Huntington, WV (Sports Network) - Darius Marshall ran for 140 yards and a touchdown, as the Marshall Thundering Herd held off the Memphis Tigers, 17-16, in Conference-USA action at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Mark Cann threw for 224 yards and a touchdown for the Herd (2-1, 1-0 C-USA), who have won five straight home games dating back to last season. Darius Passmore finished with six catches for 128 yards and a TD.

Arkelon Hall went 28-of-51 for 364 yards for Memphis (0-3, 0-2). Carlos Singleton caught 11 passes for 158 yards.

One minute into the game, Darius Marshall broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run.

Both teams were kept off the scoreboard until the 5:24 mark of the second quarter, when Memphis kicker Matt Reagan booted a 44-yard field goal.

Marshall kicker Craig Ratanamorn kicked a 31-yarder just before the half to give the Herd a 10-3 cushion.

Reagan kicked a 22-yarder with 10:41 remaining in the third quarter. Five minutes later, the Tigers took the lead on Will Hudgens' four-yard touchdown pass to Earnest Williams.

But Marshall answered with a 10-play, 71-yard drive, punctuated by Cann's 18- yard scoring strike to Passmore.

Reagan kicked a 25-yarder with 8:14 remaining in regulation to pull the Tigers to within one point. But the Marshall defense stood its ground the rest of the way.

The Herd had plenty of success on the ground, averaging 5.4 ypc as a team.

FACTS & STATS: Site: Joan C. Edwards Stadium (38,019) - Huntington, West Virginia. Television: CSN Southeast. Home Record: Memphis 0-1, Marshall 1-0. Away Record: Memphis 0-1, Marshall 0-1. Neutral Record: Memphis 0-0, Marshall 0-0. Conference Record: Memphis 0-1, Marshall 0-0. Series Record: Memphis leads, 2-1.

GAME NOTES: The Memphis Tigers look to break into the win column when they square off with the Marshall Thundering Herd in a Conference-USA bout at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Memphis lost at Ole Miss in the season-opener, then got bounced by Rice, 42-35, in the C-USA opener last weekend. The Tigers watched a 15-point lead evaporate in the final six minutes, as quarterback Arkelon Hall threw an interception that was returned for the game-winning 69-yard touchdown with 11 seconds to play.

For a little while, Marshall hung tight with 11th-ranked Wisconsin, actually jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. But the Badgers weren't about to go quietly, as they erupted for 51 unanswered points en route to a lopsided win. The Herd is searching for a fifth consecutive home victory dating back to last season.

Memphis knocked off Marshall, 24-21 last season to take a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series. The home team has won all three games.

Hall had turned in a decent performance for Memphis last weekend, right up until that final dagger of an interception. He completed 29-of-38 passes for 373 yards and three TDs, although those numbers take a backseat to his two interceptions. Wideout Maurice Jones finished with career-highs in catches (nine), yards (173) and TDs (two). His 173 receiving yards rank third all-time in school history. On the ground, the Tigers racked up a combined 150 yards for an average of 4.1 ypc. Through two games, the Tigers offense is averaging 488 yards of total offense. While the stats are nice, they don't mean all that much as long as Memphis loses the turnover battle. It will be interesting to see if coach Tommy West pulls back the reins on Hall a bit, emphasizing quick drops and short to intermediate routes.

The Tigers have given up 40-plus points in each of their first two games. As coach West pointed out in his post-game remarks, the defense struggled to get off the field on third downs, thanks to the running ability of Rice quarterback Chase Clement. The Owls scored on five of their six second-half possessions. Clement scored on a nine-yard touchdown scamper with 1:15 remaining, then converted the two-point attempt to tie the game at 35. After struggling on defense all of 2007, West turned to Miami assistant Tim Walton to run the defense. So far, the results have been anything but encouraging.

Through two games, Marshall senior wideout Darius Passmore is averaging 103 yards per game and 18.7 yards per catch. He has helped pick up the slack for tight end Cody Slate (66 catches, 818 yards, five TDs in 07), who sat out against Wisconsin with a sprained ankle. Slate is listed as questionable for this week. Running back Darius Marshall, who led the Herd with 631 rushing yards last season while picking up All-C-USA Freshman honors, has carried for 165 yards and a pair of TDs through two games. The Herd needs a better performance from quarterback Mark Cann, who completed 51 percent of his passes against Wisconsin, finishing with 211 yards and two costly picks.

C.J. Spillman, a preseason All-CUSA free safety, has recorded a team-best 18 tackles through two games for the Herd. The defense has also received a big boost from the return of 2006 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Albert McClellan. McClellan earned First-Team All-American honors as a sophomore in 2006 after recording 19 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, but missed all of last year with a knee injury. He got right back to business by picking up two sacks in the opener. Still, it's obvious that giving up 51 unanswered points isn't the mark of a successful defense. The Herd gave up more than 18 yards per completion, and only came away with one turnover. They'll need to tighten up the pass defense against Hall and company.

Moving the ball certainly hasn't been the problem for Memphis. But until the defense finds a way to slow opposing offenses, the Tigers are going to struggle to win games this year. Give a slight nod to Marshall playing at home.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Marshall 38, Memphis 28

Saturday, September 13th, 7:00 p.m. (et)