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Marshall Wins Battle of
the Bell over Ohio
By
Chris Spencer
(HUNTINGTON, WV Nov.
28) Marshall
finished their regular
football season 8-4
with a 28-0 victory
over Ohio at the newly
named
Joan C. Edwards
Stadium Friday
afternoon in a game
called "Battle for
the Bell."
Marshall University
President Dr. Dan
Angel announced the
official name for the
stadium will now be
called the Joan C.
Edwards
Stadium. Earlier
the field was named
after her husband
James F.
Edwards. It is
first football stadium
in the country to be
named
after a woman. With
no official name the
stadium was always
referred
to as Marshall
University Stadium
since opening in
1991.
The
rivalry that closes
out the football
season for both
Marshall and Ohio is
supposed to be a close
game, but all was on
the
Herd side this time.
Marshall using a
strong defense shut
out Ohio
holding the Bobcates
twice on the goal
line.
The
Marshall defense held
Ohio to 153 yards of
offense
and eight first
downs. Marshall
generated 409 yards on
offense and 24
first downs.
Scoring
for Marshall were
Franklin Wallace,
Graham
Gochneaur, Darius
Watts and defensive
player Jonathan
Goddard when he
scooped up a fumble
for a score.
The
rain and cold kept
many fans away with
the
announcement that the
crowd was over 19.000
paid attendance.
With the
weather, day after
Thanksgiving and a
noon start for
television many
stayed home and the
the actual numbers
looked to be far less.
With
the decisive victory
and the winning of
the bell
Marshall is now hoping
to go to a bowl game.
Marshall Coach Bob
Pruett said, "We
dominated this
football game. Our
defense was
outstanding, and our
offense really
good. It was a cold
dreary day. We ran
the football. That is
a
little different for
us, but we needed to
to that and get it
over with."
"This
gives us a chance to
go to bowl game. If
it does
it happen fine, but we
gave ourselves an
opportunity."
"If you
would have told me
that your best
linebacker
would break his leg,
your running back
would break his hand,
your
quarterback would have
knee surgery and your
All American wide
receiver
would be hobbling in
three ball games and
you still win eight
games, I
would want to know
what you are smoking."
"All in all
I am pleased with our
football team. This
should
jump start us into a
bowl game or certainly
into next season. We
will
have most of these
guys back next year."
He kidded
about a possible bowl
game saying, "We have
done our
part of 50%. It is
now up to Bob Marcum
(athletic director) to
do his
part."
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