Frohnapfel shows he can be No. 1 tight end

OXFORD, OHIO—Inside the redzone and looking for a touchdown, Rakeem Cato, as he has done so many times before, dropped back in the pocket and looked for his tight end. The only difference, this time it was No. 83 on the receiving end of the scoring strike, not No. 26.

Eric Frohnapfel showed Saturday in Marshall’s 42-27 win over Miami (OH) that Cato doesn’t have to worry about his favorite redzone target, Gator Hoskins, graduating and moving on to the NFL. Frohnapfel led Marshall in receptions with five catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

“I knew I was going to be playing a lot more snaps and be out there at the beginning of the drive. I feel this was a statement game for me and prove that I can that number one guy,” said Frohnapfel.

He certainly earned the admiration of his quarterback. Cato targeted Frohnapfel in crucial situations near the goal line and in the second half when Marshall needed a third down conversion to slow down Miami’s momentum. But it wasn’t so much Frohnapfel’s ability to get open and catch the ball that impressed Cato. it was the little things that few people notice.

“Not only for the touchdown passes but also the blocking to open up the run game,” pointed out Cato. “The touchdown catches are just something you’ve got to do. He’s perfected that every day in practice. He goes hard every day so on gameday he has no choice but to show up.”

Frohnapfel has spent the last two seasons playing in Gator Hoskins shadow waiting for the opportunity to prove he can provide the same production that Hoskins brought to the game. He’s getting that chance now and showed Saturday he’s up to the challenge.

“I was pretty happy with my performance. Obviously I still have to watch the tape and make some corrections but overall we faced some adversity and still pulled out a victory,” said Frohnapfel.





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