COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Marshall steamrolls EKU in opener

Marshall quarterback Grant Wells passed for 307 yards and four first-half touchdowns to lead the Thundering Herd to a 59-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky University in the college football opener played at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday.

The Thundering Herd made 12,000 tickets available in the 38,000-seat facility.

Marshall, which amassed 627 yards in total offense built a 38-0 halftime lead.

Wells tossed TD passes to Xavier Gaines (22 yards), Talik Keaton (21 yards), Garet Morrell (2 yards), and Jaron Woodyard (42 yards).

Brenden Knox rushed for an eight-yard touchdown while Sheldon Evans and Lawrence Papillon added runs of 6 and 13 yards in the third quarter.

Backup quarterback Luke Zban tossed a three-yard scoring pass to Amir Richardson to cap the scoring.

The Herd will next host Appalachian State on Sept. 19.

At Huntington

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

EKU (0-1)…..0    0    0  0 –   0

MU (1-0)…..21  17  14  7 – 59

Scoring:

First Quarter

MU – Xavier Gaines, 22-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick), 12:19

MU – Brenden Knox, 8-yard run (Shane Ciucci kick), 8:04

MU – Talik Keaton, 21-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick), 2:01

Second Quarter

MU – Garet Morrell, 2-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick), 10:02

MU – Shane Ciucci, 23-yard field goal, 6:07

MU – Jaron Woodyard, 42-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick), 3:07

Third Quarter

MU – Sheldon Evans, 6-yard run (Shane Ciucci kick), 7:04

MU – Lawrence Papillon, 13-yard run (Shane Ciucci kick), :43

Fourth Quarter

MU – Amir Richardson, 3-yard pass from Luke Zban (Shane Ciucci kick), 4:02

Up Next: Marshall (1-0) vs. Appalachian State (1-0), Sept. 19.