Since the weather has been turning colder, I have brought in several potted plants to keep alive through the winter. Unfortunately, little insect critters sometimes hitch a ride on the plants so I put out a light attracting, sticky paper insect trap.

Yesterday, a heard a big racket and found the cat stuck in the trap. I had to rip off a big section of her fur to get her out. I guess the warm light made her believe it would be a nice place to take a nap. Wrong.

As The Thundering Herd honored its seniors and improved to 5-3 with a 28-23 win over Louisiana Monroe, it is fitting that a senior received the top PFF grade for Marshall’s offense. Ethan Payne, who had eight carries for 51 yards and two touchdowns, graded at 82.4, as he seemingly willed his way into the endzone on multiple occasions.

Quarterback:
For the second game in a row, Braylon Braxton took every snap from behind center. Braxton was 10/19 passing for 166 yards and a touchdown. He also ran twelve times for 25 yards and received a PFF grade of 76.1.

Running Backs:
As Ethan Payne led the way with a grade of 82.4, Jordan Houston (nine carries, 80 yards; 2 receptions, 29 yards) was next in line at 72.3. A.J. Turner (12 carries, 49 yards, 1 touchdown) was third grading 71.8.

Wide Receivers:
Only four receivers recorded a reception in the win over the Warhawks with Chuck Montgomery (four catches, 68 yards) earning the high mark at 79.8. Montgomery was followed by Christian Fitzpatrick (2 catches, 44 yards, one touchdown) at 66.9 and Carl Chester (one catch, 22 yards) at 59.9. Tychaun Chapman had one catch for three yards and graded 42.6. Other grades of note despite no receptions: Bryan Robinson: 65.5; DeMarcus Harris: 57.4; Bralon Brown: 49.1.

Tight Ends:
As has been the theme throughout much of the season, Marshall’s tight ends were shut out of the statistical department against Louisiana Monroe. Their grades are as follows – Justin Holmes: 74.5; Toby Payne: 67.2; Cade Conley: 55.1.

Offensive Line:
Marshall has solidified their offensive line as all five starters played the entirety of 64 snaps. Jeremy Jones had the top mark among the big men up front grading 76.2 (42.8 pass block; 80.8 run block). Logan Osburn posted a grade of 76.1 (82.2 pass block; 70.8 run block) while Jalen Slappy graded 71.1 (29.2 pass block; 75.8 run block). Elijah Ellis and Bryce Ramsey round out the starting five with grades of 70.0 (87.0 pass block; 63.1 run block) and 67.6 (49.8 pass block; 68.7 run block), respectively.