By: MTN Sports Reporter Caroline Colvard
MTSU beat Marshall 34-28 in a downpour on Saturday. The Blue Raiders had a total of 6 takeaways at the end of the night.
The first touchdown of the night was secured by sophomore quarterback Mike DiLiello, who ran the ball 3 yards into the endzone after the Blue Raiders moved down the field 62 yards. This marks DiLiello’s first touchdown of the season.
The Blue Raiders remained in the lead with a score of 7-0 for the rest of the first quarter. MTSU came out strong during the second quarter and secured the second touchdown of the night when senior wide receiver Jarrin Pierce caught a 13-yard pass thrown by junior quarterback Chase Cunningham.
Shortly after MTSU brought the score to 14-0, Marshall scored their first touchdown of the game when freshman running back Rasheen Ali ran the ball 12 yards into the endzone.
However, MTSU recovered quickly with junior running back Chaton Mobley completing a 41-yard touchdown run.
MTSU continued to dominate the field when freshman wide receiver Jaylin Lane caught a 34-yard pass from Chase Cunningham, bringing the score 28-7.
Before the end of the second quarter, The Herd was able to score their second touchdown of the game with Rasheen Ali running the ball 1 yard into the endzone. At half-time, the scoreboard saw MTSU in the lead 28-14.
After a hot start, both the Blue Raiders and Herd were slow on the offense during the third quarter of the game.
Finally, MTSU was able to make their final touchdown of the night after senior safety Reed Blankenship made a 90-yard fumble recovery. The score at the start of the fourth quarter saw MTSU lead 34-14.
Although MTSU stayed on top and ultimately won, Marshall was still able to secure two more touchdowns from Rasheen Ali and sophomore wide receiver Shadeed Ahmed before the end of the game.
Senior safety Reed Blankenship, who set an all-time record with five solo stops against Marshall, reflected on his 90-yard fumble recovery. “Well, I was looking back because I felt like I was slowing down a lot because I had water in my cleats. I knew it looked slow, and I promise you I’m a little bit faster than that. I just, I love playing for this team and I'm excited for next week,” said Blankenship.
Looking forward to next week, the Blue Raiders will play an away game against Liberty University on Saturday.