Getting 'Marshalled'

At 6-5 and 230 pounds, Denver receiver Brandon Marshall, left, has been called "a defensive lineman playing wide receiver." At 33, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis still deals out plenty of punishment.

There you are. An isolated, beaten cornerback sprawled out, face first, on the field. You have a mouth full of dirt and grass. Your hands are grasping nothing but air. You have divots from Brandon Marshall's speeding cleats firing back into your eyes.

Terrifying thought.

It's happened dozens of time since 2006 and it's bound to happen hundreds more times to earnest but unfortunate defensive backs. It should be referred to as "being Marshalled."

Indeed, having Denver Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall break a would-be tackle and rumble down the field for more yardage or even a touchdown is a common phenomenon in the NFL. It happens several times a Sunday.

"Brandon Marshall is a defensive lineman playing wide receiver," Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers said. "He wants to inflict punishment on you. He wants you to try to tackle him so he can shove you off of him and get more yards." At 6-5 and 230 pounds, the sculpted Marshall has many things going for him that contribute to his uncanny talent of being able to break tackles and get yardage after the catch. Not only is Marshall big, but he's very fast and he plays mean. He plays with a purpose. Catching the ball is just half the deal for Marshall. Once he gets the ball in his mitts, Marshall is full steam ahead. He is all moving parts, with three or four defenders hanging on him. Be the first to meet a football-toting Marshall and be sure to be bruised and battered. And don't expect to bring him down. Not by yourself, at least.

Mesa State rolls at home in win over CSU-Pueblo

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By ALLEN GEMAEHLICH

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Make it 2 for 2 in the old-school uniforms.

The Mesa State College football team wore the maroon and yellow uniforms of the late 1970s and early 1980s for the second time this season Saturday night and won for the second time in them. This time, the Mavericks defeated CSU-Pueblo 26-3 in an RMAC game at Stocker Stadium.

“I felt we controlled the game, but we left some points on the field,” Mesa State coach Joe Ramunno said. “Penalties again stopped (us). We’re fortunate we have a great kicker and a good field goal team.”

The Mavericks (5-2, 5-0 RMAC) piled up 454 yards in total offense, including 304 on the ground, but reached the end zone only twice, thanks in part to 10 penalties for 88 yards. Mesa State senior kicker Jared Keating had a school-record four field goals, including a 41-yarder.

Mesa junior running back Bobby Coy ran for a season-high 237 yards to put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season (1,111). It was the fifth consecutive game Coy rushed for more than 100 yards.

“We adjusted well to their scheme,” Coy said. “I have to give credit to the offensive line. They do it for me. They played well against a talented front.”

About the only thing Coy didn’t do was score a touchdown. Senior tight end Maurice Manley scored both TDs for the Mavs.

Manley caught a 15-yard pass from Phil Vigil in the second quarter for a 7-0 lead and a 14-yard pass from Vigil in the fourth quarter for a 23-3 cushion. Manley had four receptions for 52 yards. Vigil completed 13 of 27 passes for 150 yards with one interception.

It was the Mavericks’ only turnover of the night.

The two touchdowns and four field goals were more than enough for the Mesa State defense, which allowed season-low of three points and a season-low of 204 yards in total offense.

The Mavericks held their fourth consecutive opponent under 100 rushing yards and haven’t allowed a running back to run for 100 yards or more since Abilene Christian’s Bernard Scott did in the 2007 Division II playoffs.

The defense did the job without senior defensive end Nic Pade, who is out with a knee injury, but is expected to return in two to three weeks.

Sophomore Tony Kelly started in place of Pade and made 3.5 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Kelly said. “I’ve worked hard in practice and felt I could step up. We have great coaches and great chemistry.”

Mesa’s defense picked off two passes.

Junior linebacker Spencer McAdoo had one on the ThunderWolves’ possession after Mesa’s second touchdown that put the Mavs up 23-3.

McAdoo, who dropped an interception earlier in the game, returned it 32 yards before going out of bounds.

“I’ve been having trouble with thumb injuries,” McAdoo said. “I’m basically walking with two casts on my arms. I was trying to figure out which hand I can hold the ball. I finally realized I’m not gripping this, so I ducked out of bounds.”

Keating’s 41-yard field goal on the Mavs’ next possession put the game out of reach.

The ThunderWolves (2-4, 1-4 RMAC) hung around behind their defense, keeping Mesa State off the scoreboard until the second quarter when Manley caught his first touchdown.

Coy went over the 1,000-yard mark on his first carry of the third quarter, but Pueblo’s Aaron Hernandez intercepted Vigil and returned it into Mesa territory. It led to a 48-yard field goal and a 13-3 Mesa lead.

THE 50th Cannon Game

East (4-2) at South (6-0), 7 p.m. today, Dutch Clark Stadium

WHEN SOUTH HAS THE BALL . . .

SOUTH OFFENSE

No.	Pos.	Name	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.
5	QB	Kameron Wilhite	Sr.	6-2	200
26	RB	R. Bowen-Jimenez	Sr.	5-10	180
33	FB	Devin Hart	Sr.	6-0	210
1	WR	Jordan Ruiz	So.	5-5	150
21	WR	Riley Smith	Sr.	5-10	180
15	TE	Kivon Cartwright	Jr.	6-4	225
54	LT	Sam Collins	Sr.	6-4	220
57	LG	Ronnie Gutierrez	So.	5-7	180
53	C	Stephen Munoz	Jr.	5-9	215
55	RG	Drew Salazar	Sr.	6-0	225
59	RT	Kenny Harriman	Sr.	6-3	280

EAST DEFENSE

No.	Pos.	Name	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.
11	CB	Josh Sandoval	Jr.	5-10	137
15	CB	Dre Hall	Jr.	5-10	152
7	S	Spencer Torrez	Jr.	5-11	146
12	OLB	Keith Martin	Sr.	5-9	193
44	ILB	Josh Valdez	Sr.	5-5	177
34	ILB	Nick Taibi	Sr.	6-2	215
22	OLB	Ryan Garcia	Sr.	5-9	170
28	DE	Est. Fernandez	Sr.	5-9	190
68	DT	Ashton Pratt	Sr.	5-9	273
70	DT	Leo Ybarra	Jr.	6-1	220
13	DE	Misha Milovidov	So.	6-1	176

WHEN EAST HAS THE BALL . . .

EAST OFFENSE

No.	Pos.	Name	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.
8	QB	Jordan Ward	Sr.	6-3	185
27	RB	Don Martindale	Sr.	5-11	184
4	WR	Armando Chavez	Sr.	5-8	144
11	WR	Josh Sandoval	Jr.	5-10	137
7	ST	Spencer Torrez	Jr.	5-11	146
34	TE	Nick Taibi	Sr.	6-2	215
70	LT	Leo Ybarra	Jr.	6-1	220
56	LG	Trevor Woolley	Jr.	6-1	240
63	C	Steve Gomez	Sr.	5-6	192
78	RG	Pat Smith	So.	6-1	282
50	RT	Eddie Willits	Sr.	6-2	180

SOUTH DEFENSE

No.	Pos.	Name	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.
2	CB	Mario Garcia	Sr.	5-7	165
87	CB	Aaron Bosley	Sr.	5-10	160
7	FS	Brody Lockett	Sr.	6-0	190
39	SS	Brandon Kliesen	Sr.	5-10	200
54	ILB	Sam Collins	Sr.	6-4	220
8	ILB	Josh Dome	Sr.	6-2	190
33	OLB	Devin Hart	Sr.	6-0	210
52	DE	Spencer Hawkins	Sr.	6-2	240
71	DT	John Garza	Sr.	5-9	225
58	DT	Jordan Cartmell	Sr.	5-9	220
56	DE	Matt Taibi	Sr.	6-0	200

Ful Story