Marshall Takes Command of District 16-5A With 56-14 Rout of Greenville

MARSHALL -- J.J. Green threw three touchdowns and Marshall took sole possession of first place in District 16-5A with a 56-14 win over Greenville on Friday night.

Green connected with DeKendrick Bender for two touchdowns and Bender ran for another one in the win, which improved Marshall to 4-4 on the season and a perfect 4-0 in district. Green's other touchdown pass went to SeLah Smith for 51 yards.

Rodarius Smith led Marshall on the ground with 140 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries. He scored on runs of 50 and 65 yards in the win.

Marshall also got touchdowns from its defense and special teams. Tahj Washington returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown to give the Mavericks an early 7-0 lead, and later Brevin Randle returned an interception 65 yards for a score to put Marshall up 29-0.

The Mavericks led by as much as 42 before Greenville was able to score. Smith's 65-yard touchdown run made the score 42-0 just 21 seconds into the third quarter.

Greenville (5-2, 2-1) quarterback Caleb Jarvis scored on a 1-yard run five seconds into the fourth quarter to make the score 42-7, and Patrick Corde's 44-yard score made the score 49-14.

Bender, who caught two passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns, scored on a touchdown run while playing quarterback for Marshall's final touchdown with 2:44 remaining in the game.