This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • He doesn't run the football like Riley Nelson, and can't throw it like Jake Heaps. But BYU's Matt Marshall was a pretty decent high school quarterback for Skyline back in the day, and on Saturday he played a key role in the Cougars' 24-21 win over San Diego State.
Marshall ran about five plays out of the "Wildcat" formation, and pitched the ball several times to running backs J.J. DiLuigi and Bryan Kariya for positive yardage.
"It was a dream come true. I don't like standing on the sidelines. I am kind of a competitor, so being to contribute in any way I can, it felt good," said Marshall of the times he spelled starting quarterback Heaps.
Marshall is also the holder on field goal attempts, and it is from that position where he made the most impact. With BYU facing fourth-and-10 on its first possession, it ran a fake field goal, with Marshall throwing a 16-yard pass to Mike Muehlmann for a first down.
The Cougars scored a touchdown five plays later.
"I just chucked it. I guess playing quarterback in high school kind of paid off a little bit," Marshall said after leading a well-covered Muehlmann perfectly.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall said Marshall exemplifies the kind of grittiness and determination he looked for all week.
"It wasn't easy," Mendenhall said of the fake. "Matt was chased in pursuit and Matt was indicative of heart today. … Players like that are a good example of what our team is trying to be like."
Timely timeout
It might be the best timeout Mendenhall has ever called. The coach "froze" SDSU kicker Abel Perez by calling timeout just before the kicker booted a 43-yard field goal.
Perez then got a do-over, but missed it and the Cougars took a 14-7 lead into halftime, the first time they've led at the break this season.
Those three points were the difference in the game.
Special teams trouble
Poor special teams play continued to plague the Cougars. Riley Stephenson had a kickoff go out-of-bounds, and also had a punt that traveled just 12 yards. The bad punt led to SDSU's only touchdown of the first half.
Briefly
Chris 'the Galloping Greek" Farasopoulos and Ken Serck, members of the 1970 BYU team, carried the alumni flag onto the field. Farsopoulos was a defensive back and kick returner who had a long NFL career and Serck played along the offensive line. … Senior offensive lineman Jason Speredon carried out the team flag. … Kicker Mitch Payne became BYU's all-time leader in made PATs in the game and now has 165. … The Cougars were 12-for-19 on third-down conversions.