Marshall beats Maryland 31-20 in Military Bowl
Annapolis, Md. • Maryland had just marched 99 yards to take a fourth-quarter lead, and it was up to Marshall to either respond or succumb.
"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 the Herd 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 season before this game, throwing for 3,579 yards and 36 touchdowns. But this performance — on a national stage against an Atlantic Coast Conference foe — 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, punter Tyler Williams pinned the Terrapins inside the 10 four times, and Marshall's underappreciated defense played a huge role.
Maryland (7-6) scored only 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.
"It's a great way to send the seniors out," Holliday said.
Making its first bowl appearance under third-year coach Randy Edsall, Maryland closed out its association with the ACC by falling to the runner-up in Conference USA. The Terrapins will join the Big Ten next year.
Despite the loss, Maryland had its first winning season since 2010 and finished with more victories than in Edsall's first two years combined. —
Marshall 31, Maryland 20
Marshall 14 3 0 14 — 31
Maryland 7 6 0 7 — 20
First Quarter
Mar • Shuler 1 pass from Cato (Haig kick), 6:21.
Md • L.Jacobs 29 pass from C.Brown (Craddock kick), 3:25.
Mar • Hoskins 8 pass from Cato (Haig kick), :34.
Second Quarter
Md • FG Craddock 25, 11:36.
Mar • FG Haig 27, 9:26.
Md • FG Craddock 33, 1:20.
Fourth Quarter
Md • Stinebaugh 2 pass from C.Brown (Craddock kick), 14:56.
Mar • Taliaferro 7 run (Haig kick), 12:05.
Mar • Hoskins 8 pass from Cato (Haig kick), 3:42.
Attendance • 30,163.
Mar Md
First downs 24 18
Rushes-yards 35-138 49-194
Passing 337 197
Comp-Att-Int 28-44-0 14-24-1
Return Yards 29 0
Punts-Avg. 7-40.6 7-40.0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-55 5-45
Time of Possession 26:38 33:22
Individual Statistics
Rushing • Marshall, Taliaferro 19-81, Watson 6-42, Cato 7-15, Butler 1-3, Team 2-(minus 3). Maryland, B.Ross 20-116, C.Brown 19-38, L.Jacobs 4-26, Reid 3-8, K.Goins 1-3, Veii 2-3.
Passing • Marshall, Cato 28-44-0-337. Maryland, C.Brown 14-24-1-197.
Receiving • Marshall, Shuler 9-68, Hoskins 6-104, D.Smith 5-54, Wilkins 3-35, E.Frohnapfel 2-32, D.Allen 1-26, Taliaferro 1-10, D.Johnson 1-8. Maryland, L.Jacobs 7-100, Etta 2-51, King 2-22, Stinebaugh 2-16, B.Ross 1-8.