Marquette Falls in Low-Scoring Opener Against TC-West

By Sabrina LaForais
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Updated: August 25, 2022

Traverse City, MI – August 25, 2022 – The Marquette Redmen kicked off their 2022 campaign on the road against the Traverse City-West Titans on a Thursday night game. Luke Ghiardi was live with all the action from Thirlby Field on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1-99.9!

Q1: Marquette received to open up the game with a 28 yd return from the Redmen. Jack Quinell got the start for Marquette at the quarterback position. A rough start for the Marquette offense as the TC-West defense suffocated them on their first drive forcing a punt. The Titans took over on offense on their on 29 yard line. Adam DuVall quieted the Titan offense on their first play from scrimmage after a huge hit behind the line. The Redmen defense looked fast to start, getting to the ball quickly and creating a third and long for TC-West. Wyatt Lakanen jumped the pass and was able to reel in an interception for the Redmen.

With momentum on their side, Marquette went back on offense. The momentum was short lived after an eight yard sack from the Titan defense on first down. TC-West’s defense continued to cause havoc for the Redmen forcing them to punt away the ball yet again. The Titans offense found some rhythm after a big gain on the ground. DuVall once again took some of the wind out of TC-West’s sails after another big hit behind the line. Isaac Kelsey was able to make a manageable third down after a 14 yard gain on the ground, and crossing midfield. The Titans punted away the ball and planted the Redmen inside their own 15 yard line.

Marquette made some moves on offense with a first down on their first play this series. The success was short-lived as the quick Titan defense held strong against the Marquette run game. Nate Benninger created some new life for the Marquette offense with a reception out of the backfield. The quarter closed out with Marquette facing a fourth and five scenario.

Marquette Warm-Ups

Q2: The second quarter started with the Redmen punting the ball away to put the Titans inside their own 20 yard line. Traverse City- West played power football with back-to-back inside runs to gain a hard earned first down. Titan quarterback Isaac Kelsey proved to be the workhorse early on with another eight yard gain on the ground. After a quarterback sneak, Kelsey was able to yet again move the chains. The Marquette defense was having a hard time bringing down the Titan quarterback, as they continued to move down field. The Titans had to punt away the ball after a penalty faced them with fourth down and 10 to go.

Marquette opened their drive with a first down after a big time run from Curtis Houghton. Quinnell linked up with junior tailback, Houghton, for a screen and another Redmen first down. The Traverse City defense was able to shut down the Redmen surge on offense to force another punt. Marquette’s senior linebacker, Peter Closner, recorded the first sack of the season on first down. The Titans quarterback finally went to the air for a gain of five, but still faced a third and long against a quick moving Marquette defense. A personal foul moved the chains for the Titans creating a fresh set of downs with under a minute in the half.

Halftime: Marquette 0 – TC-West 0

Q3: The second half kicked off with a TC-West touchback. Isaac Kelsey continued his rushing attack, snagging a first down before being stifled by the staunch Redmen defense. The Titan punt was returned by Benninger, starting the Marquette drive inside of TC-West territory. The Redmen were unable to capitalize however and were once again forced to punt. After standing up the Titan rush, Marquette’s secondary was gouged by a monster 75 yard bomb, and TC-West was able to take control of the game. After splitting the uprights on the PAT, the Titan defense continued standing strong and forced another Redmen punt. Traverse City attempted another run-heavy drive, but Marquette wasn’t fooled, crunching the runner and stealing the ball back on a massive fumble recovery. Marquette’s offense came to life on a 31 yard Quinnell pass, but a play action miscue cut their momentum short and gave the Titans possession. As the quarter drew to a close, Kelsey stacked up a pair of long runs to put the Titans in a great situation to open the final quarter.

Redmen vs Titans

Q4: The Redmen defense opened the 4th with a strong outing, forcing a long 4th down before Vanden Ende barrelled through the Titan front to block their punt. The Redmen were dealt a heartbreaker of an injury to open the drive, and after a pair of incompletions they were forced to go for it on 4th. Defense continued dictating the flow of the game as the Titans were stifled once again. Marquette started their late drive at their own 35, missing a blown coverage by the Titans before nearly losing the ball on a mishandled snap. Another punt followed, but the TC special teams managed to break through and snag a blocked punt of their own. Starting the drive in the Redmen red zone, TC-West leaned on Kelsey’s legs once more. Marquette’s defense stood strong, pushing the Titans back and forcing a turnover on downs. The Redmen were unable to get anything going and with the clock continuing to tick down, TC-West took over one last time. Traverse City secured the final first down of the game, and closed things out with a knee.

LISTEN TO THE FULL BROADCAST HERE

The Marquette Redmen are back in action on Thursday, September 1st when they travel to Alpena to face the Wildcats! The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1-99.9 and foxsportsmarquette.com/stream