Dan McCarney Fired by North Texas: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction
Oct 10, 2015
North Texas head coach Dan McCarney looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
North Texas Mean Green head football coach Dan McCarney was fired by the school Saturday, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle's Brett Vito.
The firing came after the 0-5 Mean Green lost to the Portland State Vikings of the FCS, 66-7. It was the third straight game in which North Texas allowed more than 49 points and the largest margin of defeat ever for an FBS team against an FCS team, according to Zach Barnett of FootballScoop.com.
Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported on Sunday McCarney will be owed $1.8 million in buyout money.
Losses don't come any more embarrassing than this, as Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman pointed out the game was over long before the fourth quarter:
FCS PortlandState is beating North Texas 59-0 after three quarters. UNT has been outgained 588-91.
The only winless team in Conference USA, North Texas has lost 13 of its past 17 games dating back to the beginning of 2014.
Things took a drastic turn for the worse in recent years for McCarney, who saw some early success after his hiring in 2011. In 2013, the Mean Green went 9-4 and won the Heart of Dallas Bowl against UNLV. But it all fell apart after that, as he finished with a record of 17-25 at North Texas.
The team has yet to announce an interim head coach.
UAB Announces Return of Football Program for 2017 Season
Jul 21, 2015
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has a plan to reinstate the football program in 2017 after cutting the sport in December, according to a release from the school's website Tuesday.
Per that release, UAB "currently is working with donors who committed enough financial support earlier in the year to enable the programs’ return without impacting the school’s budget beyond its current subsidy." The NCAA informed the school that football can return for the 2017 season, with the team competing at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
The team would also be eligible for bowl competition and a Conference USA championship immediately.
The news thrilled head coach Bill Clark, per the school's release:
I am so excited that UAB Football will return to FBS competition in 2017. Like our fans, I wanted to light the scoreboard much sooner, but doing it right is more important than doing it fast, and this was our best option. We want a program that is here to stay. We have to start by building a new, stronger foundation. We need to take our time to do it right, then we can compete for conference and bowl championships.
Given the number of players who transferred after the program met its demise, rebuilding the roster before 2017 may have been a tall task.
In December, UAB's president, Ray Watts, announced that football, rifle and bowling would be abolished (all three were reinstated Tuesday), as he claimed that maintaining football wasn't financially viable.
But with donors helping out, fundraising efforts in place and the support of the NCAA and Conference USA, the university appears to have a sustainable plan in place to maintain the football program.
It's a bittersweet result, perhaps, for those players who were so devastated when the school initially cut the program and who won't have eligibility in 2017, but for those who fought to have football reinstated, this is nonetheless a huge win.
Steward Butler Arrested: Latest Details, Bond and More on Marshall RB
May 6, 2015
Nov 15, 2014; Huntington, WV, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd running back Steward Butler (20) breaks for a long run during the fourth quarter of the game against the Rice Owls at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports
Steward Butler, a senior running back at Marshall University, was arrested Wednesday morning in Huntington, West Virginia, and charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery.
According to Curtis Johnson of The Herald-Dispatch, the Lakeland, Florida, native is accused of beating two gay men.
Per Dan Griffin of WSAZ NewsChannel 3, details have surfaced regarding the alleged incident, which occurred in April:
Marshall initially suspended Butler from the team, and the running back was ultimately dismissed from the program outright, according to Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick:
Coach Holliday and I have decided to dismiss Steward Butler from our program in light of additional information regarding his charges.
School interim president Gary White released a statement, according to MetroNews:
Interim President Gary White said, in a prepared statement, the “violent, bigoted behavior” alleged would not be tolerated at Marshall. “Period.”
President White said what Butler is accused of is extremely serious.
“We will allow the legal process to run its course and will act swiftly and appropriately within our Student Conduct System and according to the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities as more details become clear,” White said.
Butler was the No. 2 rusher for the Thundering Herd last season as he ran for 798 yards and seven touchdowns. That came on the heels of 765 yards and eight scores as a sophomore.
He was once again penciled in to be the backup to Devon Johnson in 2015, but that could be in jeopardy based on the charges against him.
Butler will have the opportunity to go through the legal system; however, his playing career at Marshall is very much up in the air at this point.
Rice Football Signs 7-Year-Old Leukemia Patient Ziggy Stovall-Redd
Apr 9, 2015
The Rice University football program experienced an unexpected windfall Wednesday morning with the signing of 5-star recruit Fre’derick “Ziggy” Stovall-Redd.
A seven-year-old playmaker battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Ziggy made his decision alongside Rice head coach David Bailiff at a packed press conference on the school's Houston campus.
CollegeSpun.com’s Matt Hladik spotted video from the presser. Bailiff couldn’t say enough about the young man and what he brings to the team.
“This young man’s been wrestling with this decision, and he has finally made the choice. He’s chose Rice University,” Bailiff said. “We’re so excited and we want to welcome Ziggy to Rice University and the Rice football family. Thank you, Ziggy.”
Ever the one to let his play on the field do the talking, Ziggy kept his comments short and sweet.
“Thank you for letting me be part of the team,” Ziggy said.
Ziggy comes as a rare import to Rice’s program. Bailiff told the Houston Chronicle that he doesn’t usually recruit outside of the state, but after seeing tape of Ziggy, a Mississippi native, he couldn’t help but reach out to the 5-star quarterback recruit:
We don’t normally [recruit] out of state but after looking at his academic transcripts and how he performs on the football field we thought it was just for us to go into the state and try and get him here. ...
... Ziggy will always be part of the Rice University football family. He has 100 brothers and 10 granddads that are always going to be here for him. We will be with him every step of the way.
Ziggy’s leukemia is currently in remission, and he appears ready to throw ropes at Rice’s Blue-Gray spring game on Friday. Just when the Owls quarterbacks were getting comfortable, Coach Bailiff brings in the grade school equivalent of Sunshine and no one’s job is safe.
Is UAB Just the First of Many Small-School Programs to Shut Their Doors?
Dec 9, 2014
UAB student Mallory Sisk, center, chants with other demonstrators protesting the possible shutdown of the football program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala. Several hundred students, athletes and fans marched to the administration building on the third straight day of protests on campus. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
No program wants to be the next UAB.
The scene, even from thousands of miles away, was equal parts heartbreaking and maddening. That's the power of pictures and video: The whole world was able to see the pain of those who saw their days of playing football for UAB evaporate.
On December 2, the day that UAB football died, university president Ray Watts stood in front of devastated football players trying to explain his way out of an impossible situation. The football program, along with bowling and rifle, was being shut down. The reason, per Watts, was strictly bottom line.
A release from the university, titled "Athletic Strategic Planning," concluded that "UAB would have to substantially increase our operating budget and our capital investments in facilities to support an Athletic Department that fields a competitive Conference USA football team."
As Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com explained, however, the reasons UAB football was killed could be deeper and more political:
"UAB is overseen by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. The very strong belief by UAB supporters is football got killed by powerful trustees with Crimson Tide ties, including Paul Bryant Jr., the son of the legendary Alabama football coach."
"Most of the people in UAB would say it's not about the money," said Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick. What was it about then? Hamrick declined to specify.
When reached by email, UAB declined to comment further.
In the age of NCAA voting autonomy for Power Five conferences and compensation for name/image/likeness rights for college football players, there's a growing question about where mid-major programs fit. The easy line to draw is that more and more football programs could be on the chopping block if finances are tight.
The question is whether it's the correct line to draw.
The Numbers
This was Watt's go-to explanation: The numbers just weren't there to support a Division I football team.
Sports business reporter Kristi Dosh of Fox Sports explained that UAB is in a similar financial situation as its Conference USA peers. Basically, revenue is low, expenses are high in comparison and institutional support and student fees are relied upon to keep things running:
The biggest issue for UAB, as identified in the strategic planning report prepared by CarrSports Consulting and used to assist in this decision, is that expenses for maintaining the football program are going to grow much more quickly than revenue. According to the report, it will cost UAB approximately $5,442 per athletic scholarship to fund the unlimited meals now allowed by the NCAA and the cost of attendance stipend expected to be implemented. That's nearly half a million dollars a year for the football team alone.
Even at higher-profile programs, the need for more money to stay competitive is evident. Clemson, as Dosh points out, is considering raising student fees for increasing operational costs.
Trev Alberts, the athletic director at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and a former college football analyst at ESPN, noted that universities face unique financial challenges to support athletics based on enrollment, tuition and fees to subsidize. In 2011, UNO announced it was eliminating its football and wrestling programs as part of a move from Division II to Division I.
"By discontinuing football, that gave us about $1 million,"Alberts said. "The football budget would had to have doubled to support Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football."
Ultimately, the numbers for many Division I schools outside power conferences are tight. Conference USA doesn't boast the same television deal benefits as power conferences. According to projections obtained by Mike Carmin of the Lafayette Journal and Courier, 11 Big Ten schools will receive $30.9 million in revenue in 2014-15.
HUNTINGTON, WV - DECEMBER 06: Remi Watson #8, Kevin Rodriguez #35, and Stefan Houston #3 of the Marshall Thundering Herd take the field before their game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Joan C. Edwards Stadium during the Conference USA championship
"There's not much of a difference from a competitive standpoint between lower-tier Power Five teams and upper-tier Group of Five schools," Hamrick said. "But as college football and athletics become more expensive, there's pressure to generate more revenue or subsidize."
Understanding the Marketplace
Alberts needed to make on thing clear: There is no broad brush by which college athletics and its challenges can be painted.
UNO's brand investment was in its revenue-producing Division I hockey program. However, with the state's flagship program, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, just an hour away, UNO football was not a powerful enough brand within the community to sustain at the Division I level. The discussion on whether to keep or drop football, Alberts said, was nearly a year-long process.
"If we went to Division I," Alberts explained, "we weren't going to be building excellence in all sponsored sports."
UAB's statement on the end of its football program expresses similar rationale:
It would be fiscally irresponsible and virtually impossible to keep pace with these growing financial demands without sacrificing the financial health and sustainability of Athletics, or redirecting funds from other critical areas of importance, like education, research, patient care or student services.
The question at hand is whether UAB had the marketplace to succeed. As recently as 2013, Birmingham was the No. 1 college football market for ESPN, according to David Sher of al.com. That's not a one-year anomaly; Birmingham has been No. 1 in that category for more than a decade.
Of course, not everyone in Birmingham supported UAB football specifically. The Blazers' home attendance in 2013 was 52,739, according to the NCAA, an average of 10,548 a game.
Still, Hamrick also notes that, in its final weeks, UAB football felt more alive than it ever had in the past. That makes the decision to shut down the program all the more perplexing.
"When I went to Birmingham last month [Nov. 22 for the Marshall-UAB football game], that was the first time that I felt the program there had turned a corner," Hamrick said. "There was a vibe—I can't describe it—but they felt like they finally had a good football team."
The Future
There wasn't any fear in Hamrick's voice when asked about the future of mid-major programs. Alberts didn't second-guess himself when asked the same question.
"That was a unique situation, and I think they [UAB] would tell you that," Hamrick said. "Schools all over the country are adding football."
The last major Division I school to shut down its football program was the University of the Pacific in 1995. As of last August, the University of Hawai'i said the possibility exists its football program could be done for as well. No official move has been made, but as Alberts notes, any decision is a university one, not a football one.
Football, after all, is perceived as the golden ticket. No one understands that more than college administrators.
"Administrative support—it's everything," Hamrick said, "from the president to governing board."
In this autonomy-driven world of major college athletics, an arms race exists to have the most money and the most exposure. Schools shell out top dollar for coaches and facilities regularly. Since not all programs are created equally—or viewed equally—the gap between the haves and have mores continues to get wider.
Will the gap become so wide that certain programs will no longer be able to fund football? Perhaps, but rest assured schools will continue to do everything they can, including raise student fees, to make sure they don't.
Because, whether it's a money issue or something more, no one wants to be in Watts' shoes.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Illinois (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten) will face Louisiana Tech (8-5, 7-2 Conference USA) in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Friday, December 26...
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Marshall Thundering Herd Odds, College Football Pick
Dec 2, 2014
Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato (12) prepares to pass against Florida International during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Marshall was the preseason favorite to win the Conference USA championship, and despite last week's loss, which ruined the Herd's run at perfection, they can still live up to those lofty expectations.
Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, got hot toward the end of this season, going 4-1 against the spread over its last five games, winning CUSA's West Division.
Two of the better teams to bet on this season meet when the Thundering Herd and the Bulldogs battle in the CUSA Championship Game on the Herd's home field in Huntington on Saturday afternoon.
Point spread: The Thundering Herd opened as 14.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).
College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 41.6-23.0 Thundering Herd
Why the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs can cover the spread
The Bulldogs are 6-1 SU over their last seven games and 6-2 ATS over their last eight after routing Rice 76-31 and easily covering the spread as seven-point favorites last week. Louisiana Tech led 28-17 at the half and then scored four times in the third quarter to pull away. The 'Dogs racked up 677 yards of offense on the Owls, ran for 269 yards and scored twice on defensive touchdowns.
So after going 4-8 in its first season under Skip Holtz last year, Louisiana Tech is playing for a conference title. The Bulldogs have been betting dogs four times this season; they're 4-0 ATS in that spot.
Why the Marshall Thundering Herd can cover the spread
The Herd had won 11 games in a row but got caught napping last week, giving up nine touchdowns in a 67-66 overtime loss to Western Kentucky. Marshall trailed almost all day, including by 10 points with 10 minutes to go, but rallied for two scores to force overtime before falling on a bold two-point call by the Hilltoppers. Prior to that, the Herd had won 10 of their 11 games by at least 19 points.
Marshall is averaging 289 yards per game on the ground and 286 through the air while giving up just 359 total yards per outing. Finally, after losing last year's conference title game to Rice as six-point favorites, the Herd might be hungry for redemption.
Smart pick
Marshall owns the edge on offense, but Louisiana Tech owns the edge on defense. And when you can get the team with the better defense plus points, that's probably the smart choice.
Betting trends
Louisiana Tech is 4-2 SU in its last six games on the road.
Marshall is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games.
All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates, and get the free odds tracker app.
Marshall Proves It Doesn't Belong in Playoff Conversation with Embarrassing Loss
Nov 28, 2014
Marshall's Rakeem Cato (12) is taken down by Western Kentucky's Gavin Rocker during an NCAA football game in Huntington, W.Va., Friday, Nov. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Chris Tilley)
The Marshall University Thundering Herd were never truly in the playoff conversation. Everybody knew, whether they openly admitted it or not, that the upper echelon of the Power Five would squash Marshall.
But Rakeem Cato and Co. always had one thing that nobody else besides Florida State University had in college football—an undefeated record.
Not anymore.
It's a tune that is almost tired at this point, but it's something that still stings to those that grasped onto hope until the very end.
There was the University of Houston and Case Keenum's letdown in the Conference USA title game to the University of Southern Mississippi in 2011 after tearing through the regular season undefeated.
There was Northern Illinois University in 2013, with a regular season-ending loss to Bowling Green State University after going 12-0.
Those teams have always represented hope for the "Group of Five." After all, undefeated is undefeated, and it's hard to argue against—even if your toughest opponent was Rice University.
However, Marshall's embarrassing loss to Western Kentucky University—a 67-66 overtime tilt that was won when the Hilltoppers converted a two-point conversion in the first overtime—proved it. Marshall doesn't belong in the playoff conversation.
The 15 combined TD passes between #WKU's Brandon Doughty (8) and Marshall's Rakeem Cato (7) were the most in single-game FBS history.
What's worse is that Marshall all but lost an opportunity to play in a top-tier bowl game as well. That honor will now likely befall either Boise State University or Colorado State University.
Marshall's run was certainly respectable. Like I said, undefeated is undefeated and winning 11 games is admirable and worth celebrating no matter the team or the level of football.
But the notion that Marshall belonged at the playoff table—or even in the discussion—simply because it was undefeated was naive. Marshall hasn't faced any Power Five teams, and it has even had some relatively close calls against bottom-feeder FBS schools (see Middle Tennessee State University, University of Alabama at Birmingham).
It was Marshall that dug its own grave on Friday afternoon, though. Cato threw four interceptions—three of them in the first half. That alone gave Western Kentucky the momentum it needed to control the pace of the game, and it should remove Cato from any Heisman Trophy talk as well.
The Herd gave up 67 points, including the game-winning two-point conversion—to Western Kentucky.
How is that for guts? Western Kentucky just ended it for Marshall.
Perhaps it's a good thing that Boise State or Colorado State will be the Group of Five representative in a top-tier bowl. Boise State has history there—successful history I might add—while Colorado State has beaten two Power Five teams.
How would Marshall have fared against the likes of an Auburn University, University of Mississippi or Baylor University? If Brandon Doughty hung 67 on the board, imagine what Nick Marshall, Bryce Petty or even Bo Wallace would do.
Marshall's run was a fun one. And it deserves a decent bowl selection and some prime-time billing for it. Cato is still an elite quarterback whose career outshines most at that university.
But Marshall was never playoff worthy. It was never even close.
Friday's loss just affirmed that.
The Undefeated Team with No Shot at Making the College Football Playoffs
Oct 27, 2014
One thing is certain about the first College Football Playoff rankings to be released Tuesday: There will be one undefeated team that has absolutely no chance of making the final four.
That’s the sad plight of Marshall, which is 8-0 but figures to be ignored because it plays in Conference USA.
It's probably of little consolation, but at least Rolling Stone magazine has declared the West Virginia university “The People’s Champion.”
Count me among those who think the Thundering Herd has the best team name in college sports but also one of the worst predicaments when it comes to getting ranked. The latest AP poll has Marshall way down at No. 23, but isn't that one spot better than LSU was when it upset No. 3 Ole Miss last Saturday night?
And if Marshall wins out and maintains a spotless record in the loss column, it’s a reminder that college football still doesn’t have a foolproof means of selecting a national champion.
Suppose this was basketball season. A team with Marshall’s undefeated record and ranking in the polls could be reasonably expected to get a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament and have a shot at knocking off some of the sport’s marquee schools.
But that opportunity doesn’t exist in football. Which is why Marshall coach John “Doc” Holliday confesses to having a case of “basketball envy.”
“I do,” the coach told me Monday during a phone interview. “I worry about the direction we’re taking as far as football is concerned, because what’s wrong with having a Butler in the (championship game of) NCAA tournament? Every year somebody steps up and makes a run in basketball. I think that’s what college sports and college football should be all about.”
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 18: Head coach Doc Holliday of the Marshall Thundering Herd looks on during third quarter action against the Florida International Panthers on October 18, 2014 at FIU Stadium in Miami, Florida.(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
But with power-five conferences having such a huge edge, both historically and for strength of schedule, there’s no place in college football for a Cinderella story.
“If there’s a football team out there that’s a non-power-five team that deserves to be in the talk, then what’s wrong with that?” asks Holliday. “I think it would be great for college football.”
Instead, Holliday sees potential trouble brewing for even some top teams because of the ever-growing emphasis on the power-five conferences.
“I think at times you better be careful what you ask for, and I’m talking about even within the power-five conferences,” Holliday said. “The way I kind of see it going down the road, there’s going to be separation even within the power-fives. ...I think there are going to be 10 or 15 teams out there that are totally separated. Can those people in the private schools, and all those people within the power-fives, can they compete with the upper tier? I’m not sure they can.
“I don’t want anybody to give us anything,” Holliday stressed, adding, “I think we deserve to be in the conversation, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
The coach hopes people won’t forget how good non-power-five Boise State was while going 92-12 under Chris Petersen from 2006-13. Or, before it joined the Pac-12, the Urban Meyer-coached Utah team of 2008 that went 12-0.
Holliday was on Meyer’s staff at Florida as associate head coach from 2005-07, which included one national championship with Tim Tebow at quarterback.
“I know that when I worked with Urban that one of the best football teams he thought he ever had was the Utah team when they were undefeated, prior to him going to Florida,” Holliday said. “He’ll tell you that today, that it was one of the best teams he ever coached.”
Holliday says his Marshall quarterback, Rakeem Cato, compares nicely with Tebow.
“As far as competitiveness, absolutely,” Holliday said. “He’s in the same boat.”
But a better comparison for Cato perhaps is Russell Wilson. Two weeks ago, Cato broke Wilson’s FBS college record by throwing a touchdown pass in a 39th consecutive game, and then kept the streak alive and growing to 40 in Saturday’s victory against Florida Atlantic.
“What I like about him is what a special kid he is,” Holliday said. “He’s a guy who has overcome adversity.”
That’s putting it mildly. Cato’s mother died suddenly from pneumonia when he was 13, and his father was imprisoned throughout the quarterback’s childhood.
He also grew up in the Liberty City section of Miami, which has one of the nation’s highest crime rates. Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman wrote an excellent piece about the rigors of Cato’s childhood, and how he had to overcome anger and bitterness before he could become a complete success on the field.
The undersized QB arrived at Marshall weighing only about 150 pounds, but now is a muscular 176.
“He walked onto campus as a skinny kid who didn’t know when to get up or go to bed,” Holliday said. “To see him come as far as he’s come has been great.”
Cato figures to win yet another C-USA Offensive Player of the Year award and leave Marshall as one of the school’s best three quarterbacks all time, joining former NFL players Byron Leftwich and Chad Pennington.
Pennington can perhaps best relate to how this Marshall team is being left out of the national championship discussion, since he was the star of the 1999 team that went 13-0.
As good as Cato has been, last Saturday’s 35-16 victory over Florida Atlantic belonged to Devon Johnson. The junior ran for a school-record 272 yards and four touchdowns, and had a remarkable hat trick of three long-distance TD runs, from 58, 62 and 66 yards.
Oct 25, 2014; Huntington, WV, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd running back Devon Johnson (47) rushes the ball in the fourth quarter against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Marshall defeated Florida Atlantic 35-16 and Johnson finished w
It gave Johnson his seventh 100-yard game of the year and pushed his season total to 1,203 yards and an 8.8-yard average per carry. But until just a few days before practices began in August, Johnson had been penciled in as a tight end. And he was originally recruited as a linebacker.
“I’d like to sit here and tell you we have a crystal ball and knew he was going to be the type of player he is,” Holliday said. “I think probably the thing that gets overlooked here with his success right now is that our offensive line is playing really well. We’ve got an offensive line that’s built in the same mode that he is. They’re all physical, tough like he is, they’re very well coached. He’ll be the first one to tell you that without that offensive line he wouldn’t have the success that he has.”
That success includes helping make Marshall the only FBS team to score at least 35 points in every game. The Herd’s 45.9 scoring average ranks third nationally, and with a defense that’s giving up only 16.5 points a game, Marshall’s 29.4 scoring margin leads the nation.
Still, there isn’t a great chance of Marshall moving up much in the rankings considering its remaining schedule: Southern Mississippi (3-5), Rice (4-3), UAB (4-4) and Western Kentucky (3-4).
But undefeated is undefeated. And if Marshall remains that way, the college game should be respectful and at least include the Thundering Herd in the conversation.
Tom Weir covered college football as a columnist for USA Today. All quotes in this story were gathered firsthand.
Heisman Voters Must Notice Rakeem Cato After He Breaks FBS Record
Oct 18, 2014
Oct 18, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd quarterback Rakeem Cato (12) throws a pass against the Florida International Golden Panthers during the first half at FIU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
It's time for Heisman Voters to take a serious look at Marshall superstar quarterback Rakeem Cato and consider him for a New York City invite after his latest accomplishment.
On Saturday, in a game against Florida Atlantic, Cato threw a touchdown pass for the 39th consecutive game, breaking former Wisconsin and now Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson's record.
History! Marshall QB Rakeem Cato throws a TD in 39 straight games, an NCAA record.
Per Bill Bender of Sporting News, the record began back on Sept. 10, 2011.
Cato's record isn't a gimmick or a fluke. He not only broke a record that was thought to be one of college football's unbeatable, but also has Marshall at 6-0. If they finish the season undefeated, that'll put the playoff committee in a tough position to say the least.
But for Cato, he's earned his Heisman Trophy consideration this season, much like Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois and Colt Brennan of Hawaii did before him.
Coming into this week, Cato has racked up 1,698 passing yards, another 200 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns. He's also at the helm of the second-highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 47.8 points per game through six games. The Herd have also scored at least 42 points in all of their games.
How Marshall QB Rakeem Cato is not being considered a serious Heisman candidate is beyond me. NCAA record 39 straight games with TD pass.
Cato himself has been the model of consistency. In only one game this season—against Akron—has Cato been limited to just one passing touchdown. Over his career, he has 107 total touchdown passes after breaking the record, far and away the most of any active player, per ESPN.
But where the ceiling rests for Cato lies at the end of the season. Marshall's schedule to finish off the season—Southern Miss, Rice, UAB and Western Kentucky—leads many to believe that the Herd will finish without a blemish on their record.
Of the four opponents left on the Herd's schedule, none are ranked in the top 50 in pass defense. So expect Cato to boost his stats by teeing off on the weak secondaries.
There's certainly things that Cato lacks that other Heisman candidates have. Dak Prescott's Mississippi State Bulldogs are ranked No. 1. Marcus Mariota is considered a top 10 draft pick.
But if the Herd finish the season undefeated, the masses will clamor for Marshall to be in the playoffs, and for Cato to be in The City That Never Sleeps for the Heisman Trophy presentation.
