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ODU
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OHIO
Jorge Diaz Nicolas made a school-record five field goals, and Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw returned a missed field goal 100 yards for a touchdown in Marshall’s 36–23 win at Old Dominion.
The Herd improved to 5–3 overall and 2–2 in the Sun Belt, with four conference games left and a division race still worth watching.
ODU fell to 2–7 and 1–5. The Monarchs recovered from a poor start and found some offense after being shut out the previous week, but four turnovers kept them from doing enough with it.
Marshall Starts Fast, Then Stalls
The Herd’s defense put ODU in trouble almost immediately. Kenyatta Hardge forced a fumble on the Monarchs’ second play, Cannon Lewis recovered, and T.J. Lester finished the short drive with a four-yard touchdown.
Lester broke loose for a 49-yard score later in the quarter. The Herd led 17–7 after one, with its running game finding room and the defense creating favorable field position.
Those were the Herd’s only offensive touchdowns.
Marshall’s decision to rotate three quarterbacks was hard to justify. Zion Turner was coming off a turnover-free performance in the 20–13 win over South Alabama, and the offense had helped put 17 points on the board in Saturday’s opening quarter. There was reason to give him an extended opportunity to run it.
Instead, Marshall divided the work among Turner, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Khalil Wilkins. The rotation looked counterproductive as the Herd struggled to sustain drives. Penalties and missed opportunities contributed, but the continued changes gave an offense already searching for consistency another obstacle.
The three quarterbacks combined to complete eight of 18 passes for 142 yards. Marshall converted two of 14 third downs and committed 12 penalties for 94 yards.
Turner’s interception early in the third quarter also needs context. His receiver could not secure the pass, and Brandon Crutchfield came away with it and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. The interception went on Turner’s stat line, but the missed catch contributed to the play.
That cut Marshall’s lead to 27–17. A game the Herd had appeared capable of putting away was still within ODU’s reach.
Special Teams Makes the Difference
Turner-Bradshaw delivered the afternoon’s biggest play on the final snap before halftime.
Marshall led 20–10 when Andrew Nelms attempted a 55-yard field goal. The kick fell short, and Turner-Bradshaw returned it an official 100 yards for a touchdown.
“Plays like that rarely happen, but we work on it every Thursday,” Turner-Bradshaw said.
The return sent Marshall into halftime ahead 27–10. That extra touchdown became particularly valuable when Crutchfield scored early in the third quarter.
Diaz Nicolas handled the rest of Marshall’s scoring. He made all five field goal attempts, including three after halftime, as the Herd pushed its lead to 36–17.
His reliability allowed Marshall to keep adding points despite its trouble finishing drives. The offense left opportunities behind, but Diaz Nicolas made sure those possessions still counted for something.
ODU Shows Progress but Pays for Mistakes
Old Dominion had managed no points in its 26–0 loss at Louisiana Tech. Against Marshall, the Monarchs produced a season-high 409 yards.
Jaxon Potter threw for a career-high 329 yards. Josh Rodriguez caught nine passes for a career-high 143, and Maurki James scored twice on the ground.
ODU found openings downfield and made Marshall defend more of the field. Potter also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, undoing much of that progress.
The Monarchs’ defense gave them chances to recover. Marshall scored on all six red-zone possessions, but ODU held five of those trips to field goals. Some of that came with help from Marshall’s mistakes, though the Monarchs still had to make the stops.
Marshall’s defense had a less consistent afternoon than its opening suggested. ODU found too many sizable gains, but the Herd’s four takeaways repeatedly interrupted possessions. The Monarchs scored 16 points offensively, with their other seven coming on Crutchfield’s return.
For ODU, the loss ended the possibility of reaching six regular-season wins. The offensive improvement offered some encouragement, but another damaging start and too many turnovers left the Monarchs with a third straight defeat.
Marshall heads to Georgia Southern one win from six victories and still needing help in the East. The Eagles lead the division at 3–1, fresh off a 19–3 win over App State. Next Saturday will give the Herd a chance to make up ground directly, but Marshall will need to finish more of its drives and lessen the penalties in order to take advantage.
Marshall 36, Old Dominion 23
Full Statistics: Official Box Score
Up Next: Marshall at Georgia Southern; Old Dominion at Coastal Carolina