HUNTINGTON, W.Va.— By the time Rakeem Cato completes his playing career at Marshall, he will have likely rewritten the Marshall passing records. On Saturday, Cato continued his ascension up the ranks.
— With his touchdown pass to Devonte Allen in the first quarter, Cato continued his streak of 26 straight games with a touchdown pass. That ties the Marshall record held by Chad Pennington. Pennington threw a touchdown pass in every game in 1997 and continued the streak in 1998.
— Cato’s five touchdown passes gives him 73 for his career. That pushed him past Michael Payton for third on the all-time list. The only quarterbacks to throw more are Byron Leftwich (89) and Chad Pennington (115).
— Essray Taliaferro rushed for 108 yards on eight carries, giving him 100+ yards for the second straight game. The last Thundering Herd running back to cross the century mark in consecutive games was Darius Marshall in 2009.
— Justin Haig missed an extra point attempt following The Herd’s seventh touchdown on the day. That snapped a streak of 102 made extra points. The last PAT that Marshall missed was on Sept. 25, 2010 when Tyler Warner has an attempted blocked by Ohio.
— With the 61-13 victory, the 48 point margin is the biggest margin of victory for The Herd in a Conference USA game.