Smith-Cotton holds off Owls

The Owls nearly came back from a three-touchdown deficit against eight-ranked Smith-Cotton, junior Tanner Dillon (6) getting two takeaways. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Order this photo]

Give the winless Marshall football team credit at least for its resilience.

Just when it appears a state-ranked opponent is ready to blow the Owls off the field, they somehow answer and sometimes dig in -- in Friday's home opener, nearly enough to throw a scare into No. 8 Smith-Cotton during a 28-21 non-conference loss.

Marshall's maligned defense still sprang enough leaks to allow Tigers senior Andrew Byrd to run for 295 yards and three long touchdowns, but kept the visitors off the scoreboard during the second half to mount a legitimate comeback.

Before then, it threatened to get ugly.

The first play after the Owls' second possession of the game was stopped on downs in Smith-Cotton territory, Byrd took a toss to the left, spotted a huge hole and zipped through it for a 75 yards for a touchdown.

The next time they got the ball, the Tigers methodically drove 49 yards on eight plays, senior Jacob Hayworth plunging in from a yard out.

Riding the legs of senior Matt Jacobs, the Owls worked their way into the red zone, again failing on a fourth-down attempt. They got the ball right back on junior Tanner Dillon's interception near midfield, but were unable to do anything with it and punted.

On the first play, Byrd struck again with an 87-yard sprint to for a 21-0 lead.

Dillon's 48-yard kick return and a 27-yard Jacobs run got Marshall close. Four more carries by Jacobs put the Owls on the 5-yard line, from where senior Lucas Hart found junior John Lozano with a flat pass into the end zone with less than a minute remaining before halftime.

Marshall's sense of relief was brief. Byrd blew through one feeble tackle after another on his way to a 52-yard TD, the third time the first play of a Tiger series went the distance.

Bird watchers could only imagine what travesty awaited them in the second half.

However, while the Owls' defense bent considerably, it didn't break -- keeping Byrd in front of it and making big plays of its own.

The first was when Dillon stripped the ball from Hayworth at the Smith-Cotton 41-yard line. The Tigers were fed a steady diet of Jacobs, including two fourth-down conversion runs -- the second a 20-yard touchdown burst.

Sophomore Aaron Skinner missed his first extra-point try of the season, but the Owls got the ball back on the ensuing kickoff when junior Jordan Lane knocked the ball loose from senior Sam Brummett and senior Kevin Benton jumped on it at the Tigers' 35.

Jacobs carried on five of Marshall's six plays, the last a 22-yard TD dash, and then stretched the ball over the goal line on a two-point conversion to close the margin to seven points with 2:45 left in the third quarter.

Smith-Cotton swiftly pushed the Owls back, a 16-yard keeper by junior quarterback Dominique Smith setting up first and 10 at the MHS 13. Marshall held, senior Matt Buford and Dillon -- again! -- stopping Brummett on fourth down at the 4.

With 10:33 left, the Owls had plenty of time -- and Jacobs. It is a testament to MHS head coach Paul Thomas' regard for his all-state halfback, and the offensive line in front of him, that he gambled on a handoff on fourth down and 2 yards to go at their own 12-yard line.

Jacobs came through, for the fourth time out of five fourth-down tries, but Marshall's offense sputtered when he rested after six straight touches. Jacobs would finish with 47 rushing attempts, tied for sixth-most in Missouri history.

At his current pace, despite only 26 carries in the first game and no guarantee his team will make the playoffs, Jacobs could break the state-record of 389 -- in a 14-game season -- set by Marionville's Lee Flood in 2006.

Hart's shanked 13-yard punt put the Tigers in position to put some insurance on the scoreboard, but it didn't happen because Buford swatted away a third-down pass and Smith misfired on the next pass.

Now there was only 3:11 left and 75 yards to go for the Owls. Four straight Jacobs runs gained 14 yards and a pass interference penalty spotted them at the Tigers' 40. Three more Jacobs carries put the ball on the 20 with 51 seconds left.

Now within striking range, Marshall went for it all on a fade pass to junior Jacob Adcock in the end zone. The 6-foot-tall Adcock got his hands on the pigskin, but so did 5-10 junior Anthony Spellmeyer. The ball was loose briefly, but the Smith-Cotton cornerback snagged it and ran out of the end zone for a yard.

The only hope for the Owls with 43 seconds to go was a safety, but junior Billy Gudde -- a monster on defense with 11 tackles -- plowed 14 yards with his only carry of the game.

The Tigers (3-0) had 379 yards in total offense, but were pounded by Jacobs for 242 yards --- second-highest of his career to the 268 he gained last year against eventual Class 4 state finalist Helias.

Having finished its season-opening string of ranked opponents with a pair of down-to-the-wire finishes, Marshall (0-3) can be no better prepared for its NCMC campaign, which begins Friday with a visit by 2-1 Boonville.