Marshall emerges from 30-point hole to win GMAC Bowl in 2OT

MOBILE, Ala. -- Eat your heart out, Randy Moss.

When Byron Leftwich's last pass capped Marshall's stunning comeback in the GMAC Bowl, it was the final act in a remarkable 4 1/2-hour drama.

The Thundering Herd's 64-61 win over East Carolina Wednesday night produced the highest point total in any bowl. It also had enough highlights and flying footballs to make even Moss, Marshall's famous former receiver, green and white with envy.

"We just pulled some stuff out of the hat," Leftwich said. "Our guys just found a way to get open. I did the easy part and just threw them the ball."

He threw it 70 times, completing 41 for 576 yards and four touchdowns. Marshall (11-2) rallied from a 38-8 halftime deficit and won it on Leftwich's 8-yard scoring toss to Josh Davis in the second overtime -- the team's 104th offensive play.

Then, for the first time all night, action stopped. A flag in the end zone turned out to be against the Pirates (6-6), allowing the Thundering Herd to finally celebrate.

Davis's catch was merely the final highlight:

Darius Watts' leaping grab in the right corner of the end zone with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter tied it at 51. The extra point? Wide right.

East Carolina's Leonard Henry busted up the middle for a 55-yard touchdown with five minutes left in the fourth quarter to put the Pirates up 51-42.

Both teams produced a pair of defensive touchdowns, including 25-yard interception returns by Marshall's Ralph Street and Terence Tarpley in the third quarter.

Thundering back

Down 30 points, the Thundering Herd didn't even blink. They lopped 14 points off that deficit in the first three minutes of the second half, on Street's score and Leftwich's 9-yard run.

"We play for championships," Marshall receiver Denero Marriott said. "When you're a champion, you never quit."

Marriott had 15 catches for 234 yards, and the Thundering Herd racked up 649 total yards.

East Carolina's more balanced attack simply couldn't keep up. Henry gained 195 yards on 29 carries and the Pirates averaged 6.2 yards on 53 rushes.

The school's all-time leading passer, David Garrard, was just 11-of-23 for 161 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns in his finale.

Coach Steve Logan wasn't feeling comfortable even with the big halftime lead. Not against the nation's No. 3 offense and a quarterback who had thrown for 38 scores and 4,132 yards coming in.

"There were 100 different plays in the second half that could have won it for either team," Logan said.

The win served as salve for a Marshall team that blew a big lead in a 41-36 loss to Toledo in the Mid-American Conference championship game. That ended a string of four straight league titles.

Strangely, it also benefitted the Herd.

"It kind of helped us realize that it's a possibility that we can come back," Leftwich said.

The previous highest-scoring bowl was the 1995 Copper, when Texas Tech and Air Force combined for 96 points in the Red Raiders' 55-41 victory.