CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Following his performance against North Texas, a game in which Chase Litton and his receivers struggled in the second half and were not on the same page, Litton insisted he must get better.
He made good on his promise Saturday at Charlotte, throwing for 486 yards and three touchdowns. But ask Litton how he thought his performance was and he won’t spend any time bragging about the day.
“It was alright,” Litton said with a grin. “We got the win, we’ll take it but we’ve got to play a complete game and we didn’t.”
As much as Litton wants to downplay the performance, it ranks as one of the best in Marshall history. It’s the third most passing yards for quarterback ever, behind only Byron Leftwich’s 567 yards in the 2001 GMAC Bowl and Michael Payton’s 496 yards against VMI in 1991. Rakeem Cato, one of Marshall’s most decorated quarterbacks, never threw for that many yards in game. Cato’s career high was 456 yards against Tulsa in 2013.
“I thought he was sensational,” coach Doc Holliday complimented. “At the end of the day he’s 7-0 and that’s what matters.”
Litton set the tone right away with a 43-yard pass on the first play of scrimmage to Davonte Allen and later found Allen again for a 66-yard touchdown.
Even throwing for 486 yards is still not enough to satisfy Litton . Marshall was again sluggish in the second half offensively and committed penalties that got the Herd behind the chains.
“We had too many mistakes. We were in the redzone, and little penalties and missed assignments, we just can’t have those next week,” Litton emphasized.
If 486 yards and three touchdowns is just an “alright” performance according to Chase Litton, it is scary to think what he might consider a good day.