second time since 2010. It was a fantastic season under Jim Mora Jr. as he turned around a program that wasn’t going anywhere.
UConn won six games from 2017 to 2021 and won six this year – it was playing with house money in Conway. However, this was a shot at the first winning season since 2010 and the first bowl win since 2009.
It was a strange nine-win season for Marshall, but with a win over Notre Dame early, and closing out with a bowl victory, 9-4 looks very, very good for second-year head coach Charles Huff.
For years, Marshall was a give for a bowl win under Doc Holliday, but the program lsat three in a row including last year’s New Orleans under Huff. This wasn’t a complete game – the team lost its edge in the second half, but it won by two touchdowns and got that ninth win. It’s a great way to go into the offseason.
