Running Game
Buffalo had two 100-yard rushers, Aaron Leeper (147) and Dave Dawson (103). It sounds pretty good, but unfortunately they did not start finding the holes until the second half when the game was already decided. They were also running against Marshall's reserves. Still, it can be argued that the young backs were successful against the players whom they will compete against during the next few seasons - the Herd's sophomores and freshmen.
Grade: B-
Buffalo receivers had trouble getting open all day. UB's line had trouble blocking. This made it a long day for Bulls' sophomore quarterback Randall Secky. With nowhere to throw and pass rushers frequently swarming him, Secky went 13-34 with two interceptions (both of which deflected off the hands of UB wide receivers) and no touchdowns. He was also sacked three times, fumbling twice - both of which were returned for touchdowns.
Grade: D
Wilbur Hargrove, Marshall's third string running back, gained 162 yards on 16 carries in the second half during mop-up duty including a 78-yard touchdown run against Buffalo's first-stringers. The Herd did not try to run much in the first half, letting quarterback Byron Leftwich air it out against a helpless UB defense. Tackling was poor in both the run defense and the pass defense.br>Grade: C-
Helpless is a pretty accurate way to describe it for UB. The Heisman candidate, Leftwich, went 28-35 for 447 yards and four touchdowns in only one half of duty. It is likely that he and the Herd would have set some all-time passing records for Division-IA had they decided to keep him in for the second half. The Bulls had no chance of defending Marshall's four wide receiver set that spread the field and created mismatches all over. Buffalo's only hope was to get pressure on Leftwich, and seldom did they get anywhere near him. It all looked way too easy for the Herd as they spread the wealth to their big four - Darius Watts (102 yards, two touchdowns), Denero Marriot (91, 1), Curtis Jones (89, 0) and Josh Davis (98, 1). Again, tackling was terrible, and it may have had something to do with the cushion that Marshall receivers were getting.
Grade: F
Receiver Andre Forde became the all-time leading kickoff return man at UB with 100 yards on four returns in the game. He needed 26 yards to break the record. During his career he has amassed 1,374.
Punter Scott McMahan continued his excellent season. He averaged 41.4 yards on his seven punts. He had one punt downed at the two-yard line, a 62-yarder (longest in Marshall Stadium history). Marshall got a hand on one of his punts, causing it to go short and out-of-bounds.
Kicker Dallas Pelz missed his only field goal opportunity from 46 yards.
Grade: B
UB tried everything on defense, and nothing worked. Coaches just do not have the horses to compete with the MAC's best team. They did well to keep the players heads up for the second half, which UB actually won 21-14. The team never quits on Head Coach Jim Hofher, and that's certainly a good sign.
Grade: B
