Marshall vs. Maryland
December 27, 2013
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium-- Annapolis, MD
Marshall Season Review
The Thundering Herd put together a very good season, finishing 9-4 and making an appearance in the Conference-USA championship game against Rice. They played all of their opponents well, including taking Virginia Tech into triple overtime before eventually falling.
The offense was great, finishing seventh in the country in points per game. Quarterback Rakeem Cato led the offense, passing for 3,579 yards and 36 touchdowns, and was balanced out by running back Essray Taliaferro, who ran for 1,059 yards.
Maryland Season Review
Maryland started the season on a four-game winning streak, but then proceeded to get embarrassed by Florida State, 63-0. After that, they struggled, going 3-4 and limping to a 7-5 finish. On top of that, the Terps lost superstar playmaker Stefon Diggs to an injury for the rest of the season. However, they did end the regular season on a high note, winning handily over North Carolina State.
Game Matchup
Battle of the Quarterbacks: As mentioned earlier, Cato has done very well this year running the Thundering Herd’s aerial attack. Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown is also very talented. More of a dual threat than Cato, Brown totaled 23 touchdowns on the season (11 passing, 12 rushing.)
Herd Receivers vs. Terps Secondary: Maryland is 33rd this year in total defense, and 35th in passing defense. They will be running all day chasing Marshall’s receivers around the field, and will need to be on lockdown if the Terps want to stay in this game.
Projected Winner: Marshall
Draft Impact
Rakeem Cato (QB, Marshall)- Cato is only a junior, but has shown the tools to earn looks from NFL teams. This is a good chance for Cato to get on the radar for the 2014 Draft.
Gator Hoskins (TE, Marshall)- Hoskins has a chance to shoot up draft boards because of his receiving skill set and he is in a relatively thin tight end class. Hoskins runs a lot of routes as a slot receiver, but has the strength to hold blocks in-line as a traditional tight end.