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Banks, Marshall a dominant duo for Buffs
Last week's dominant season-opening performances from Fort Bend Marshall's Ja'koby Banks and Chris Marshall will not be the exception in 2021. They are the expected.
The junior dual-threat, signal-calling dynamo Banks and the senior awe-inspiring pass-catcher Marshall looked like a seasoned duo in Week 1's 68-34 win over Aldine Eisenhower. You'd never have guessed it was their first time starting together; Banks making his debut as QB1 and Marshall playing just his 13th game at receiver.
Banks ran the ball seven times for 167 yards and three touchdowns while completing six of 11 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Marshall caught four balls for 116 yards and two scores.
"Chris is a phenomenal player," coach James Williams said. "He's going to get the ball. No doubt about that. Ja'koby played a great game, made some great reads."
Fort Bend Marshall junior quarterback Ja'koby Banks.Bradley Collier | VYPE Media
Fort Bend Marshall senior receiver Chris Marshall.Courtesy
In his first game captaining the Buffalos' prolific offense, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Banks played like a poised veteran, taking what the defense gave him. He showed off a quick release and strong arm, as well as an innate ability to shed any oncoming tacklers, buying time for his receivers to get open or running gaps to form.
"I read safety to corner," Banks said. "Go through my reads. With teammates like I've got, they make everything easy for me."
Not long after the game against Eisenhower ended, Banks received a scholarship offer from Texas A&M.
My goodness, @jakoby_banks. S-H-I-F-T-Y. #txhsfb @FBISDAthletics @MarshallBuffs @MHS_Buffs https://t.co/L7L9uwQzRI— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1630027586.0
The 6-fooot-4 Marshall, who also stars on the basketball court and had a vicious dunk over a hapless defender in an AAU game this summer that went viral on social media, makes everyone's life easier. The four-star recruit barely broke a sweat in scoring two early touchdowns and leaving Eagles defenders in his dust.
Marshall's bond with Banks is evident. Unsolicited, in one-on-one interviews, each called the other "a brother."
"He's been my boy since last year," Marshall said. "It was my first year playing and it was his first year on varsity. We both had our first touchdowns together, you know. So, we've had that bond and we're only growing and building on it. Trying to get the best out of each other every game. That's what we're trying to do."
Banks said Marshall is a "generational talent." Marshall holds 24 offers, including Texas A&M, Alabama, USC and Arizona State.
"That's my guy," Banks said. "If I can get the ball in his hands, I know he'll make plays. He's the kind of athlete where if he puts the work in to any sport, he'll do it, and do it well. It is what it is with Chris."
Didn’t take long. Twenty-four seconds, to be exact. @jakoby_banks to Chris Marshall on a 57-yard catch and run on t… https://t.co/QeYmMkVrVm— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1630023059.0
Marshall is only in his second year of playing receiver. Last year, he was a breakout sensation with 1,008 yards and 17 touchdowns on 44 catches. He barely knew the ins and outs of the position and relied almost exclusively on transcendent athletic talent.
This season, Marshall said he's "way more comfortable."
"All the work I've put, the work no one sees … route-running and just me being able to get in and out of my breaks better," Marshall said. "Getting my hands way stronger. Finishing plays."
Banks and Marshall are two fiery competitors who try not to get too high or too low. Just compete and work hard every day. So far, they're off to a great start.
"If we can just keep working like we've been working," Banks said, "we've got something going."
Banks, Marshall highlight Buffs rout, but defense leaves room for concern
MISSOURI CITY — Fort Bend Marshall's offense was in late-season form during the Buffalos' 68-34 season-opening rout of Aldine Eisenhower on Thursday night at Hall Stadium.
Junior quarterback Ja'koby Banks found highly-touted senior receiver Chris Marshall on a 57-yard catch-and-run on the first play from scrimmage. Marshall scored five touchdowns within its first 19 offensive plays and scored on 10 of 11 possessions overall.
Defense, however, was not so great, as the Buffalos' secondary had issues all night. Eisenhower even crept within 41-34 with less than four minutes left in the third quarter before Marshall's offense scored four touchdowns in eight minutes to finish the game.
"That's what we want to do, get out ahead," coach James Williams said. "We got the ball first, went down and scored on that first play. Get that momentum going. I think it's just disappointing the way we played on the other side of the ball. Truthfully, we haven't played that bad on defense in a while. We've got a lot to correct."
Didn’t take long. Twenty-four seconds, to be exact. @jakoby_banks to Chris Marshall on a 57-yard catch and run on t… https://t.co/QeYmMkVrVm— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1630023059.0
Marshall had not surrendered more than 30 points in a regular season game since September 20, 2019, against Manvel.
The Buffalos, VYPE's preseason No. 1 team in Class 5A, totaled more than 550 yards, but gave up more than 300. Junior receiver Ryan Niblett had his way against the Marshall defense. The versatile 6-foot, 170-pounder carried the ball six times for 66 yards and one touchdown and caught two passes for 74 yards and another score.
Niblett, who played quarterback last year, also made plays on defense, intercepting Banks in the third quarter for a pick-six from deep in Eisenhower territory.
"We just didn't play disciplined football," Williams said. "It was a different guy every time. We gave up big plays. We just had a lot of uncharacteristic things that we did. It wasn't us. We have to get back to square one and work on our fundamentals and work on our discipline."
Fortunately for Williams, by the time Niblett got going and the Eagles found ways to use him, it was too late.
Banks was dominant early. In sparking the Buffs to a 41-21 halftime lead, Banks, in his first year as QB1 after serving as a backup last season, rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and completed five of nine passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
My goodness, @jakoby_banks. S-H-I-F-T-Y. #txhsfb @FBISDAthletics @MarshallBuffs @MHS_Buffs https://t.co/L7L9uwQzRI— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1630027586.0
"It was very important for me to showcase my team," said Banks, who did not have a rushing attempt in the second half and finished with six for 11 passing for 154 yards. "I feel like the team we've got right now, if we can work together … we can do it all."
Both of Banks' touchdown passes went to the 6-foot-4 Marshall, a five-star recruit who hauled in four catches for 116 yards.
"We played pretty good, but there were a lot of mistakes," Marshall said. "We've got to get in the film room, make those corrections and get ready for Elkins next week."
That Banks-Marshall connection. 38 yards from @jakoby_banks to Chris Marshall. Second TD hookup of the night for th… https://t.co/dd82kTVoi0— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1630026995.0
The Buffalos also got inspired performances from senior running back Aaron McGowen (five carries, 12o yards, TD) and sophomore running back Jarrod Howard (12 carries, 89 yards, two TDs). Williams went to a more conservative approach in the second half, almost exclusively relying upon Howard.
"If we can continue to spread the ball around and take what the defense gives us, we'll have continued success," Williams said. "Sixty-eight points is pretty impressive."
It was Howard who ignited the Buffalos' response after the Eagles got close in the third. Howard quickly scored on a seven-yard run to push the lead back to 14 and capped the scoring with a two-yard run following an impressive strip-sack by senior defensive tackle Laurence Tillman deep in Eisenhower territory midway through the fourth quarter.
"The response was definitely what we want," Williams said. "We got into a tight situation and didn't panic. Our guys kept fighting. The defense tightened and our offense got back into a rhythm, running the ball like we do.
"I like the way we started; I like the way we finished. We've just got to work on that middle part."