By GRANT TRAYLOR

Associate Athletic Director of Strategic Communications

LAFAYETTE, La. – Marshall Football completed their magical run to the SBC Championship on Saturday night, excelling in all phases of the game in a 31-3 win over Louisiana in front of 20,067 fans at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The 28-point margin of victory was the largest in Sun Belt Championship history and the three points allowed were also the fewest in the game’s history.

It was all part of a dominant, historic win in which the Herd secured the program’s first-ever SBC Football Championship, its first league title since 2014 and its first 10-win season since 2015.

“I could not be prouder of a group of guys,” Marshall football coach Charles Huff said.

“I’m so appreciative of their buy-in and it helps me understand that the process works. This is a huge moment for Marshall University and I’m appreciative to be the leader that got us to this point. To be the first team to win a Sun Belt Championship, you can’t erase that.”

The win was Marshall’s seventh straight victory – one of the nation’s longest winning streaks – and it came in emphatic fashion.

Marshall quarterback Braylon Braxton was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after continuing his strong play over the late stages of the season, finishing 18 of 26 for 193 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 66 yards.

“The recruiting pitch that they gave me – that they were bringing in players to win a championship,” Braxton said. “All the way back from January, that was the goal. To feel that come to light tonight, it’s humbling.”

Jordan Houston also rushed for 117 yards, including the game-clinching 9-yard touchdown run with 2:03 left that sealed the Herd’s championship.

Houston’s performance was part of a domination by the offensive line, which powered the Herd to 217 yards on the ground and 410 total yards.

“That’s probably the best feeling you can have,” Marshall center Logan Osburn said. “We said in August that we wanted to be the first Marshall Sun Belt team to win a championship. We said it in August and we put our heads down and worked for it.”

Marshall’s Mike Green, the SBC Player of the Year, put the signature on the contest with a sack in the fourth quarter that gave him 17.0 for the season. That figure broke the SBC’s all-time single-season mark while tying the Marshall record set by Cecil Fletcher.

After a strong first half, Braxton kept his rhythm after halftime, leading the Herd down the field before finding Bralon Brown for a 20-yard touchdown in the middle of the third quarter to put the Herd up three scores and start the celebration.

Marshall jumped out to a 17-3 lead at halftime after scoring the final 17 points of the half to seize momentum.

“One of the points for us during the pre-game was that the hopes, dreams and what you deserve isn’t really how life goes,” said Marshall linebacker Jaden Yates, who finished with a team-high six tackles. “If you want something, you’ve got to take it. You work and bust your tail for it every day. This is a process-driven program.

“We’ve been talking about this since January. There’s not a lot of people who have the mental fortitude to keep going and remember that’s the ultimate goal the whole time. I’m really proud of this group and these guys.”

The Herd had several unsung heroes step into the spotlight on both sides of the ball to produce the early lead, also.

With the Herd trailing 3-0 early, Tychaun Chapman broke things open for the Marshall offense, sprinting away from a defender before hauling in a 37-yard touchdown pass from Braxton to give the Herd its first lead.

Defensively, Monroe Beard III made his presence felt quickly as he recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the first half that helped the Herd limit Louisiana’s offense to just four first downs.

That defensive pressure turned the ball back to the Herd offense, who took full advantage of the opportunities.

After a 32-yard field goal by Rece Verhoff gave the Herd a 10-3 lead midway through the second quarter, Marshall got a quick defensive stop before going on a 7-play, 56-yard drive that was capped by a 15-yard touchdown run by Ethan Payne – his seventh touchdown of the season.

With the SBC Championship contest now complete, the Thundering Herd awaits to hear its bowl destination.

At the latest, that announcement will come on Sunday afternoon. Stay logged on to Marshall social media channels for updates and ticket information.

Marshall	7	10	7	7	=	31
Louisiana-Lafayette	3	0	0	0	=	3

First Quarter

ULL–FG Almendares 40, 6:42.

MRSH_Chapman 37 pass from Braxton (Verhoff kick), 4:04.

Second Quarter

MRSH–FG Verhoff 32, 7:54.

MRSH–E.Payne 15 run (Verhoff kick), 2:47.

Third Quarter

MRSH–B.Brown 20 pass from Braxton (Verhoff kick), 7:43.

Fourth Quarter

MRSH–Houston 9 run (Verhoff kick), 2:03.

A–20,067.

—————

	MRSH	ULL
First downs	25	11
Total Net Yards	410	255
Rushes-yards	44-217	28-56
Passing	193	199
Punt Returns	0-0	2-15
Kickoff Returns	1-17	2-43
Interceptions Ret.	1-0	0-0
Comp-Att-Int	18-26-0	13-32-1
Sacked-Yards Lost	1-9	2-13
Punts	5-39.8	5-38.0
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	0-0
Penalties-Yards	6-60	9-98
Time of Possession	33:56	26:04

—————

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Marshall, Houston 17-117, Braxton 16-66, E.Payne 9-39, (Team) 2-(minus 5). Louisiana-Lafayette, Perry 6-25, Washington 8-19, Fields 2-14, Beale 7-1, (Team) 1-(minus 1), Davis 4-(minus 2).

PASSING–Marshall, Braxton 18-26-0-193. Louisiana-Lafayette, Fields 4-8-0-104, Beale 9-24-1-95.

RECEIVING–Marshall, Chapman 8-86, C.Montgomery 4-50, Fitzpatrick 2-7, Chester 1-25, Brown 1-20, T.Payne 1-5, E.Payne 1-0. Louisiana-Lafayette, LeGendre 4-81, H.Broussard 4-80, Washington 2-13, Smith 1-13, Bernard 1-6, Jensen 1-6.

MISSED FIELD GOALS–None.