Martin Ward ran for two touchdowns and Andre Booker had a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown as Marshall held off Ohio 21 – 17 in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl .

The game looked like it would be route when Ward’s 2-yard run put Marshall ahead 21-0 with 7:21 left in the first half. Ohio got on the board with a 75-yard fumble return for a touchdown by the Bobcats Shannon Ballard before the half.

The Bobcats carried the momentum into the second half, when Ohio quarterback Theo Scott threw a touchdown pass to Terrence McCrae on an 8-yard pass midway through the third quarter. Matt Weller made it 21-17 on a 46-yard field goal.

The Bobcats (9-5) stayed in the game despite just 123 yards of offense, 34 of those coming in the first half alone.

Ohio did have their chances though, missing a wide-open receiver on a trick play and failing to take advantage on their last two drives. DeQuan Bembry interception with 40 seconds left sealed the victory for the Thundering Herd (7-6), which were led by interim coach Rick Minter.

Mark Snyder resigned at Marshall after the season and will be replaced by West Virginia assistant coach John “Doc” Holliday, who was an assistant to Urban Meyer on Florida’s 2006 national championship team.

Not many people saw the game at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. The bowl, which was known as the Motor City Bowl in its first 12 years, drew a record low 30,311 fans.

Sarah Thomas made history during the game, becoming the first woman to officiate a bowl game. She was the first woman to be an official for a major college football game in 2007 and is on the NFL’s list o f officiating prospects.

Michigan-based Little Caesars Pizza signed a one-year contract to sponsor the bowl after General Motors and Chrysler cut ties.