Dewey Klein kicked a 28-yard field goal in overtime Saturday, lifting Marshall to a 20-17 victory over Western Illinois in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
Marshall, 9-3, overcame an 11-point outburst by Western Illinois in the fourth quarter to move into the quarterfinals. The Leathernecks finished its season at 7-4-1.Western Illinois had sent the game into overtime on Don Simmons' 24-yard scoring pass to Lance Earl with 8:16 left in regulation. Simmons converted the two-point play with a pass to Brown to tie the game 17-17.
The Thundering Herd jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead on Orlando Hatchett's 3-yard run and Michael Payton's 20-yard pass to Troy Brown.
The Leathernecks cut the deficit to 14-6 as Simmons scored on a 15-yard run with 4:11 left in the third quarter. However, Marshall's Brown blocked Matt Seman's extra-point attempt.
Klein booted a 31-yarder late in the third period to pad the Thundering Herd's lead to 17-6.
Payton finished the day with 18 completions in 36 attempts for 225 yards, while Simmons hit on 16 for 33 passes for 180 yards. Western Illinois controlled the ground game with 244 yards - including 98 from Kevin hart and 84 by Tim Ardis.