HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - "If you want to be remembered as a great quarterback, you have to make that play..." - Marshall Head Coach Bob Pruett to quarterback Byron Leftwich following a loss in the 2001 MAC Championship.
It may be safe to call Leftwich a great quarterback.
Day had long succumbed to night on Saturday, when the Heisman Trophy candidate and senior from Marshall rifled a 40-yard pass to receiver and fellow senior Darius Watts to put the Thundering Herd ahead of the Toledo Rockets for good, 49-45. Simply put, he made the play.
A crowd of 24,582 were on hand to see Marshall's fifth MAC title in six years.
In last season's conference finale at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Leftwich was denied in the closing seconds by the Rockets defense. This year the Herd knocked down UT quarterback Brian Jones' desperation heave with no time left on the clock.
"Last year coming off the field - I don't know if Byron remembers this - when we didn't make the touchdown at Toledo," said Pruett. "I said to him, if you ever want to be remembered as a great quarterback you've got to make that play. And he's made it every game since."
If football is truly a war, then this was a battle of epic proportions. Toledo and Marshall were the ultimate competitors, and both teams left the field with heads held high.
"Both teams played their hearts out," said Pruett. "It's a shame that someone wins and loses when two teams played as hard as they did today. I said going into the ball game that I didn't think they had any quit in them and I didn't think we did either, and I think we proved it today ... Both teams left it all on the field"
Toledo shredded Marshall on the ground, collecting 217 yards of rushing offense and scoring all six of their touchdowns running the ball. Redshirt freshman Trinity Dawson led the way with four touchdowns and 130 yards. True freshman Astin Martin added another touchdown and 75 yards.
Marshall countered with a stunning display of aerial precision, unparalleled since the Allied airborne dominance of World War II. Leftwich was 32-42 for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Watts led all receivers with nine catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Denero Marriott added seven catches and two scores of his own.
In true championship fashion, big plays were the status quo. Few were bigger than the 36-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the second quarter by Marshall senior linebacker Duran Smith. It was the only defensive scoring play of the day.
On fourth down and one yard to go from the Marshall 49-yard line, Toledo Head Coach Tom Anstutz had Jones fake the handoff to the right and rollout to his left. Unfortunately for him, Herd linebacker Charlie Tynes was right there when he turned around. Tynes knocked the ball loose and Smith did the rest.
"We will try things," said Anstutz. "Sometimes they work, sometimes they may not. But I'm not going to leave a game thinking I could have done something more for my team to win. It's my job to give my players every opportunity to make a play."
Toledo would answer on their next drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Martin, but still trailed 28-17 at the half.
Two Marshall turnovers early in the third quarter led to two Rockets touchdowns, giving them their first lead of the game. On the second turnover - an interception by Toledo junior Brandon Hefflin - linebacker Bryan Gardner crushed Leftwich. Marshall guard Steve Perretta knocked down Gardner, and then Toledo defensive lineman Lantz Jeudy shoved Perretta. Perretta and Jeudy were both ejected from the game.
Once the Rockets had gained the upper hand, the dynamics of the game changed. Once characterized by runs for both teams, it now shifted to a boxing match with each team taking the best shot, and the other coming back for more.
Perhaps Toledo's best chance at halting the Thundering Herd came on the final drive - twice in fact - a few plays before the winning touchdown throw.
On first-and-25 from the Marshall 35-yard line, MAC Freshman of the Year runner-up Keon Jackson had two hands on a Leftwich pass intended for Josh Davis. Jackson could not hold on. On the next play the officials called Toledo for a questionable pass interference play that gave the Thundering Herd a first down at the UT 40-yard line.
The debate swirled around whether the ball had been tipped before the penalty occurred and whether pass interference was the correct call (holding was being discussed). Given a second chance, Leftwich was not about to have it taken away again.
"I changed his route," said Leftwich. " I told him to run a post, but I told him to keep it skinny because of the way they were rolling their free safety over and we needed to attack downfield ... He did all the work, he outran them. I just threw him the ball."
