The results were the same as they have been the past five years, but it was not Marshall's usual formula for victory: Byron Leftwich was catching touchdowns instead of throwing them.
It was the famed Michael Carey to Byron Leftwich combo that gave the Thundering Herd (8-1, 5-0 MAC) a 24-14 lead in the third quarter, en route to a 27-21 win over the Miami, Ohio RedHawks, (7-3, 4-1 MAC) to capture their fifth-consecutive MAC East Division title.
Carey threw for two touchdowns on the afternoon, while Leftwich did not throw a touchdown pass in a game for the first time all season. Quarterback controversy? Not exactly. Leftwich completed 28 of 41 passes for 285 yards, putting him over 3,000 yards on the season.
Marshall, who is now ranked 24th in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls, will play for the MAC Championship in a nationally-televised game by ESPN on Nov. 30.
