EDITORƵS NOTE: Following is an original sidebar from MarshallƵs 21-3 victory over BYU in the 1999 Motor City Bowl:
PONTIAC, Mich. Ƶ The ƵDangerfield DefenseƵ is gone forever.
MarshallƵs defense, self-named after comedian Rodney Dangerfield because of the unitƵs perceived lack of respect from media and opponents, dominated Brigham Young on Monday in the Thundering HerdƵs 21-3 victory in the Motor City Bowl at the Silverdome.
Defensive coordinator Tim Billings woke up his players Monday at 7:30 a.m. for a meeting, six hours before the game.
ƵHe told us this was our chance to get rid of the Dangerfield Defense,Ƶ linebacker John Grace said. ƵWe took it real serious. This was our chance for respect. We got that. We got some limelight from the offense.Ƶ
BYU (8-4 and ranked 25th) entered the game averaging 101.4 yards rushing per game. The Thundering Herd (13-0 and ranked 11th) held the Cougars to minus-16 yards on the ground. BYU averaged 324.3 passing yards per game, but managed just 220 against a Marshall defense that recorded eight sacks and knocked star quarterback Kevin Feterik from the game.
ƵOur inability to protect the passer was critical,Ƶ BYU coach LaVell Edwards said. ƵMarshall has great quickness, especially on defense. That didnƵt surprise me. The difference was a matter of speed.Ƶ
Herd defensive tackle Giradie Mercer was named the lineman of the game after his seven-tackle performance that included two stops for losses and a fumble recovery. Marshall, though, featured many defensive stars.
n Defensive back Yancey Satterwhite had a team-high eight tackles and a half-sack.
n Safety Rogers Beckett intercepted two passes, made seven tackles and had a tackle for a loss.
n Cornerback Maurice Hines had seven tackles, including three for losses, broke up a pass and was credited with a half-sack.
n Linebacker Andre OƵNeal had seven tackles, including two for losses, forced a fumble, had one sack and made a jarring hit on BYUƵs Donny Atuaia that knocked the fullbackƵs helmet off.
n Defensive end Paul Toviessi made five tackles, including three for 20 yards in losses, and had 1.5 sacks.
n Safety Michael Owens had four tackles, two for losses, and two sacks.
n Defensive end Ron Puggi had four tackles, two for losses, and 2.5 sacks.
Marshall held BYU to its lowest point total in the schoolƵs 23-game bowl history. The Cougars hadnƵt scored fewer points in any game since 1975.
ƵOur coverage was great, our pass rush was great,Ƶ Marshall coach Bobby Pruett said. ƵTo hold BYU to three points is awesome. Our defense led our team all year.Ƶ
The performance was a tribute to Billings, who left after the game to take over as head coach at Southeast Missouri State. Billings had been an assistant at Marshall since 1990.
The Herd defense stole the thunder from two offenses that were among the most-heralded in the nation. BYU ranked 13th nationally in total offense and Marshall seventh.
MarshallƵs offensive stars didnƵt mind sharing the spotlight with the defense.
ƵOur defense was unbelievable,Ƶ Herd quarterback Chad Pennington said. ƵTo stop an offense with a rich tradition and history as what BYU has is incredible. Maybe people didnƵt expect that. Our offense expected it.Ƶ
The Herd played with fire that it lacked against Western Michigan in the Mid-American Conference championship game Dec. 3. Marshall fell behind 23-0 in that game before rallying for a 34-30 victory. MarshallƵs final two games were typical of the HerdƵs season. When one unit was off its game, the other picked up its play.
ƵOur offense and defense never griped at each other,Ƶ Pennington said. ƵWe always picked each other up.Ƶ
Feterik begrudgingly complimented MarshallƵs defense. Brigham Young gave up 46 sacks this season, so he was accustomed to being on the run.
ƵWe needed to block a little better,Ƶ Feterik said. ƵThey had a good pass rush. All the teams we played had a good pass rush. They had some good ends. IƵd start to get into a rhythm and then IƵd get hit.Ƶ
Marshall took BYU out of its offensive game plan. When the Cougars were unable to stop the Herd with five blockers, it was forced to keep its tight end in to block. When that didnƵt work, BYU had to keep its running backs in to slow Herd defenders. That left fewer targets for Feterik to throw to under pressure.
ƵWe just had a hard time blocking,Ƶ Edwards said. ƵWe had to have both backs in (to block) a lot and that limited what we could do. MarshallƵs quickness was a problem.Ƶ
At times, BYU abandoned the shotgun formation, a set that indicates a pass nearly 95 percent of the time, and used play-action passes Ƶ fakes to the running back designed to keep defenders guessing and cause them to hesitate. That didnƵt work either, as MarshallƵs defenders were in the backfield before BYUƵs backs were out of it.
ƵWe tried,Ƶ Edwards said. ƵWe did some things right at times, but not consistently. They did a nice job of attacking our vulnerable areas. Our protection broke down. WeƵve had those kinds of games, but weƵve made some plays. This time, we didnƵt.Ƶ
Tim Stephens is a sports writer with The Herald-Dispatch. He has covered Marshall University football since 1984. You may reach him at (304) 526-2759 or tstephens@herald-dispatch.com.
