Yes the offense he runs at Marshall runs on similar principles to Miami's offense and he would fit it well.
I don't think anyone has their hopes up for Marshall getting on the CFPC's Top 25 tonight. They slipped one spot in the AP and Coaches Poll rankings because of the lack of style points against UAB. Marshall's opponents went 4-3 this weekend. Actually 4-4 if you count UAB as one of Marshall's opponents. But they lost TO Marshall so I dunno about that. I think this weekend may have helped, though. The right teams won this weekend. The toughest opponents Marshall faced this year are really Akron, Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee and Rice. All four of them won this weekend which brings Akron and Old Dominion to 5-6, Middle Tennessee to 6-5 (bowl eligible) and Rice is now 7-4. Would be nice if Ohio can win one more game and be bowl eligible. And with Western Kentucky winning this weekend, that sets this weekend's game up to be against a 6-5 opponent who has won 4 of their last 5 and whose offense is nearly as prolific as Marshall's. All the more reason for my prediction to come true that the College Football Playoff Committee will go ahead and rank Marshall if they beat Western Kentucky this weekend. I think that's the win that does it, and it will come simultaneous with Boise State holding off Utah State at home...which will screw Colorado State out of the conversation. I'm guessing that Oliver Luck (Andrew Luck's dad) has been screwing over Marshall by pushing Colorado State hard and heavy...contributing to the committee's being unwilling to rank anyone from the G5 until they get confirmation that Colorado State is ineligible. Every conference has two committee members as the point people for that conference. Oliver Luck is one of the two point people for the Mountain West. Ollie is the Athletic Director for West Virginia, Marshall's big in-state rival (similar to USF/UCF). This week Luck gets to point to CSU having a huge crushing victory over Wyoming while Marshall barely squeaked by UAB. Marshall fans had better hope that Boise State holds against Utah State. If they don't, then I bet Oliver Luck will make sure Colorado State gets the access bid. So this weekend here are the outcomes that would be best for Marshall: Most Important Western Kentucky at Marshall Colorado State at Air Force Utah State at Boise State Nice But Not Necessary Ohio at Miami (OH) Akron at Kent State Old Dominion at Florida Atlantic Rice at Louisiana Tech UAB at Southern Miss Middle Tennessee at UTEP Syracuse at Boston College Utah at Colorado Connecticut at Memphis Crappy thing is, unless Colorado State drops the game to Air Force (could happen, Air Force is decent) then Marshall fans probably won't know until Sunday morning whether they'll be playing for a Peach Bowl berth in the CUSA Championship against Louisiana Tech. The Utah State vs Boise State game isn't until late Saturday night.
Unbe-****ing-lievable. Word just...I can't. The college football playoff committee has officially ****ed Marshall in the ***. They went ahead and ranked Marshall at 24. Great, right? No. Because they ranked Boise State at 23. Boise State plays Utah State this week and if they win, they go to the Mountain West championship game. Good luck getting the committee to rank Marshall above them if that happens. Oh, and if they lose to Utah State? Conveniently, Colorado State will now be eligible for the Mountain West championship game. And suddenly THEY will rank ahead of Marshall. What a nice, neat trap they have laid for Marshall. Oliver Luck wins.
Revising what I said before... Now it becomes absolutely necessary for teams like Ohio, Akron, Old Dominion, Rice, UAB and Middle Tennessee to add onto their win totals and get bowl eligible. Long specifically made the argument that Boise State has won a lot more games against teams that are .500 or better. This weekend, if all of the above teams win and Marshall beats Western Kentucky, then Marshall will have added four new teams to the list of .500 teams, and will lock in Rice and Middle Tennessee as winning teams. The Boise State "quality wins" stand as follows: Colorado State (10-1), UL-Lafeyette (7-4), Nevada (6-5), BYU (7-4) and San Diego State (6-5). They have an upcoming game against Utah State who is 8-3. They also beat Fresno State (5-6) who could climb to .500 this weekend with a win over Hawaii. So basically Marshall needs all of those teams to lose and they need Ohio, Akron, Old Dominion, Rice, UAB and Middle Tennessee to win. That would give Marshall 7 wins against teams that are .500 or above while Boise would have 6 such wins. You could argue that a couple of those wins by Boise were higher quality than any by Marshall, but the fact of the matter is there's the elephant in the ****ing room that Marshall is 12-0 and Boise State is 10-and-****ing-2. If Colorado State loses to Air Force AND Boise State loses to Utah State then this is all moot. Until they suddenly rank Memphis ahead of Marshall, or some bullsh-t. Unbelievable.
The committee is also failing to recognize that if you account for Marshall itself dealing out those losses then suddenly Ohio, Akron and Old Dominion are indeed 0.500 or better. That would give Marshall five such teams versus Boise's six.
No way around it. Absolutely right, CK. This is a total sham. No shot in hell a 10-2 Boise State team should be ranked ahead of a 12-0 team just absolutely crushing almost all of their opponents. No disrespect to BSU at all, but there is literally nothing more Marshall could do. They have gone out there and taken care of business each and every week. They deserve a shot at the top bowl possible, especially with that "0" in the L column.
I guess what I'm hoping is that the committee is honest, which I'm not convinced they are. They're the ones that brought up this: "They've got a number of teams that they have beat with .500 records or above, and Marshall has two wins over teams that are .500 and above." They said it and they've got to live by it. It implies that five teams with .500 records or above versus only two teams with .500 records or above is just too much of a disparity. Five "good" wins versus two "good" wins is not a slim disparity. Obviously the undefeated record counts for SOMETHING because they're #23 and #24, separated by a thin margin. It certainly IMPLIES that if next week we're looking at a Marshall team that has beaten as many as SEVEN of these teams that are .500 or above...closing that gap should be enough to push Marshall over top of Boise. SHOULD be enough. IF the committee is HONEST. Which I doubt.
Looks like Ohio squeaked out the win over Miami (OH). That should get Ohio to 6-6 and bowl eligible. That's good for Marshall, provided the committee is being fair.
A lot of notes on this game but one that sticks out. We heard last week that Rakeem Cato has an alarming degree of freedom callin give, pass or keep every play. Bill Legg the offensive coordinator says that Cato's decision making on those calls grades out about 95 percent.
Darn..what a heartbreaker.I wish Holliday had gone for it on the 1/2 yard line on fourth down instead of field goal and following TD possession and Marshall would have won...still really good come back attempt after throwing 4 picks...what more can be said...Cato is a gamer with the heart of a lion and very talented !!! First time I had seen WKU QB and he looks talented?
I questioned that decision as well but it didn't end up costing them. If they were only down by 3 they would not have been going for the end zone. They'd have been calling plays for a FG attempt. In the end what got them was the fact Western Kentucky had absolutely nothing to lose and Marshall had everything to lose. Western Kentucky made a decision in OT that no team makes. They went for two in single overtime knowing that if they didn't get it, they lose by a point. But they got it, so they won by a point. Cato didn't get another opportunity to put the game on his back. He put the game on his back really all day but more so in the 4th quarter down by 10 points. He really got them in the end zone that first time to draw Marshall within 3 points. I didn't agree with the overturn on that replay, there was no good camera angle to say Butler didn't have the ball over the line. Then with 3 minutes left needing 7 points to tie the game was there really any doubt Cato was going to get the TD? He executed brilliantly on both drives with the game on his back. He threw 4 picks in the game. One of them was absolutely not his fault whatsoever as the receiver inexplicably stopped running the route. That wasn't a miscommunication. It was a bad route. There is zero way for the quarterback to avoid that interception. But three other picks were on Cato. The first came right away in the game and I actually give credit to the WKU defensive coordinator because that's a defense that changes what they do every week according to who they're facing. They came in having identified something Marshall could have trouble with (until they adjust) and wanting to capitalize on that, and that's exactly what they did. They dropped I think three guys in underneath coverage playing robber zones and one of them followed Cato's eyes out of his zone to pick off the pass. Marshall quickly adjusted to the tactic. Cato made sure to draw defenders away from his target with his eyes from that point on. The second pick that was Cato's fault was just a great play by the deep centerfielder, making an athletic one handed grab on a vertical pass. It was a chancy throw but not necessarily a stupid one. If you're pushing the ball up the field you are taking chances with that centerfielder sometimes. Cato could have thrown the ball further outside but that helps the corner get back into the play. Credit the defender here. Great catch and play on the ball. The final pick was set up by the first pick. You had a guy drop into a deep centerfield coverage and Cato made sure to draw the guy to his right with his eyes. But the defender only barely reacted to Cato's look-off. So when Cato came back left, the defender went back that direction, and the ball was picked. Otherwise Rakeem Cato threw 7 damn touchdowns in the game and actually threw an 8th perfect one to Davonte Allen who dropped it in the end zone. Cato was killing with his legs too as he ran for a number of 1st downs on the ground. He also makes the give/pass/keep decisions and several of them paid off beautifully, including one he opted to give on 3rd & 7 (hardly a running down) because of what he saw in the defense, and the result of that play was a long TD run by Steward Butler. I'd say Cato was really responsible for about 9 TDs. When your defense decides not to show up and lets up 50 damn points in the first half alone, there aren't many QBs that will recover from that. But man did he compete. And there was no question that in those clutch drives, he was going to have his team in the end zone.
I think they score more points if Davonte Allen didn't go full ******. He was having a huge game, Holliday has been limiting since his injury has he not? And finally when he gets a chance to play, he starts with the taunting and stupidity.
So true CK...I think Cato played unbelievable..how many othr QB'S can throw 4 picks and be down so much early and just continue to bring it and fight..wow just more confirming that this QB is really good and I would like Miami to draft him. CK, in what round do you think he get's drafted? Or because how some might view his size stupidly is he an UDFA? This guy is a CHAMPION ! Also on the beautiful pass to Allen when he was ejected I actually think he caught the ball.
At this point, I don't even care about getting him at a steal of a draft slot. I feel for the kid because WKU just cost him a couple hundred thousand dollars on his first contract. I just really hope Cato doesn't end up being the guy who never gets a fair shot to kill it in the NFL.
He will get a shot in the NFL based on his work ethic alone. Coaches can tell the difference between a guy that is just fine as long as he's on a roster and a guy that is constantly early to practice, asking questions all the time, studying film, volunteering reps with the scout team/second/third string, and just hitting the weight room all the time. That's what I imagine Cato will do, he's going to do everything he can to get his shot.
That's right. He will get his shot just like Josh Johnson got his shot. Whether he does better than Johnson, I can't say. I think he compares favorably to Aaron Rodgers.
I'm sure it will. Maybe tomorrow. You won't see the interceptions though since the guy that does them is doing highlights. Here's a taste of it...touchdown city. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jGhkjnEcAw
I'm curious whether Marshall really is out of the Peach Bowl or not. Colorado State losing to Air Force was pretty big. Now even if Boise State loses to Utah State tonight (they likely won't, they're winning 34-12 at the half), it would be Utah State going to the Mountain West Championship Game instead of Colorado State. But here's the thing. Boise State has to go ahead and actually WIN the Mountain West Championship Game. The committee isn't allowed to select a non-champion. If Marshall wins the CUSA Championship and Boise State loses the MW Championship, what the hell will the committee do? Every single leader in the AAC is 8-3. And they don't play a championship game, they just share their conference championship title. Without actually playing and winning a conference championship game next weekend, you can't just give the Peach Bowl to an 8-3 AAC team over a 12-1 Marshall. Really what they'd have to consider is whether to put an 11-2 Northern Illinois in the Peach Bowl over Marshall. And I really can't see that. They lost to Arkansas and Central Michigan. They played virtually the same soft schedule as Marshall but have two losses. Their biggest win is against Northwestern, who is 5-7. Marshall's destiny is not in their own hands, but after getting completely SCREWED by the committee last week, you can easily argue it never really was in their hands. Evidently they always needed a bunch of things to happen in order to get into the Peach Bowl. It just so happens that probably the biggest and unlikeliest of those dominos to fall, did actually fall (Colorado State losing to Air Force). So basically what they need to happen is for Boise State to blow it in the championship game against Fresno State. The last time these two met they played in Boise and BSU came out ahead 37-27. But it was tied 27-27 heading into the 4th quarter.
Have been super busy of late, but last Friday was just soul crushing. Absolutely soul crushing. I would have never thought our defense would give up 67 on Senior Day with the amount of Seniors on that defense. Never. Give credit to WKU. They kept going straight at our weaknesses and never relenting - power running game and attacking any CB opposite Darryl Roberts. Any time they threw at Roberts was when Marshall got it's only few stops. Again...just soul crushing.
I agree it was pretty bad, especially to come back and bring the game to overtime, then basically lose on a coin flip because a team with absolutely nothing to lose went for two instead of kicking the field goal. I thought Marshall could have managed Corey Tindal better. It was obvious that not only was WKU targeting him throughout the game, but he was also continually getting hurt, slow to get up, looked sluggish, sometimes I even thought it looked like he had a concussion.
I wish it would have played out better....second possession in overtime would have been great. Marshall fought so hard in this game to comeback and take the lead after so many miscues was great..I wish it would have held up for the Marshall victory.
It will take an absolute miracle for Marshall to get to the Peach Bowl after all. Boise State is favored to beat Fresno State by 20.0 points. Yikes. Boise must lose in order for Marshall to get in.
This Marshall game has been about the worst called game in the history of college football, from an offensive perspective. I've always had issues with Bill Legg but it's literally like he wants to lose. I can unequivocally say I've never seen a game called worse.
Here is the WKU game by the way. I know it's coming late. The CUSA Championship Game isn't done yet. Remember he threw 4 interceptions in this game, 3 of which were his fault, and those won't be in the highlights packages. The highlight people DID actually include this interception, which was clearly not his fault. So you can get a look at that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=714 Otherwise there were 3 interceptions that were his fault. Here are the highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=289 (Scramble complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=308 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=320 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=343 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=355 (Rhythm 3rd down conversion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=376 (Rhythm deep ball complete TD) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=395 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=429 (Rhythm deep ball complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=458 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=475 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=482 (Rhythm complete TD) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=512 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=548 (Pressure Scramble conversion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=569 (Rhythm deep ball complete TD) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=595 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=703 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=790 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=829 (Scramble conversion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=848 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=881 (Roll right cross-body complete TD) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=906 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1132 (Checkdown complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1159 (Rhythm deep ball TD in 2 minute drill) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1224 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1416 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1440 (Reset feet complete checkdown) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1467 (Dropped rhythm deep ball would-be TD) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1487 (Replay PERFECT ball) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1543 (3rd & 7, did Rakeem check into this run for a TD?) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1575 (TD montage) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1608 (Rhythm complete hot throw) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1626 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1677 (Scramble conversion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1694 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1704 (Pressure scramble complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1720 (Reset feet complete checkdown) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1881 (Scramble conversion final drive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1898 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1907 (Scramble complete final drive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1922 (Rhythm complete conversion final drive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1955 (Rhythm complete final drive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=1986 (Scramble conversion final drive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=2001 (Roll right complete TD final drive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHqqhOHbIg&feature=player_detailpage#t=2079 (Checkdown complete TD overtime) God damn heroic game from him, IMO. You're down 21 points at various points in the game and there was never any panic or doubt that he could bring them back. Sure he threw three picks that were his fault. But when your defense opens up like a bucket with no bottom, you've got to push the ball way up the field and be aggressive, and that provides opportunities for the other defense. He threw SEVEN touchdowns. And he threw another that was perfect but wasn't caught. Never any panic. Never any doubt that if they were within striking distance in the final minutes, he'd direct that scoring drive to tie the game. Never any doubt that in overtime, he'd push the ball up the field and score that touchdown. They got beat on a coin flip. This was a loss but it might have been his finest performance of the year.
And I haven't watched the CUSA Championship Game yet but I wasn't surprised at all looking at the game log to see that Marshall gets the football with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter at their own 32 yard line, down 19-23 and needing a touchdown otherwise they lose the game...and Rakeem Cato completes 6 of 7 passes for 52 yards including the game-winning TD with 1:50 left. He also ran twice for 11 yards, both of those runs earning tough yardage inside the red zone bringing them closer to that TD. He didn't even need any 4th downs on the drive. This is a quality in a quarterback that is hard to explore in a season when you're beating every single opponent by 20 or 30 points. Even in the UAB game where they were really tested, he never got the opportunity to have that final drive situation because the defense scored the game-winning TD before he could, which gave the ball back to UAB's offense and they possessed it for pretty much the remainder of the game. But Cato is clutch as hell. He showed that at various points in the Virginia Tech game last year. He did it at the end of the Military Bowl. He executed a come from behind in the final 5 minutes of the Tulsa game last year. Down in the 4th quarter 35-45 against Middle Tennessee last year, he executed an 82 yard TD drive and completed the only pass he threw on another 44 yard TD drive to pull them up 49-45 with only 2:29 remaining. They lost because the defense couldn't stop MTSU from scoring the winning TD in their own 2 minute drill. Last year against FAU he got the ball with 2:19 left to play, down 21-23 and on his own 9 yard line. He completed 3 of 3 passes for 50 yards, also ran for 20 yards, setting up a 41 yard field goal to win the game with time expiring. The Ohio game last year was a bit mixed. They fell down 17-31 with 12 minutes left in the game. Cato completed 5 of 5 passes for 60 yards and a TD to pull within a TD. But then he threw an interception on the first play of his next drive and Ohio used that opportunity to kick a FG and push their lead to 10 points. Cato got the ball with 2:46 left down by 10 points and Cato completed 5 of 5 passes for 57 yards, ran twice for 14 yards including the 1-yard TD to bring it to within a FG. But then the onside kick failed so they lost. And we've been through the Va Tech game. That was a bit mixed but overall he showed a lot of clutch genes. He threw what should have been a tying TD at the end. Perfect pass to an open player, right through the bread basket.
I think Ryan Tannehill is enough of a veteran to cut Moore and bring Cato in. I certainly don't believe this staff has enough balls to bring in a proven winner and not overpay a veteran to be safe though.
Man. Watching this La Tech game. Not too many errant passes from Cato even though the passes are going incomplete. Frohnapfel drops one, Deontay McManus stops running on a great re-set throw from Cato. Tough start to the game. Bad conditions. Missed on one deep ball so far and also missed a throw with blitzers in his face on 3rd & 9 (wouldn't have converted anyway, OL let the blitz in too quick).
That fumble in the first quarter seemed like a good handoff but with the bad conditions the RB just didn't get hold of it. Too bad because Cato threw a fireball deep to Devonte Allen just prior to that. Big completion.
Kenneth Dixon man. Been a fan of his since he was a freshman. He should be considered a good RB prospect.
Cato got lucky on the next drive going deep to Davonte Allen. His ball was too far inside and the safety had a bead on it. But then Cato did his thing on three plays. Found Foster on a scramble with really a very tough to make throw. Then scrambled for a long 3rd down conversion. Finished with a strike for a TD. One bad habit he has is holding the ball like a loaf of bread. He's got great awareness and agility, speed...so he gets away with it. But it MUST be coached out of him because NFL defenders can beat your good awareness with their speed. You hang that ball out there a lot, eventually it will be found by defenders.
Nice decision to throw the ball away on 2nd down of the next drive. Tried to find his second, third or fourth options, but they weren't there. Threw it away. Wind caught it so the ball didn't quite go out of bounds as far as you'd like, but it wasn't really interceptable. Third down the blocking up the middle broke down and he tried to get away but the guy on the stunt did a great job getting his shoelaces.
La Tech doing a great job baiting Cato into keepers by crashing the back side DE which is usually the guy being zone-read, then bringing the back side corner up behind the line of scrimmage almost on a blitz to get the QB right as he tries to keep. It's a strategy begging to be taken advantage of by a smart offensive coordinator who has installed some of the stuff we run in Miami under Lazor...zone-read keeper passes. Cato with another strike on second down though. Next down there is nobody available and he gets pressured so he throws it away. Very good decision making thus far. Good underneath completion on second down. Throws a pressured screen to Shuler and Tommy just drops the thing. I think that's three or four incomplete passes not really on Cato. Plus two throwaways.
Nice dime of a throw to the sideline from opposite hash by Cato there with 4 minutes in the half. But then Hyleck Foster sits on his slant route where Cato expects him to run thru it. This created an interception last week. Nearly another this week. Ball tipped up, nearly picked. Davonte Allen couldn't bring in a dime thrown by Cato on the bang-8 route deep down the field. Tough one. Third down he has to come off first and second reads, tries to throw over the left with a guy running in about to clobber him fill speed. He squatted and threw sidearm to try and squeak it by, but the ball sailed. I have two throwaways, five throws that were on the mark but uncaught for various reasons. That leaves about four legit incomplete passes.
Nice slant to start the second half for Cato, then throws a perfect one to Wilkins which once again is dropped. Yikes. But there was holding so it doesn't go down as an official incomplete ball. The drops continue though on 2nd & 12 Cato notices deep off cover eat and changes the play at the line to throw the quick hit to Deontay McManus. Ball is right where it should be, just dropped. Somehow Devon Johnson converts a 3rd & 17 with a draw run. It's weird that Devon wasn't getting the ball more in the first half. They made him sit like they were worried about his health, but in the second half they're feeding him like usual. Cato throws a nice hot route underneath against the blitz, complete But then Cato gets away with another one. Pressure in his face he throws a deep 50/50 ball to Jean-Louis and the receiver doesn't really come back to it. The corner did and very nearly picked it off. Couldn't get the toe tap. It looked like Cato was trying to throw it away though. With no gloves on, in the rain, it would seem he's not getting the ball out of bounds as much as he's intending on throwaways. On 2nd down tho he must have eyes in the back of his head. His blind side protector was beat like a drum and a pass rusher was going to murder Cato's back. But Cato stepped up just in time to avoid him then scrambled for positive yards. Pretty incredible. Drive ends with a third down ball getting knocked down by a blitzer. That doesn't happen to Cato often. He usually finds a way to sneak the ball by.
Second down of next drive I won't call this a drop. He resets and finds an auxiliary target but is just a bit high. Hit the WR in the hands but still high. Throws a perfect ball on 4th down to Deontay McManus on the post. Should've been flagged DPI. McManus could've shielded and attacked it better but the defender got there early. Should've been a flag. Next drive he throws a nice ball to Yurachek for a first down. Nice rhythm play-action throw. Ah so this is his interception. Linebacker delay blitzes but Remi Watson COMPLETELY misses the pickup. Just whiffs. Hits Cato right as he's throwing ball just quacks up into the air. I don't think you can blame Cato here when you watch Remi Watson completely miss the pickup. Cato had no reason to believe the blitz would get there THAT quickly, because it should've been blocked up. Eight passes should've been complete or flagged. Two more throwaways. One more tipped at the line. One hit as thrown because of a blown blitz pickup.
Great throw showing great touch to Shuler on the sidelines on 2nd & 8. Really nice, got it over the defender yet with pace. Next play 2nd & 9, he throws a perfect deep ball to Shuler but there is coverage there and Shuler can't haul it in. That's an on target pass. Man. Special teams a big drag in this game. A muffed punt return turnover earlier, and now a blocked punt. Then a RB fumbles the damn thing losing 6 yards on 1st & 10 to close the 3rd quarter. So you're Rakeem Cato and you're down 23-16 to start the 4th quarter, now you have a 2nd & 15. No problem. His next throw the ball sails on him as he's being hit. That gives him a 3rd & 15. He scrambles for a few yards to end the drive.
From the CUSA Championship Game. Terrible conditions as you can see. Wet, windy, cold. Rakeem Cato went without gloves which he seems to do when there is inclement weather. I think the ball sailed on him a few times because of the weather, which you'd expect. Other balls were caught by the wind and maybe that's why even though he tried to throw the ball away it didn't go into the 3rd row. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=158 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=334 (Rhythm deep ball complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=357 (Rhythm deep ball complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=387 (Scramble roll right complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=401 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=415 (Scramble conversion fumble-and-recover) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=437 (Replay Fumble) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=453 (Rhythm complete TD) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=485 (Replay) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=743 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=753 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=900 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1025 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1250 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1323 (Blitz hot read complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1348 (Pressured scramble run) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1552 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1580 (Fantastic touch pass complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1651 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1691 (Rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1712 (Roll right complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1841 (Final Drive rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1853 (Final Drive rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1872 (Final Drive blitz hot read complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1899 (Final Drive rhythm complete) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1910 (Final Drive pressure scramble run) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1922 (Final Drive zone-read keeper) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1932 (Final Drive fantastic pressured, scramble complete TD) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1995 (Replay...what a play to win the game) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=2164 (3rd & 9 trying to run out the clock...complete) BONUS: This is DT James Rouse, who is very underrated in my opinion. He's #11 and he's about to forklift a Louisiana Tech offensive lineman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=171 Oh, but he's not done. Now watch him push two Louisiana Tech linemen directly into the tailback. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=184 More of him (#11): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=852 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=958 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=982 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1146 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1176 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1526 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1567 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1598 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZv9Y2a-AGc&feature=player_detailpage#t=1631 This is the kind of sh-t I got used to seeing from Aaron Donald that made me go crazy for him a full year before anyone else even acknowledged that Donald was draftable. He's not Aaron Donald obviously, but I like him.
