NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- There were some flashes in improvement for Old Dominion during Saturday's showdown with Marshall, but at the end of the day, those flashes weren't enough to turn the tide for the Monarchs.
ODU gained a season-best 409 yards, but quarterback Jaxon Potter committed four turnovers as the Thundering Herd went on for the 36-23 victory at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The victory marks the ninth in a row for Marshall in the series.
The silver and blue found themselves playing from behind almost immediately. The Thundering Herd forced a Potter fumble on the second play of the game and scored four plays later on a T.J. Lester four-yard touchdown rush, putting Old Dominion in a 7-0 hole 2:03 into the contest. Lester would add a 49-yard scoring scamper six minutes later to double the Marshall lead.
ODU chipped away before the end of the frame. Maurki James's six-yard rushing touchdown capped off a seven play, 73 yard drive for the Monarchs, cutting their deficit to 14-7.
But perhaps the biggest turning point came in the final seconds of the first half. With the silver and blue trailing 20-10, Andrew Nelms came on to attempt a 55-yard field goal that would have trimmed the gap to one possession heading into halftime. However, his kick was well short, allowing Marshall's Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw to field the ball. Disaster struck for ODU, as Turner-Bradshaw took it back 100-yards for the score and gave the Herd a 27-10 advantage at the break.
Brandon Crutchfield gave the Monarchs a spark early in the third quarter with a pick-six to make it 27-17, but turnovers doomed Old Dominion in the second half. Potter threw three interceptions, all of them coming on the first play of respective drives, stalling any momentum for the silver and blue offense.
Potter ended the day with 329 passing yards, also a season-high for an ODU quarterback. Josh Rodriguez pulled in nine receptions for 143 yards, one of seven Monarchs to tally at least one catch.
Old Dominion's loss puts its record at 2-7 and eliminates them from bowl eligibility potential. The Monarchs return to action next Saturday at Coastal Carolina. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
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