Tychaun Chapman ran for a 10-yard touchdown, and Braylon Braxton connected with Charles Montgomery for the 2-point conversion to help Marshall defeat James Madison 35-33 in double overtime on Saturday night. This victory secured Marshall’s first-ever spot in the Sun Belt Championship.
Marshall (9-3, 7-1 Sun Belt Conference) won the East Division and will face Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 7 for the conference title.
George Pettaway scored a 5-yard touchdown, and Alonza Barnett III finished an 11-play, 90-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Dollison. Noe Ruelas also kicked a 23-yard field goal with 8:27 remaining in the second quarter, giving James Madison (8-4, 4-4) a 17-0 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Rece Verhoff made a 42-yard field goal, and Braylon Braxton threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Toby Payne, cutting the lead to seven points with 2:18 left.
On the next play, Jadarius Green-McKnight intercepted a pass and ran it back 28 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 17 just 7 seconds later.
Jobi Malary ran for a 7-yard touchdown to put James Madison up 24-17 with around 11 minutes left, but Braxton powered into the end zone to tie it at 24 with 5:04 remaining.
After James Madison went three-and-out, Marshall lined up for a 36-yard field goal attempt with 2 seconds left in regulation, but they didn’t get it off in time, and the game went to overtime.
In the first overtime, Verhoff kicked a 49-yard field goal, followed by Ruelas making a 38-yard field goal. In the second overtime, Wayne Knight caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Barnett, but Chapman’s 10-yard run tied it at 33-all.
