HUNTINGTON, W.Va.— Marshall took out three years of frustration on the Ohio Bobcats Saturday blowing out Ohio 44-14 while rolling up over 700 yards of total offense for the second straight week.
“It’s a blessing just to win this ballgame,” said quarterback Rakeem Cato. “It’s my first time winning this ballgame. It’s a great team win. I thought we came out on fire and just kept it going.”
Rakeem Cato played like a Heisman Trophy candidate throwing for 425 yards and four touchdowns, joining Chad Pennington as the only Marshall quarterbacks with 100 career touchdown passes. It was the fifth time in Cato’s career that he has thrown for 400+ yards.
“Today I felt like we came out and played well in all three phases and the result was the win,” asserted Coach Doc Holliday.
Davonte Allen and Angelo Jean-Louis each had career days receiving. Allen pulled down five catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Jean-Louis caught four passes for 158 yards and a touchdown.
“I just tell him (Cato) to throw the ball up and I’ll get it. Nobody else is coming down with it,” said Allen.
Meanwhile, Marshall’s defense was stingy again, limiting Ohio to 181 yards of total offense in the first half, 84 of those yards came on the Bobcats first drive of the game.
Cato found senior receiver Davonte Allen or a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter. Allen made two great catches on the second offensive drive. The first was a 36-yard catch tight roping the sidelines. Cato immediately went back to Allen on the next play for a 25-yard touchdown catch, giving the Herd a 10-0 lead.
“Cato just threw it up and I just attacked the ball as best I can. On the touchdown I just tried to attack the ball again and make the play for my team,” Allen said.
Allen hauled six-yard touchdown pass on the next series. Marshall went up 17-0 on the scoring pass and started piling up the yards and the points.
Justin Haig added a 37-yard field with 8:59 to play in the first half and Cato found his favorite target Tommy Shuler for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 2:17 left in the first half to give the Herd a commanding 27-0 lead going into the half.
Marshall kept its foot on the gas in the third quarter, putting the game away. Devon Johnson broke away for a 30-yard touchdown run and Cato scrambled away from pressure and floated a 77-yard touchdown pass to Angelo Jean-Louis to go up 41-0.
“One thing I always tell him is when he’s in trouble I’m coming around the backside,” said Jean-Louis. “I looked back and he was nowhere to be seen so I knew it was six.”
Ohio scored a pair of late touchdowns in the second half. Darrius Vick found Sebastian Smith for a seven-yard touchdown pass and Ian Dixon caught a touchdown pass.
Steward Butler was the leading rusher with 119 yards on 19 touches while Devon Johnson finished the day with 91 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. Steward Butler had 92 yards on 14 touches.
Marshall finishes the non-conference portion of its schedule next week at Akron. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.