St. Petersburg Bowl: Chase Litton leads Marshall to win over Connecticut

Chase Litton, Marshall defense lead the way as the Thundering Herd beat the Connecticut Huskies in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

If the offense was what you were looking for, then the St. Petersburg Bowl was not a game for you. Instead, it was a defensive battle as the Connecticut Huskies faced off against the Marshall Thundering Herd for some post-holiday football action.

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In the first quarter, tight end Ryan Yurachek was on the receiving end on a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chase Litton at the 8:10 mark to give Marshall an early 7-0 lead. The touchdown reception for Yurachek marked the fourth game in a row with a score.

Connecticut answered right back with a score of their own when running back Ron Johnson took it to the house on an eight-yard touchdown run, capping off a drive that lasted 13 plays, 75 yards, and  6:19 in length.

The second quarter was all about the defense as neither team appeared willing to give an inch. However, thanks to the leg of Nick Smith, the Herd broke through with a 21-yard field goal, and then at the end of the quarter with a 29-yard field goal that finished off a 15-play, 85-yard drive.

Both of the field goals capped drives in which the Herd controlled the pace of the game. As the whistle sounded for halftime, Marshall led, 13-7.

Connecticut needed to respond, and they did with a 52-yard field goal, to close the gap to 13-10 as the third quarter drawn to a close. That was all the scoring from the defensive-oriented Huskies on the day.

Marshall added a 32-yard field goal and the defense stood tall to come away with their tenth win of the year.

Litton finished the contest 23 of 34 passing with 218 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Senior receiver Deandre Reaves ended his season in style, catching nine passes for 88 yards.

For Connecticut, Bryant Shirreffs finished the game going 10 of 16 for 86 yards and a touchdown against a Marshall defense that didn’t allow much today. Shirreffs also carried the ball 19 times for 75 yards. Sophomore Arkeel Newsome was the team’s leading receiver with five receptions for 32 yards and carried the ball nine times for 32 yards.

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In a game that saw defense rule the day, the Herd came out on top, giving them their fifth bowl-game victory in a row.