Dec 26, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd place kicker Nick Smith (48) is congratulated by teammates as he made a field goal against the Connecticut Huskies during the fourth quarter at Tropicana Field. Marshall Thundering Herd defeated the Connecticut Huskies 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Marshall and Connecticut lived up to the billing in a St. Petersburg Bowl matchup of teams ranked in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense.
Each team scored only one touchdown and only a single play of at least 20 yards through the first three quarters in what was 16-10 victory for the Thundering Herd at Tropicana Field.
Nick Smith’s 33-yard field goal 1:44 remaining in the game provided the final margin and capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive that consumed 6:35. Running back Keon Davis churned out 73 yards on the drive.
Leading 13-7 at halftime, Marshall (10-3) had its chances to at least attain some breathing room in the third quarter.
Instead opting for a field goal on their first possession of the second half, the Thundering Herd went for it on fourth-and-2 from the UConn 17, but receiver Deandre Reeves was stopped for no gain on a sweep.
On its next possession Marshall crafted its fourth straight drive of at least 10 plays, but Smith’s 43-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.
On the ensuing possession, Bobby Puyol’s 52-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the third quarter brought UConn (6-7) to with 13-10.
It was the longest field goal in the Huskies’ six-game bowl history.
Marshall opened the scoring in the eighth St. Petersburg Bowl.
A 26-yard punt return by DeAndre Reaves set up Marshall at the UConn 20. Two plays later, Litton found tight end Ryan Yurachek open in the end zone from 16 yards and a 7-0 lead with 8:10 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Huskies responded on the ensuing possession to equal the score. A 13-play, 75-yard drive was capped by Ron Johnson’s eight-yard run with 1:51 left in the first quarter.
The Thundering Herd reclaimed the lead for good when they drove inside the Huskies’ 10-yard-line, but had to settle for Smith’s 21-yard field goal to make it 10-7 with 8:04 remaining in the half.
NOTES: Marshall’s Devon Johnson, the nation’s sixth-leading rusher a year ago with 1,767 yards, returned after missing the previous five games because of a back injury. … Marshall won its fifth straight bowl game and improved to 10-3. UConn dropped to 3-3 in bowl games … Marshall previously appeared in the 2011 St. Petersburg Bowl, defeating Florida International, 20-10. … Among non-Power Five programs Marshall has the best record the last two seasons at 23-4 (.852).
