Marshall rallies in final 12 minutes to trip Terrapins

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland had just marched 99 yards to take a fourth-quarter lead, and it was up to Marshall to respond.

“These kids never flinched,” coach Doc Holliday said. “The one thing I like about this group is that it didn’t matter.”

With standout quarterback Rakeem Cato leading the way, the Thundering Herd scored two touchdowns in the final 12 minutes to pull out a 31-20 victory Friday.

Cato went 28 for 44 for 337 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. The most notable part about his performance was that he saved the best for last.

Marshall (10-4) trailed 20-17 before Cato brought them back. After directing a 63-yard march to put Marshall up 24-20 with 12:05 left, Cato clinched it with an 8-yard touchdown throw to Gator Hoskins with 3:42 to play.

Cato had a brilliant regular season, throwing for 3,579 yards and 36 touchdowns. But this performance served as the perfect finish.

“I tell the guys all the time, ‘Big-time players make big-time plays in a big-time game, and this was a big-time game,’ “ Cato said.

He had plenty of help. Hoskins had six catches for 104 yards and two scores, Tommy Shuler caught nine passes for 68 yards and a touchdown and Marshall’s underappreciated defense played a huge role.

The Terrapins (7-6) scored one touchdown after halftime, and A.J. Leggett followed Cato’s final TD pass with an interception to set off a celebration among the huge gathering of Marshall fans among the crowd of 30,163.