Two sophomore quarterbacks faced off this evening on a soggy field in the Soo. The Blue Devils could not find an opening against the Redmen in spite of a solid squad and a tough defensive line. Marquette shut out Sault Ste. Marie with their own strong defense and a tenacious offensive game.
It looked like the Redmen were off to a slow start until Drew Wyble snagged a first down on a rugby-style punt to extend Marquette’s first possession of the game.
The Redmen didn’t waste their first opportunity. At the 14-yard line Austin Ridl found Collin Hicks in the end zone to give Marquette the 7-0 lead over Sault Ste. Marie.
The rest of the first quarter saw no change to the scoreboard. The Soo looked to make something happen at the start of the second.
Redmen Duncan Hogan stopped up Blue Devil James Huskey just as Sault Ste. Marie started to gain some traction on their first possession of the quarter. Marquette took over the ball, but could not convert either.
Wyble was able to kick it away deep into Blue Devil territory to give Sault Ste. Marie a tough position to start their next drive.
It was another scoreless possession for the Soo, though the Redmen had some luck on the away kick. The Redmen were able to gain two points on a safety after a bad snap to improve to 9-0 as they took over the ball.
The plot thickened, however, as the Blue Devils intercepted and took over for a chance to get on the scoreboard before the half.
In spite of that glimmer of hope, Sault Ste. Marie gave it away after a couple of grave mistakes, of which Marquette took full advantage. The toughest was a squandered punt that resulted in a Redmen touchdown and a Marquette lead of 16-0 just before the half.
The Soo struggled against Marquette’s defense at the start of the third quarter. Kameron Karp stripped the Blue Devils of possession after a promising gain of 10 yards late in their drive to give Marquette an early chance in the second half.
Marquette marched down the field to cover 50 yards in nine carries. Isaac Johnson darted into the end zone from nine yards out after a gain of eight yards on the previous play to secure the touchdown. A successful two-point conversion put the Redmen at 24-0 ahead of the Blue Devils.
The final quarter started off with a bang for the Redmen. Karp got his hands on the pass from Ridl and zipped into the end zone to give Marquette their 31-0 lead.
Blue Devils’ QB Jakob Davie found Bennette Swanson on their first possession of the final quarter. Swanson made a run for it to the end zone from 48 yards out. The fans were on their feet, but the flag was thrown and the Devils were set back on a holding call.
Redmen Truman Langlois, with a crucial defensive play, tipped away the ball on Davie’s second attempt to find Swanson.
The Soo regained possession in the final minute of play, but Desmond Mullen nabbed an interception to turn it over to Marquette.
That final blow delivered to the Soo ultimately ensured the 31-0 shut-out victory for Marquette.
Tune in for more Marquette Redmen football next Friday, September 20th against the Escanaba Eskymos in their GNC opener on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1-99.9 and 103 WFXD. Pregame starts at 6:30 pm, kick off is at 7:00 pm.
Listen to a recording of the live broadcast.
