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The playmaker CB Derricott sparks Marshall's defense
Posted: Friday December 18, 1998 11:06 PM
HUNTINGTON, West Virginia (AP) -- Daninelle Derricott is affectionately called "Lucky" by his teammates for his knack for making game-saving plays. Opponents probably don't refer to him in such nice terms. Derricott, a sophomore cornerback who led Marshall with six interceptions, will get plenty of opportunities against pass-happy Louisville in the Motor City Bowl next Wednesday in Pontiac, Michigan. Louisville (7-4) has the nation's No. 1 offense this season and averages 47 passes per game, sometimes using five wide receivers. Led by quarterback Chris Redman, the Cardinals are only the second team in NCAA history to have a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver. "They'll get their yards," Derricott said this week. "We've just got to tackle really well after they catch the ball and make sure we get them on the ground really quick. We've got to get up and press them and be physical with their receivers and try to blitz them." Derricott has been the defensive spark for Marshall (11-1) all season. "I'm disciplined to be in the right spot at the right time in the coverage schemes. When we needed a play, I was there," said Derricott, his smile revealing a gold tooth that twinkled in the late December sun. His fourth-quarter interception in the season opener at Akron thwarted a drive for the potential go-ahead touchdown. At South Carolina, his interception set up Billy Malashevich's game-winning field goal with two seconds left. A week later, he did it again, picking off a pass against Eastern Michigan to set up Malashevich's game-winning 22-yarder with a minute left. In the tuneup for the Mid-American Conference title game, Derricott blocked a field-goal attempt late in the fourth quarter that would have given Division I-AA Wofford the lead. And in the MAC championship game against Toledo, Derricott picked up a fumble and ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown to break open a close game. "A couple of players on the team called me 'Lucky' because they said 'the ball bounces right to you and the interceptions just come right to you.' So they just call me Lucky," Derricott said. "Plus, I eat my Lucky Charms, too." In a game that promises back-and-forth scoring, the outcome may come down to luck -- or a key defensive stop. Marshall allowed 19 points per game this season and held opponents to 12 points or less four times. "Usually when you have two high-powered offensive teams, it's a play made by the defense that is the turning point in the game," said Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington. Louisville, which has turned its program around after going 1-10 in 1997, might have gone 8-3 this season if not for a Redman interception deep in Tulane territory that allowed the unbeaten Green Wave to escape with a 28-22 victory. Sound familiar? Some believe Derricott might get another chance for late-game heroics. "He's made a lot of special plays," said Marshall coach Bob Pruett. "That's real important that we talk constantly about guys stepping up and making plays when we've got to make them."
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