Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 67 - #24 Marshall Thundering Herd 66 F/OT 11/29/14

A perfect season was so close for the Marshall football team as they entered a home game in Huntington, West Virginia with an 11-0 record. In a game where both offenses shredded the opposing defenses, 133 total points were scored and 1446 total yards were earned, the unranked Western Kentucky Hilltoppers handed the Thundering Herd their first loss of the season by a score of 67-66 in overtime. Western Kentucky QB Brandon Doughty was instrumental in the victory as he completed 34 of 50 passes for 491 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. In addition to the eight passing touchdowns, Doughty completed a crucial two-point conversion to Willie McNeal that won the game for the Hilltoppers. The two top WR for the Hilltoppers in the game were Taywan Taylor (four catches, 122 yards, one touchdown) and Jared Dangerfield (eight catches, 117 yards, two touchdowns), and TE Tyler Higbee caught six passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns. On the defensive end, Brandon Leston intercepted Marshall QB Rakeem Cato three times, while Ricardo Singh intercepted Cato once. Marshall's offense was headed by QB Rakeem Cato as he completed 29 of 46 passes for 417 yards, seven touchdowns, and a whopping four interceptions. RB Steward Butler dominated on the ground as he racked up 233 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Marshall's receiving was dominated by three WR: Davonte Allen (six catches, 141 yards, and two touchdowns), Tommy Shuler (team-high ten catches, 132 yards, one touchdown), and Hyleck Foster (four catches, 71 yards, two touchdowns). Taj Letman and A.J, Leggett each recorded an interception for Marshall's defense. This was a brutal loss for Marshall as they were painfully close to a perfect season, but Western Kentucky was the bump in the road. With the win, the Hilltoppers improved to 7-5, while Marshall fell to 11-1. Many may mistake this college football game as a basketball game due to the extremely high score.