A lackluster Week 2 offensive performance resulted in a 31-14 defeat at the hands of Virginia Tech. While Marshall’s offense only managed to generate a total of 278 yards, one bright spot for the second week in a row was running back, AJ Turner. Turner had six carries for 103 yards and broke off a 69-yard run in the third quarter which led to The Herd’s second touchdown of the afternoon. This production led to Turner being the highest graded offensive player in the loss with a cumulative score of 71.7.
Quarterback:
Not much can be said for Stone Earle’s performance against the Hokies as the stat line speaks for itself. 13 of 36 for 131 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Yes, there were drops by the wide receivers, but there were not 23. Earle received a grade of 54.8 in the loss.
Running Backs:
As mentioned above, AJ Turner led Marshall’s offense with a grade of 71.7. Turner was followed by Ethan Payne (one carry for two yards and one catch for four yards) with a grade of 70.2 and Jordan Houston (eight carries for 17 yards) at 60.8.
Wide Receivers:
With a one-handed circus catch and his second productive outing of the season, Christian Fitzpatrick (four catches, 73 yards, one touchdown) had the top grade among The Herd’s wide receiver room with a 65.4. Next in line were Tychaun Chapman (one catch for seven yards) at 58.4, Elijah Metcalf (four catches for 22 yards) with a grade of 58.1, and Bralon Brown (one catch for six yards), grading a 55.0. Other grades of note: Carl Chester: 54.8; Bryan Robinson: 46.5.
Tight Ends:
For the second straight week, Mashall’s tight ends remained nearly non-existent in the offensive output. Despite not catching a pass, Justin Holmes had the highest grade at 67.7. Cade Conley, who also did not tally a reception, graded 59.2, while Toby Payne, who had the lone catch – for zero yards – among the tight ends, received a grade of 55.9.
Offensive Line:
Marshall settled into their starting line-up across the front as all five starters played the entirety of the game (64 snaps). The offensive line was led by Jeremy Jones with a grade of 67.6 (66.9 run block, 65.2 pass block). Jalen Slappy was next in line, grading 62.6 (60.4 run block, 67.3 pass block), followed by Logan Osburn at 59.0 (58.0 run block, 75.1 pass block), Bryce Ramsey with a 56.4 (50.5 run block, 71.6 pass block), and Elijah Ellis receiving a grade of 56.3 (40.1 run block, 80.5 pass block), respectively.
