:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50905621/20160909_195810.0.jpg)
They say there is a first time for everything. For Akron, they came into Huntington, WV having never won at Joan C. Edwards stadium. When they left Saturday evening, they left with something few teams claim, a win on Marshall's home field.
The Zips opened up the game with a scoring drive that ended with a touch down thrown by Thomas Woodson to Mykel Traylor-Bennett. The Herd responded with three touchdown drives to put the Herd up 21-7 by the end of the first quarter.
The momentum was in Marshall’s favor and it looked like the Herd was on its way to another smooth home victory. That all changed when Chase Litton dropped back to pass and was blind-sided, fumbling the football, which was returned by Daumantas Venckus for a touchdown. That was the first six points in a 34 point quarter for the Zips.
The second quarter was all Akron. Woodson connected for two more touchdowns, a blocked punt turned into points for the Zips and Tra’Von Chapman ran the ball in from the one yard line to end the half.
The second half offered a glimmer of hope when Litton lead the Herd down the field. Keion Davis ran for eight yards to close the Zips' lead to 13. That drive was quickly answered by Akron. The Zips answered on defense holding the Herd to a field goal. The 4th quarter was again dominated by the visiting team.
On Marshall’s part, there wasn’t a lot to get excited about. They gave up 17 penalties for 180 yards. This is an area that was concerning against Morgan State, but the Herd paid the price this week. The defense gave up 524 yards, 379 of which were through the air. They gave up 4 turnovers, and Litton was sacked on three separate occasions.
On a brighter note, the Herd did put up 560 yards total offense. They were three for three on 4th down conversions. The also made Akron make a few mistakes, earning 134 yards from 13 penalties.
As a side note, this is the second straight year the Herd has dropped a game to a MAC opponent in their second game of the season.
The Herd have a lot to work on in a short amount of time. They host #3 Louisville who made short work of Florida State this week. Things may look a little bleak for Marshall at the present time, with a 10 win season streak on the line, but these next two weeks will be the teams' real test.