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| LONGVIEW - The 111th edition of the Longview/Marshall football rivalry featured one of the most competitive games yet.
The Lobos hosted this year's edition at Lobo Stadium and held off the road Mavericks for a 14-0 victory, which matched their series wins from the 1984 and 1999 seasons. They improve their 2021 record to 1-1, while the Mavs fall to 0-2. "The kids played hard," said Longview athletic director and head football coach John King. "Found a way to grind out a win. It wasn't pretty, but it's a lot better than a loss. Got to find things that are positive to build on." "We've got to get better on offense," he added. "I know that. We've got to score more than 14 points and be able to rest our defense some." The first half started the game's low scoring trend, but Longview ultimately got on the board with a 12-play, 59-yard drive in the opening quarter. The Lobos leaned on their run game, with Taylor Tatum, Jordan Allen and Jarrett Lewis teaming up for nine carries and 37 yards. The final run of the drive was a quarterback keeper by Allen from a yard out that put the home team up 7-0 at the 1:22 mark of the period. Tatum finished the game with 19 runs for 110 yards, Allen recorded a 5-for-10 passing performance for 60 yards, and Lewis finished with 12 rushing yards on three carries. Jalen Hale had three receptions for 33 yards, and Joshua Thomas added a completion. Playmakers like them helped Longview move the ball more regularly than Marshall. The Lobos ultimately finished the game with a slight 13-11 first down edge against the Mavericks. The defenses combined for scoreless second and fourth quarters, and nearly replicated that in the third period. The only difference was Tatum carrying the ball for a 51-yard touchdown run on the final play of the frame to make it a 14-0 Longview advantage. The Lobos also held Marshall's offense to 179 yards in the game. "Got a goose egg, that's great," said King. "We needed it." Another thing that kept Marshall in check was the Longview special teams unit. The Lobos drilled their seven punts for 244 yards. "Our punt team did an excellent job of flipping the field," said King. "Snaps and punts were consistent all night long. That was huge for us as well." Marshall remained competitive on Friday because Michael Olvera recorded an 8-for-17 passing performance for 118 yards, but also threw a second half interception. Jacorey Smith added a strong receiving night with his seven catches for 71 yards, JQ Davis finished with 18 runs for 66 yards, and Domar Roberson totaled 54 yards on a trio of catches. Longview now turns its attention from one rival to another. The Lobos will face Tyler Legacy for the 62nd time next Friday at Tyler's Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Marshall, on the other hand, will host its first home game of the year when McKinney North comes to town. That matchup is scheduled to start at the same time. |