The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

College Sports

November 22, 2012

QBs take center stage of Marshall-ECU game

By Gary Fauber Assistant Sports Editor

Rakeem Cato’s biggest win of his true freshman season at Marshall came in the regular season finale against East Carolina.

Yes, the Thundering Herd upset Louisville on the road with Cato calling the signals, but that 34-27 overtime win made them bowl eligible in their last try.

A season that ended with a 20-10 win over Florida International in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl was a big learning experience for Cato. This year, he has been able to parlay that experience into becoming one of the leading passers in the country.

Meanwhile, in Greenville, N.C., Shane Carden is going through much the same deal as Cato a year ago. Carden is a sophomore who did not play a snap behind center last year, but at least has the benefit of a year to get used to the system.

But Carden has taken off since supplanting Rio Johnson (who has since left the program) earlier this season. The 6-foot-2, 218-pound Houston native has completed nearly 65 percent of his passes (210 of 324) for 2,399 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions through 11 games.

“No. 1, he takes care of the football,” Marshall coach Doc Holliday said. “He’s managing the game, and he’s doing what Lincoln Riley (offensive coordinator) wants him to do. He puts the ball perfect into (receiver Justin) Hardy’s and others’ hands. The key is he’s taking care of the ball and distributing the ball in the right places.”

The Pirates average basically the same numbers under Carden as they did in 2011 under quarterback Dominique Davis. The difference is, Davis was not as careful with the ball as Carden — Davis threw 19 interceptions last season, three in the loss to Marshall.

“Carden manages the game really well,” Holliday said.

“Shane is doing a good job and liking the tempo that we are playing at right now,” East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill said. “He also should be credited with getting us into the right play and formations in the red zone.”

McNeill also is concerned about Cato and the way he leads the Marshall offense. Cato leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing yards (3,884), yards per game (353.0) and completions per game (34.09).

“What makes him good are the repetitions that he has now had in his second year running this offense,” said McNeill. “It is what Shane Carden is starting to go through now, where he is seeing coverages and blitzes multiple times. The offensive line does a great job of protecting him, and he also has some outstanding offensive weapons to go to. Rakeem does a great job of not panicking.

“When we do blitz him, we need to stay in our rush lanes. Our secondary needs to be disciplined. If he breaks the pocket, we still can’t leave designated assignments and give up a big play. Often times when Cato escapes the pocket, he is running to extend plays instead of scrambling.””

Marshall (5-6, 4-3 Conference USA) will visit ECU (7-4, 6-1) at 2 p.m. Friday in both teams’ regular season finale. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

The Herd would become bowl eligible with a victory.

— E-mail: gfauber@register-herald.com

Text Only
College Sports
  • 051913 KWarriors.jpg King’s Warriors take down Chaos 3-1

    Southern West Virginia King’s Warriors head coach Scott Reitnour had a busy day Saturday.

    May 19, 2013 1 Photo

  • McCartney says he’s returning to Mountaineers

    The Twitter world was full of West Virginia University sports news Saturday, beginning with the revelation that Ivan McCartney will likely be returning to the Mountaineer football team.

    May 19, 2013

  • Harrick was greatest 2-sport coach at WVU

    The late Steve Harrick was the longest serving, most successful two-sport head coach in West Virginia University’s athletic history.

    May 18, 2013

  • Concord wastes 2-run lead in 9th, eliminated from regional

    Concord University lost a two-run lead in the ninth inning and was eliminated from the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region baseball playoffs by the Winston-Salem State Rams, 7-5 on Friday afternoon at Gene Hooks Field.

    May 18, 2013

  • Musgrave named Pitcher of the Year Finalist

    May 16, 2013

  • Concord drops NCAA Tournament opener to Millersville 5-4 in Winston-Salem

    May 16, 2013

  • Crutchfield talks about his system, recruiting, focus

    Jim Crutchfield, whose basketball program at West Liberty University is the nation’s best in NCAA Division II, insists that there’s really no secret to his team’s soaring success.
    The Hilltoppers not only lead the collegiate basketball world in scoring with an incredible 103-point average but also are No. 1 in marginal victory at 25-plus.
    “I try to stay as local as I can in recruiting,” the 57-year-old Clarksburg native said. Most of his players come from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

    May 16, 2013

  • 051613 wvu marshall ‘It’s been great for the state’

    West Virginia and Marshall are going to continue to meet on the baseball diamond. After a nearly 15-year break in the series, all involved agreed that rekindling the rivalry between the state’s two biggest schools — a series that culminated with a 6-5 Marshall victory Tuesday at Linda K. Epling Stadium — was a solid idea.

    May 15, 2013 1 Photo

  • WVU closes season against OSU

    The West Virginia University baseball team will close out the regular season this weekend against Big 12 foe Oklahoma State at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., and there will be a great deal on the line.

    May 15, 2013

  • Brett Morris will walk on at WVU

    The West Virginia University basketball team will be filled with southern West Virginia flavor next season after Brett Morris announced this week that he’ll be joining head coach Bob Huggins’ program as a preferred walk-on. Morris, the Class AA all-state captain, will join Shady Spring’s Chase Connor, who will also be walking on for the Mountaineers, and Greenbrier East’s Richard Romeo, who is already a walk-on in the program.

    May 15, 2013