SportsDirect Inc. staff
Aug 30, 2014
Marshall 42, Miami (Ohio) 27: Rakeem Cato threw three touchdown passes in the first half and the Thundering Herd held off a second-half rally from the host RedHawks.
Devon Johnson rushed for 151 yards and a pair of scores, including a key 27-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for Marshall (1-0). Cato completed 20-of-32 passes for 261 yards and also ran for a score with 2:01 left to seal it while tight end Eric Frohnapfel caught two touchdown strikes for the Thundering Herd.
Andrew Hendrix threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns while completing 24-of-49 passes for Miami (0-1), which lost its 17th consecutive game in coach Chuck Martin’s debut. David Frazier caught six passes for 109 yards and Rokeem Williams grabbed three for 99 and a touchdown for the RedHawks.
Marshall needed only three plays to score on its second possession, capped by Cato’s 11-yard touchdown strike to Frohnapfel with 7:20 left in the first quarter. Cato connected with Tommy Shuler and Frohnapfel for short touchdown passes before Johnson bulled in from 2 yards for a score and a 28-3 lead at halftime.
Miami pulled within 28-20 with a field goal and short touchdown passes from Hendrix to Alex Welch and Dawan Scott in the third quarter. Johnson scooted up the middle on fourth down for a 35-20 lead with 8:37 left, but Hendrix connected with Williams for a 40-yard scoring strike with 6:25 to go before Cato capped an 11-play drive with a 2-yard dive.