The Marshall Statesmen, fresh off of a 20-point loss, went on the road to take on the 4-0 McLean Highlanders in a game which was touted as McLean’s toughest to date. Despite the noise surrounding McLean’s incredible start, the Highlanders knew the game would be one of their hardest, and approached the practices of the prior week as such.
“We’ve worked really hard this week, but it all comes down to the game,” senior safety Conor Patton said. “We just have to do our job and win this game like we’re supposed to.”
It took only one play for the Highlanders to take the lid off of the Statesmen. Junior quarterback Ethan Ball found superstar running back Kaelan Ferris 25 yards down the field, and all it took was one broken tackle for Ferris to make it to the end zone for an 80 yard touchdown. After a missed extra point, the Highlanders led 6-0.
Marshall’s first offensive drive gained some ground with their wing-T offense, but the drive fizzled out when senior cornerback Jahi Jemison broke up a deep pass to Marshall senior Derek Lenert. The matchup of the two seniors was a heavily anticipated one, as Lenert was a key figure in the Statesmen passing game en route to their hot start. However, his prowess did not faze Jemison early on, whose loud mouth and hot hands were everywhere on defense.
After McLean turned the ball over on downs, the Statesmen furiously mounted a long drive, with senior running back Sam Morales showing off his brute strength which each carry. Morales’s efforts paid off as he crashed through McLean’s defensive front for a touchdown to give Marshall a 7-6 lead.
Another possession ended in a McLean punt, and once again the Statesmen came rolling down the field, threatening to grab total control of the game’s momentum. However, penalty flags began to fly left and right, moving the Statesmen backwards each time. Marshall opted to try for the end zone on 4th down, but their pass was broken up again by Jemison, resulting in a turnover.
McLean took over with a rejuvenated offense, as big plays like senior Vaughn McCollough’s one-handed catch gave the Highlanders plenty of energy. Not long after, junior Benjamin Irish took a screen pass to the house, giving McLean a 13-7 lead. The Statesmen’s offense had no juice, and the cheerleaders pumping up the crowd on the sideline were performing with more energy than Marshall’s suddenly lethargic ground game.
An ill-advised pass from Ball was intercepted, and McLean missed out on an opportunity to go up by two scores before the end of the half. Marshall couldn’t get anything going with the limited time they had left, and McLean entered the intermission with a confident six-point lead.
As the second half progressed, the game continued to establish its nature as a defensive showdown, with both squads struggling to find any consistency on offense. Marshall couldn’t break through McLean’s stout defensive line, and a fumble and interception nullified any hopes of the Highlanders adding to their lead. Eventually, something had to give, and it wound up being McLean, as Marshall quarterback Ian Olson broke into the end zone to make the score 14-13 at the end of the third quarter, in favor of the visitors.
There was some life in the next offensive possession for McLean, but the drive was stifled with a sack on 4th down. Marshall experienced a similar fate, as penalties and blown blocking assignments killed their next drive. Ferris was due for a big play, and he found it by way of a gargantuan touchdown run, streaking to the back corner of the end zone. Despite some miscommunications, Ball eventually found McCollough on an out route for a two-point conversion. McLean led, 21-14. The insanity in the student section was quaffed almost instantly, as Lenert took the following kickoff for a touchdown.
McLean had the reins with only a few minutes remaining, the opportunity to put the game away in their hands. The drive that followed was as nerve-wracking as they come, with every single set of downs getting to third down after unsuccessful rushing attempts. Ball kept pulling through when it mattered, passing for multiple first downs and scrambling for several more. One of his favorite targets, junior Logan Blake, was open whenever he needed it for first downs. Yet, from the 20-yard line, McLean couldn’t convert on a 4th-and-5, giving the ball back to Marshall with two minutes left. They couldn’t punch it in either. It was going to have to be overtime.
The Statesmen couldn’t get into the end zone on their first possession of overtime, settling for a field goal to go up 24-21. The Highlanders would have won with a touchdown, but they were forced to bring out Nathan Bender, who calmly knocked down the most high-pressure field goal of his career. Based on the rules of overtime, McLean’s offense had to come right back out, and once again they just couldn’t punch it in with Ferris or any of the other weapons. Bender came out once again, knocking down the most high-pressure kick of his career (since five minutes prior).
Marshall’s kicker was automatic from wherever he was, so it seemed like a surefire bet that the game would go to a third overtime. They brought it within the five-yard line on the first play, forcing it to the one-yard line for a game-deciding fourth down and one yard to go. With the game on the line, Marshall went where they had gone all game, to their trustworthy ground game. With only 36 inches to go, it seemed mathematically impossible that he wouldn’t convert. Any good computer simulation would have given the Statesmen an easy victory.
However, football games aren’t played on computers. Against all odds, McLean’s defensive front came through one last time, stuffing their opponents on the goal line for no gain, no touchdown and no victory. The Highlanders came through when it mattered most, propelling McLean to a 5-0 record and a level of enthusiasm in the football program that no current student has ever experienced.
“It means everything. There’s nothing better than being 5 and 0,” McCollough said. “The team rallied, and we won. That’s all that matters.”
Head Coach Joe Cockerham, standing at midfield, spoke to the team and all of the fans that had stormed the field.
“It’s been a long time since this has happened at this place,” Cockerham said. “We need you all with us, every night. This team is special.”
Kimberly Coerr • Sep 23, 2023 at 11:00 am
Excellent recap. What an exciting game!